Primary Bathroom with Freestanding Soaking Tub and Walk-in Shower

Before renovation, this primary bathroom was weighed down by dark wood wainscoting, dated fixtures and compartmentalized lighting that made the room feel smaller than its true footprint. The homeowners wanted a bright, easy-to-clean full bathroom renovation that combined a deep freestanding soaking tub with a low-curb walk-in shower—the same scope many homeowners ask for across Aurora Highlands, Hills of St. Andrew and Bayview Southeast in Aurora.

Taking the room down to the studs and unifying the tile

Our crew stripped the wood wainscoting, old fixtures, tile and wall board right back to the bare framing and subfloor. Once the rough plumbing, electrical circuits and waterproof backer board were in place, we clad the main floor and all four walls from floor to ceiling in large-format white porcelain with soft grey marble veining. Running one continuous slab tile across the room bounced daylight from the frosted window into every corner.

Freestanding oval soaking tub and dual hex-mosaic niches

Along the main wet wall, we set a deep white freestanding oval soaking tub beneath a wall-mounted polished-chrome filler. Leaving open floor space around the curved shell makes the tub easy to wipe around and gives the room an airy, uncluttered look; compare alcove and freestanding layouts on our bathtub replacement page.

To keep bottles off the tub rim and shower floor, we framed two matching recessed wall niches—one centred above the soaking tub and one inside the walk-in shower—lined with marble hexagon mosaic tile and trimmed in polished chrome.

Walk-in shower with pebble floor and hardwired towel warmer

Directly beside the freestanding tub, we built an open walk-in shower over a continuous bonded waterproofing membrane:

• A white-and-grey pebble mosaic shower floor that provides natural slip resistance underfoot while pitching smoothly to the drain.
• A polished-chrome square rainfall shower head paired with an adjustable handheld shower wand on a vertical slide rail.
• A low marble-capped curb that keeps water inside the wet zone without closing off the room.
• A wall-mounted stainless steel heated towel warmer hardwired on the dry wall right outside the shower entry, along with a white quartz-topped vanity and perimeter-lit LED mirror.

See our 5-step renovation process for how we sequence waterproofing, electrical and tile layout on a primary bathroom build.

Permits and pricing for a primary ensuite like this in Aurora

In the Town of Aurora, relocating plumbing drains for a freestanding tub and walk-in shower requires a building and plumbing permit through the Town of Aurora Building Division, while new circuits for a hardwired towel warmer and LED lighting are filed with the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). Read our full article on Aurora bathroom renovation permits.

Our published labour packages for primary bathrooms start at $11,500 for a 9 x 12 ft four-piece layout and $15,000 for a 15 x 8 ft wet-room layout combining a soaking tub and walk-in shower; all-in with mid-to-upper finish materials, primary ensuites typically start at $30,000 or more. Review our Aurora bathroom renovation cost page or upload photos of your bathroom for a free itemized quote.