Can You Turn a Closet Into a Shower? What to Check Before a Quote

A closet beside an upstairs bathroom can look like the perfect spot for another shower. Before choosing a base or ordering glass, the useful question is what it would take to make that space work.

For homeowners in Albany and the Capital Region, a good first conversation covers the room around the shower, the plumbing route and the work needed to finish everything afterward. Use this checklist to prepare for a site visit and get a clearer project scope.

1. Decide exactly what you are adding

Are you expanding an existing bathroom into a closet, adding a shower to a half bath, or creating a separate bathroom? Write down which fixtures stay and which move. A shower-only addition and a new room with a toilet, sink and shower need different estimates.

Also decide where the displaced storage will go. Losing a linen closet may be worthwhile, but towels, cleaning supplies and spare bedding still need a home. Include replacement storage in the plan if it matters to you.

2. Look beyond the closet’s width and depth

Measure the existing space as a starting point, then ask the remodeler to confirm the finished usable shower dimensions after the walls and selected system are accounted for. Photograph the whole room, including its doorway, vanity and toilet.

Walk through how you would use the proposed shower:

• Where would you stand while opening the enclosure?
• Would a shower door interfere with the bathroom door or vanity?
• Where would you reach for controls, a towel and everyday toiletries?
• If you want a seat, how much standing space would remain?

Mark your preferred location on a photo or simple sketch. Keep the layout flexible until the room has been measured.

3. Ask how plumbing would reach the new location

A nearby sink or shower gives the remodeler useful context. Its presence alone does not establish the route for a new shower’s drain, water supplies and venting.

For a second-floor project, identify what is directly below the proposed shower. Is it another bathroom, a kitchen, a finished living room or accessible utility space? Ask which walls, floors or ceilings may need to be opened and how that access would affect the rooms you use.

You do not need to open anything yourself. Share any existing plans or photos from earlier renovations, and let the site assessment establish what can be confirmed and what remains concealed.

4. Discuss the shower entry and moisture plan together

If a low step or a curbless entry is important, bring it up before choosing finishes. Ask what the existing floor and proposed drainage arrangement allow. A flush entry requires project-specific planning; a product photo cannot establish whether it works in your room.

Ask how the proposed assembly will manage water at the base, walls, corners and enclosure. Include room ventilation in that conversation: what equipment and duct work already exist, what needs review, and whether any changes belong in the estimate.

Wait to order the shower base, door or wall system until the measured design and product compatibility have been confirmed.

5. Include the work outside the shower

The finished result may involve more than the new shower itself. Ask for the proposal to identify demolition, plumbing, preparation, waterproofing, the selected shower system, fixtures and enclosure. Then check the surrounding work:

• Closing and finishing any access openings
• Flooring, drywall, trim and painting affected by the new layout
• Lighting, ventilation and electrical work included in the project
• Home protection, debris removal and cleanup
• How concealed conditions and changes to the agreed scope will be handled

MDR’s bathroom and shower cost guide explains the difference between a qualifying wet-area remodel and broader room work. A new shower location needs its own assessment and written scope.

6. Bring a small, useful information pack

Have these ready for the first conversation:

• Your town and the floor where the project is located
• A wide photo of the existing room and a photo of the proposed shower space
• Approximate dimensions, clearly labeled as your measurements
• What is below and beside the space, if you know
• Your must-have features, budget comfort range and timing preferences

Tell the remodeler whether this is your only bathroom and how the household would manage while work is underway. Ask when the shower and any affected fixtures would be unavailable.

Talk through the space with Moore Done Right

Moore Done Right offers acrylic shower systems, custom tile showers and full bathroom remodeling in the Capital Region. You can also see our Coxsackie third-floor loft bathroom project for an example of completed upstairs work.

Call 518-210-4372 or request an in-home consultation. Tell us where you want to add the shower and what is there now so we can discuss the next step.