Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Avondale, AZ

Cast iron, and what it means for an Avondale conversion

Most Avondale homes were built in the 1990s and 2000s, and in those houses the tub is usually a lighter builder-grade unit that comes out quickly. Older homes are different. Around Old Town and Cashion the tub may well be cast iron, and a five-foot cast iron tub weighs enough that removing it whole is frequently impossible through a standard doorway. The usual answer is to break it up in place, which is loud, messy, and requires protecting everything between the bathroom and the door.

That is a real line item and an honest contractor will say so. It is not a reason to avoid the conversion — it is a reason the conversion in a 1960s house costs more than the identical conversion in a 2005 house, and a quote that prices them the same has not looked at your tub.

What you get in exchange is usually a better wall to build on. Older framing is often full-dimension lumber, and once the tub is gone there is real material to fasten blocking to.

The plumbing behind an older alcove

The other variable is what the supply and waste are made of. In a 2000s tract home the answer is usually unremarkable. In an older house, galvanized supply that has been in the wall for decades narrows from the inside, and you often only discover how badly when the new shower runs at half the pressure the old tub did.

Because the wall is already open for the conversion, this is the cheapest moment in the life of the house to address it. We will tell you what we find and what we would do, and we will not quietly tile over a problem to keep a number down.

Venting is the same story. Older bathrooms were sometimes vented in ways that no longer meet code, and a conversion that changes the drain is exactly the point at which an inspector will look at it.

While the valve and showerhead are being replaced anyway, it is worth knowing that the City of Avondale's Low Flow Plumbing Rebate pays $25 per showerhead (under 2.6 gallons per minute) and $75 per toilet (1.6 gallons per flush or less) for City water customers replacing higher-use fixtures. Apply within a year with a dated receipt; funds are first come, first served, so check the city's rebate programs page for current terms.

Asbestos, lead, and the tests worth doing first

Only a small share of Avondale's homes were built before 1980, but if yours is one of them, two things are worth checking before demolition rather than during it: asbestos in sheet flooring, mastic or joint compound, and lead in older paint layers.

Neither is common in every house and neither is a reason to abandon a project. Both are a reason not to have a crew put a reciprocating saw through a wall on the assumption it will be fine. Testing is inexpensive relative to the cost of handling a positive result badly, and a contractor who waves the question away is telling you how they handle the things they cannot see.

Where a test comes back positive, the work is done by a licensed abatement contractor before we start. That adds time and cost, and it is not optional.

Permits for this work in Avondale

Avondale handles its own permits. The City of Avondale's Building Services Division, part of the Development Services Department at 11465 W. Civic Center Dr. (623-333-4000), does plan review, permit issuance and inspections, working from the 2024 International Residential Code with city amendments. Applications are filed online through the city's Accela portal.

The city's code exempts tile, cabinets and countertops on their own, but a tub-to-shower conversion changes the drain and usually the valve — replacing or rearranging plumbing fixtures is not on the exempt list. The inspection list includes a pre-slope and shower liner test for shower pans. Recessing a floor for a curbless entry or widening a doorway changes framing too. We pull the permit and meet the inspector ourselves. If your home is in an HOA, check its rules first — the city does not track HOA covenants.

City of Avondale Building Services publishes the current requirements, and our Avondale permit guide covers the process.

The Avondale homes this work happens in

Census figures put the median Avondale home's construction year at 2002, and about six in ten homes were built in the 1990s or 2000s. The older parts of town — Old Town along Western Ave, Cashion and Las Ligas — are a small share of the total.

That mix matters more than it sounds. A 2000s tract home is typically sound behind the walls, and the conversion is a clean swap inside the alcove. An older house can need supply lines, venting and circuits brought up to date once the wall is open. We price those two situations very differently, and we tell you which one you have before you sign anything.

Check this yourself

• City of Avondale Building Services — permit requirements for Avondale.
• City of Avondale 2022 Water Quality Report — the hardness figure quoted above.
• 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design — the dimensions referenced above (§304.3.1, §404.2.3, §609.4).
• U.S. Access Board — plain-language guidance on those standards.
• Arizona Registrar of Contractors — verify any contractor's license, ours included (AZ ROC #339999).

ADA section numbers were confirmed in August 2026; City of Avondale details were checked against the city's published documents in November 2026. The ADA standard governs public accommodations, not private homes.