Felida Shower Remodeling

The technical side of a simple-looking shower

A curbless walk-in shower looks simple, but it is one of the more technical things we build; the waterproofing and the slope have to be exact. 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. Get the hidden part right and a shower lasts for decades; skip it and the leak turns up long after the tile looked finished. Felida sits just northwest of us near Vancouver Lake, and we've remodeled plenty of showers in its established homes on the larger lots that give the area its character.

Our designers and our installers are the same team, so the shower you approve is the shower that gets built — we don't hand a finished plan to an outside contractor and hope the waterproofing gets detailed the right way. Here's how we think a shower through, what tends to come up in Felida homes, and what to expect on cost and timeline.

Where a shower is won or lost

A shower should look great, but first it has to keep water where it belongs. These are the details that decide whether it does — and most of them disappear the moment the tile goes on:

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   WaterproofingDone right behind the tile, it's the difference between a shower that lasts decades and one that leaks in a few years.
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   Curb vs curblessCurbless is barrier-free and clean, but it needs recessed framing and an exact slope.
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   GlassFrameless or semi-frameless, with the right coatings for hard water and easier cleaning.
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   Niches & benchesPlanned into the framing and waterproofed, not tacked on after the tile.

A few decisions worth making early

The choices that shape a shower's cost and layout are best settled before demolition. The first is whether to convert a tub into a walk-in shower — a good move when the tub goes unused, though we usually suggest keeping at least one tub in the house for resale. Next is curbed versus curbless: a zero-threshold shower is clean and barrier-free, but it depends on recessed framing and a slope that has to be exact. Then come the extras that only work if they're framed in from the start — a bench, recessed niches, a second showerhead, or blocking for grab bars if aging in place is on your mind. We also lock in the glass and the drain early, because both change how the pan and the walls get built.

What Felida showers tend to need

Felida's established homes on their larger lots often have showers that have quietly aged out — a tiled unit that's started to leak or a fiberglass insert that's simply worn. In those houses the real fix is rebuilding the waterproofing behind the tile, not laying new tile over a pan that never drained the way it should. Opening the walls is the moment to correct a slope or a framing detail that was off from the beginning.

Where the newer or updated homes come with a builder-grade shower, the work shifts to an upgrade — a tiled walk-in, better frameless or semi-frameless glass, and the niche and slope details that make it feel custom rather than standard. Either way, tucked in this damp pocket near Vancouver Lake, we treat the membrane and the ventilation as the parts we never shortcut, because they're what protect the finished shower over the long haul.

Showers we've built around Felida

A few recent bath and shower projects near Felida — click through for the full before-and-after:

Vancouver, WA · Nearby

Traditional Kitchen & Bath

See the project

Vancouver, WA · Nearby

Wet-Room Primary & Modern Secondary Bath

See the project

Vancouver, WA · Nearby

Mid-Century-Inspired Kitchen & Two-Bath

See the project

Vancouver, WA · Nearby

Modern Biophilic Primary Bath

See the project

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What does a shower remodel cost in Felida?

What a Felida shower costs depends on what you're building, not the street it's on. Swapping one prefab insert for another sits at the low end; a fully tiled, curbless walk-in with frameless glass and a linear drain sits at the top. The levers in between are size, tile versus a prefab pan, whether the drain has to move, the glass, and the waterproofing system behind it all. Curbless runs higher because the framing and slope take more labor to get exactly right. Since 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 to cure before any tile goes on, and the 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 Felida 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 a working shower any longer than necessary.

Why homeowners in Felida choose JDI

Design-build means one team is accountable for the entire shower — the framing, the waterproofing, the pan, the tile, and the glass — so the part that matters most doesn't get quietly subcontracted to the cheapest bidder. We handle the permitting, coordinate the trades, keep you updated through our client portal, and back the work with a five-year workmanship warranty. Felida is just up the road from our Vancouver shop, so we're close enough to be responsive during the project and years afterward. Financing is available through Lend Home Improvement with $0 down and no prepayment penalty, and every consultation includes a free 3D design layout.

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