Washougal Shower Remodeling

The shower work you don't see

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. Nail the hidden part and a shower lasts for decades; skip it and the leak shows up long after the surface looked perfect. Washougal is a short drive for us, and we've worked all through this little river town at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge — from the older houses near the waterfront to the newer builds climbing the hillsides above town.

Our designers and our installers are one crew, so the shower you approve is the shower that gets built — we don't hand a finished plan to a separate contractor and hope the waterproofing gets detailed the way it should be. Here's how we think a shower through, what tends to come up in Washougal homes, and what to expect on cost and timeline.

Where a shower is won or lost

A shower has to look good, but before anything else 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 drive a shower's cost and layout are best settled before demolition begins. Chief among them: whether to convert a tub into a walk-in shower, which makes sense when the tub goes unused, though we'd steer you toward keeping at least one tub in the house for resale down the line. Then curbed versus curbless — a zero-threshold shower reads clean and is genuinely barrier-free, but it hinges on recessed framing and a slope that has to be right the first time. After that come the extras that have to be built into the framing rather than added afterward: a bench, recessed niches, a second showerhead, or blocking for grab bars. We settle the glass and the drain early too, since both of them change how the pan and the walls are constructed.

What Washougal showers tend to need

In Washougal's older homes closer to the river and the historic core, the shower we take out is usually a worn tiled unit that's begun to leak or a fiberglass insert well past its prime. In those houses the real repair is rebuilding the waterproofing behind the tile — not laying new tile over a pan that never drained correctly. Once the walls are open, it's also the moment to fix a slope that was wrong from day one.

Up on the hillsides where the newer construction sits, the shower is typically builder-grade — sound but basic, with a compact pan, a plastic surround, and an entry-level door. There the job is an upgrade: a tiled walk-in, better frameless or semi-frameless glass, and the storage and slope details that make it feel custom. Either way, this close to the Gorge and the river, we treat the membrane and the ventilation as the parts we simply don't cut corners on, because they're what protect the whole assembly.

Showers we've built around Washougal

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

Washougal, WA

Luxury Bathroom Remodel

See the project

Camas, WA · Nearby

Modern Bath with Hex Wood-Grain Tile

See the project

Camas, WA · Nearby

Minimalist Primary & Guest Bath

See the project

Camas, WA · Nearby

Refreshing Full Bathroom Remodel

See the project

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What does a shower remodel cost in Washougal?

What a Washougal shower costs depends on what you're building, not the street it's on. Replacing one prefab insert with another sits at the low end; a fully tiled, curbless walk-in with frameless glass and a linear drain sits at the top. Everything in between turns on size, tile versus a prefab pan, whether the drain moves, the glass, and the waterproofing system underneath it all. Curbless costs more because getting the framing and slope right takes more labor. With our design and our trades both in-house, we can shape the plan around what matters to you — and you get an itemized estimate once we've seen the space, so the figure reflects your shower instead of a regional average.

How long does a shower remodel take?

A shower-only remodel usually goes quicker than a full bath, but it isn't a weekend job. Waterproofing and mortar have to cure before 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 one of Washougal's older homes adds time to that. We give you a realistic schedule before demolition, pull the permits the work calls for, and sequence it so you aren't left without a working shower any longer than you have to be.

Why homeowners in Washougal choose JDI

Design-build puts one team on the hook for the whole shower — the framing, the waterproofing, the pan, the tile, and the glass — so the part that matters most doesn't get quietly farmed out to the cheapest bidder. We handle the permitting, coordinate the trades, keep you posted through our client portal, and stand behind everything with a five-year workmanship warranty. Being just up the river in Vancouver, we're close enough to be responsive while the work is underway and long after it wraps. Financing runs through Lend Home Improvement with $0 down and no prepayment penalty, and every consultation comes with a free 3D design layout.

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