Why Tile Walls Raise A Shower Budget

Choosing tile walls instead of a shower insert raises the budget because the tile costs more, the installation costs more, and there’s more prep work to do. For a custom home, that choice changes the work behind the shower as well as the finish you see.

How a $2,000 shower becomes a $6,000 one

At Den & Burrow, a design-build firm in Lincoln, Nebraska, we use this example to explain how a selection can change a budget: a shower planned at $2,000 becomes a $6,000 shower when the choice changes from an insert to tile.

Those numbers illustrate the change. They aren’t a quote for a particular shower or a fixed price for either option.

It can feel like a small request. You’re still asking for a shower in the same bathroom. But changing the wall finish changes what has to be purchased and how it has to be installed.

What changes when you choose tile?

The way we explain it is straightforward: “the tile costs more, the install costs more, there’s more prep work to do.”

That’s why comparing the price of tile alone won’t tell you the full difference. The budget needs to account for the installation and the preparation required for the selected shower system, too.

When reviewing options with a builder, ask for the complete installed comparison. Have them identify what each option includes, what preparation it requires and what remains undecided. That gives you something useful to compare before you make the selection.

Decide what “not picky” means before setting the budget

When you say you’re “not picky,” your builder may hear that a shower insert is fine. If you already picture tile walls, say that early. Otherwise, you and the builder may be budgeting for different things.

You don’t need to have every finish selected before discussing a custom home. But it helps to name the choices that matter to you. If tile is one of them, ask to include it in the budget rather than treating it as a detail to sort out later.

If you’re still deciding, ask to see both options priced for the planned shower. Then you can decide whether tile is worth the added cost to you and how it fits with the rest of the home.

Planning a custom home in Lincoln? Talk with Den & Burrow about the design choices you want the construction budget to reflect.