The drain rarely lines up on its own
A tub and a shower pan don't share a footprint, so a conversion in an older Durham duplex usually means relocating plumbing under a floor that's already a century old, not just picking a new door for the same opening.
Build a complete scope
- Whether the existing drain location works or the floor must be opened
- How the new pan meets an out-of-square older wall
- Waterproofing behind the surround, inspected before it disappears
- Valve and trim replacement, and any supply reroute that implies
- Removing a cast-iron tub from a tight older plan, and warranty
Durham context
Durham combines nineteenth-century tobacco and textile districts, early streetcar neighborhoods, postwar ranches, and fast-growing suburban edges. In many older duplexes and bungalows, the tub is original to the house and nobody currently living there has ever seen what's underneath it.