What makes a bathroom easier to use
- A curbless entry with a linear drain lets someone walk or roll straight in.
- Grab bars at the shower entry, inside the shower and beside the toilet, screwed into blocking set in the wall framing.
- A fold-down teak seat or a built-in tiled bench, with the controls within reach from it.
- A handheld spray on a slide bar, plus a thermostatic or pressure-balancing valve to prevent scalding.
- A wider doorway, a wall-hung vanity with knee space and a comfort-height toilet.
- Bright, even lighting, with tile and grout colors that make the floor easy to read.
A teak seat, brass grab bars and a handheld spray on a slide barPlanning for later, now
Even if no one needs grab bars today, adding blocking while the walls are open costs little. Putting it in later means opening finished tile. We photograph where it is so future bars land on wood, not on tile and drywall.
A curbless shower needs the floor inside it to sit lower than the bathroom floor so it can slope to the drain. In older Waterbury houses with deep joists, that often means recessing the subfloor between the joists. Newer houses often make it simpler, and some were framed with a dropped floor in the bathroom already. In some houses a low curb is the sensible compromise, and we'll tell you which applies after looking at the framing.
Published prices
Universal-design bath remodel
$43,119
New England average, 2025 Cost vs. Value
Cost vs. Value 2025 · checked Oct 2026 · regional
Tub-to-shower conversion
$1,200to$8,000
Typical range
Angi · checked Oct 2026 · national
The 2025 Cost vs. Value data for New England lists a universal-design bath remodel at $43,119 on average: a full remodel with a curbless shower, grab bars and wider access. A smaller project, such as turning the tub into a low-threshold shower with a seat and bars, costs far less. Connecticut residents may want to ask their insurer or local agency on aging about help with home modifications. We don't administer any of those programs.
