Camas Shower Remodeling

What makes a shower last

A shower is the wettest assembly in your house, and most shower failures are waterproofing problems hidden behind the tile. JDI Construction is a family-owned, Vancouver-based design-build remodeler, and we build a shower from the framing out — the membrane, the pan, and the slope first, then the tile and glass you actually see. Do the hidden part right and a Camas shower lasts for decades; skip it and the leak shows up long after the tile looked finished.

Our designers and installers work as one team, so the shower you approve is the shower that gets built — we don't hand finished plans to a separate contractor and hope the waterproofing gets done correctly. Here's how we think through a shower, what tends to come up in Camas homes, and what to expect on cost and timeline.

The parts that matter most

A shower has to look good, but first it has to keep water where it belongs. These are the details that decide whether it does — and most of them are invisible once the tile is on:

1. 1
   

   Waterproof membraneThe layer behind the tile that actually keeps water out of your walls and framing.
2. 2
   

   The pan & slopeA correctly sloped pan sends water to the drain instead of pooling or wicking into the subfloor.
3. 3
   

   Drain typeTraditional, bonded-flange, or linear — matched to the pan and the look you want.
4. 4
   

   VentilationAn exhaust fan sized and vented outside so the room dries and the finishes last.

A few decisions worth making early

The choices that shape a shower's cost and layout are best settled before demolition. The big ones we talk through: whether to convert a tub to a walk-in shower — popular when the tub goes unused, though it's worth keeping at least one tub in the house for resale; whether to go curbed or curbless, since a zero-threshold shower is cleaner and barrier-free but needs recessed framing and an exact slope; and the extras that have to be planned into the framing rather than added later — a bench, recessed niches, a second showerhead, or grab-bar blocking for aging in place. We also choose the glass and drain early, because they affect how the pan and walls are built.

What Camas showers tend to need

In the older homes near the historic downtown and the Grass Valley area, we most often replace a tired tiled shower that's started to leak or a dated fiberglass insert — and the real fix is rebuilding the waterproofing behind it, not just re-tiling the surface. The chance to open the walls is also the chance to correct a pan that never drained properly.

Up on Prune Hill and around Lacamas Lake, the newer builds usually have a builder-grade shower that's sound but basic — a small pan, a plastic surround, and a low-end door. There the work is upgrading to a tiled walk-in, better glass, and the storage and slope details that make it feel custom. Either way, in the wet Pacific Northwest we treat the membrane and ventilation as the parts we never cut corners on, because that's what protects the work.

Showers we've built around Camas

A few recent bath and shower projects in Camas and neighboring Vancouver — click through for the full before-and-after:

Camas, WA

Modern Bath with Hex Wood-Grain Tile

See the project

Camas, WA

Minimalist Primary & Guest Bath

See the project

Camas, WA

Refreshing Full Bathroom Remodel

See the project

Vancouver, WA · Nearby

Walnut & Green Tile Primary Bath

See the project

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What does a shower remodel cost in Camas?

What a Camas shower costs comes down to what you're building, not the address. Replacing a prefab insert with another unit sits at one end; a fully tiled, curbless walk-in with frameless glass and a linear drain sits at the other. The levers in between are size, tile versus a prefab pan, whether the drain moves, the glass, and the waterproofing system behind it all. Curbless costs more because the framing and slope take more labor to get right. Because our design and our trades are both in-house, we can steer the plan toward what matters to you — and you get an itemized estimate after we've seen the space, so the number reflects your shower rather than an average.

How long does a shower remodel take?

A shower-only remodel is usually quicker than a full bathroom, but it isn't a weekend job — waterproofing and mortar need time to cure before tile goes on, and tile and grout need their own set and cure time before the shower can be used. Moving the drain, going curbless, or opening walls in an older Camas home adds time. We give you a realistic schedule before demolition, pull the permits the work requires, and sequence it so you're not without your only shower any longer than necessary.

Why homeowners in Camas choose JDI

Design-build means one team is accountable for the whole shower — the framing, the waterproofing, the pan, the tile, and the glass — so the part that matters most isn't quietly subcontracted to whoever's cheapest. We handle the permitting, coordinate the trades, keep you updated through our client portal, and stand behind the work with a five-year workmanship warranty. Being based a short drive west in Vancouver, we're close enough to be responsive during the project and years later.

JDI Construction — "Built by family. Trusted by neighbors." Design-build remodeling based in downtown Vancouver, WA, serving Camas, Washougal, and the greater Portland–Vancouver metro since 2007.