TLDR: How do you tell a good shower contractor from one who will cost you twice?
Verify the CCB license at search.ccb.oregon.gov and check that the bond and liability insurance are current, because insurance expires independently of the license and an active license can sit on top of lapsed coverage. Then ask three technical questions: what waterproofing membrane do you use, do you flood test the pan and for how long, and who holds the plumbing license for the plumbing scope. A contractor who answers those clearly is worth talking to, and the answers are the same standard we hold ourselves to on every Salem custom shower remodel we build.
Why the stakes are higher on a shower than on most remodels
A bad kitchen remodel looks bad. A bad shower rots your house.
Everything that determines whether a tile shower lasts is buried under the tile within about four days of the job starting. Once the tile goes on, no inspection, no walkthrough, and no amount of scrutiny will tell you whether the pre-slope is there or the membrane was installed to spec.
You are not hiring someone to lay tile. You are hiring someone whose work you cannot check, in a wet room, in a climate that sits at 86 percent humidity for three months a year. That is why vetting matters more here than on almost any other project in the house.
The failure timeline is what makes it hurt. A shower built wrong will look perfect through the warranty period and start showing problems in year three to five, usually as cracked grout, loose tile, or a soft spot on the floor outside the shower. By then the contractor is often gone and the repair is a full tear-out.
Step one: verify the CCB license, and then verify the bond separately
Oregon requires a CCB license for construction contracting, and contractors must display the CCB number on all advertising, including their website. No number on the site is a flag before you have even made a call.
Look the number up at search.ccb.oregon.gov, or call the CCB at 503-378-4621. The lookup shows license status, bond coverage, liability insurance expiration, and up to 10 years of history including complaints and unpaid debts.
Here is the part most homeowners miss. Insurance expires independently of the license. A contractor can hold an active, valid CCB license while carrying an expired bond or lapsed liability coverage. Confirming that someone is licensed tells you nothing about whether they are currently insured.
Check the expiration dates on the lookup, not just the status line.
For reference, the current minimums under Oregon’s HB 2922, effective January 2024:
- Residential General Contractor: $25,000 bond, $500,000 per occurrence liability
- Residential Specialty Contractor: $20,000 bond, $300,000 per occurrence
- Residential Limited Contractor: $15,000 bond, $100,000 per occurrence
Step two: ask who is doing the plumbing
This one catches people because it involves two different state agencies. The CCB issues contractor licenses. The Oregon Building Codes Division issues plumbing licenses.
A CCB license does not authorize plumbing work. Under ORS chapter 693, professional plumbing requires a separate plumbing license, and a general contractor may not perform work requiring one unless they hold it. The only carve-out is swapping low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators.
Every shower remodel that moves a drain, converts a tub, or replaces a valve involves licensed plumbing work. So ask directly: who is doing the plumbing, and what is their license number?
A straight answer is a good sign. Vagueness, or “we handle all that in-house” without a number, is not.
Red flags specific to tile and shower work
These are the ones that separate a tile contractor from a general remodeler who also does tile.
“The grout seals it.” Grout is not waterproof. Neither is tile, cement board, or DensShield. Cement board and DensShield are water-resistant substrates, not waterproofing systems. A separate membrane, whether sheet like Kerdi or liquid like RedGard or Hydro Ban, is a required separate step. Anyone who says grout or sealer handles waterproofing has told you they do not understand the assembly.
Greenboard in the wet area. Green board is moisture-resistant drywall. It is not an acceptable substrate in a shower under tile industry standards. Expected life of a tile job over greenboard is five years or less, and failures show as cracked grout, loose tile, or in-wall mold within two to five years.
No pre-slope under the liner. The quarter-inch-per-foot slope beneath the waterproofing is what moves water to the weep holes. Without it, water pools under the tile permanently. Ask explicitly whether they pre-slope, because a shower without one cannot be inspected after the fact.
No flood test. Plugging the drain and holding water in the pan for a minimum of 24 hours is the only way to confirm the pan holds before tile covers it. A contractor who does not flood test is asking you to trust the one thing that becomes unverifiable the next day.
Clogged weep holes. The weep holes at the drain let water on the liner escape. If they get packed with thinset or mortar during the top bed, the pan holds water instead of draining it. Protecting them is basic, and asking about them tells you quickly whether someone knows the assembly.
A bid dramatically below the others. In the Salem area, most custom tile showers land between $6,500 and $11,000 depending on size. Waterproofing alone accounts for $800 to $1,500 of that. A bid several thousand dollars under the field is usually a bid that omitted a step you cannot see.
What Salem’s housing stock means for your quote
Salem’s median home was built in 1980, and about 21 percent of local housing dates to 1940 through 1969. A traditional shower pan liner lasts roughly 45 years, which puts a large share of Salem showers right at the end of their service life.
That matters for hiring because demo discoveries are common here, not exceptional. Rot at the drain, a saturated mortar bed, or a subfloor that needs sistering shows up regularly in homes in that age range.
A contractor who has worked Salem homes will bring it up before quoting. One who promises a firm price without looking at what is behind the wall is either inexperienced in this housing stock or planning to revise the number once demo is done.
Ask what happens if they find rot. The right answer is that they stop, show you, and price the repair before continuing. Sistering a joist runs about $12 to $15 per linear foot, or $200 to $1,000 per joist, which is a real number they should be able to give you.
Permits are a hiring signal too
If your project adds or relocates piping, adds a fixture, or changes the drain, the City of Salem requires a plumbing permit. Tub-to-shower conversions and linear drain conversions both trigger one.
Oregon’s fee rule sets a $46 minimum inspection fee and $67 for a one or two family dwelling alteration covering 10 fixtures or fewer, before the state surcharge and city technology fee. Trade permits typically issue in one to three days through the Salem PAC Portal at permits.cityofsalem.net.
Inspections happen at plumbing rough-in, at insulation and drywall, and at final. The rough-in inspection has to happen before waterproofing covers the work.
A contractor who suggests skipping the permit to save a few hundred dollars is offering to skip the one independent set of eyes on work you will never see again. That is not a discount, it is a transfer of risk to you.
Questions to ask before booking
What waterproofing system do you use, and can I see it before it gets covered? You want a specific product name, not “we waterproof everything.”
Do you pre-slope the pan, and do you flood test? For how long? Correct answers: yes, and a minimum of 24 hours.
Who holds the plumbing license for the plumbing scope, and what is the number? Separate from the CCB number.
Are you pulling the permit, and which inspections apply? They should name the rough-in inspection without prompting.
What happens if you find rot or a failed liner during demo? You want a process, not a reassurance.
Local considerations across Salem
Salem homes vary a lot by area, and the shower problems track with build era.
The older housing around Grant, Highland, Northeast Salem, and Historic Downtown includes homes from the pre-1940 and postwar bands, where mortar-bed showers and pan liners are well past the 45 year mark. Those jobs need demo contingency planned in.
South Salem, Faye Wright, Morningside, Sunnyslope, and Southeast Mill Creek carry a lot of the 1970 to 1999 stock, which is where fiberglass and acrylic surrounds are most common. Those units have a 10 to 15 year life, so originals are decades overdue and usually come out easily.
West Salem sits across the Willamette in Polk County, and newer construction there is more likely to be on slab, which is the case where a curbless conversion gets expensive.
We also work Keizer, Turner, Aumsville, Independence, Monmouth, Dallas, Silverton, and Stayton.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many quotes should I get for a shower remodel?
Three is a reasonable number, and compare scope before price. Ask each one for the waterproofing system, whether the pre-slope and flood test are included, whether the permit is in the bid, and what the plan is if demo turns up rot.
Two bids that look $3,000 apart often turn out to be the same job with different assumptions about what is behind the wall. Getting all three on the same scope is the only way the comparison means anything.
Should I hire a tile company or a general contractor?
For a shower, a tile specialist is usually the better fit, because the failure points are all tile and waterproofing assembly rather than general construction. When a general contractor subcontracts the tile out, the person with the most at stake in the tile work is not the person you hired.
If the project extends beyond the shower to a full bathroom, a general contractor makes more sense. Just ask who is actually setting the tile and waterproofing the pan, and vet that person the same way.
Is a warranty worth anything on a shower?
It depends entirely on the failure timeline. A one year workmanship warranty covers almost nothing useful, because a shower built wrong typically shows problems in year three to five.
Ask how long the workmanship warranty runs and whether the waterproofing manufacturer offers a system warranty, which some do when a certified installer uses the full system. A contractor still in business a decade from now matters more than the paper.
What does a fair timeline look like?
Two to four weeks from demo to finished glass on a custom tile shower. About a week of that is actual labor, and the rest is cure time and glass fabrication lead time, which typically runs one to three weeks after the tile is set.
Be skeptical of anyone promising a custom tile shower in under a week. The mortar bed alone needs its cure window, and the flood test is a full 24 hours that cannot be shortened.
Can I supply my own tile?
Usually yes, and it can save money on materials. Confirm quantities with the contractor before ordering, since layout determines waste and most jobs need 10 to 15 percent overage for cuts.
Understand what it changes on the warranty side. If you supply the tile, defects in the tile itself are your responsibility, while the installation remains theirs.
Talk to a Salem tile crew that will answer all of it
OFC Tile & Remodel has been building custom tile showers in Salem since 2010. We are happy to walk you through our waterproofing system, our flood test, and our CCB number before you ask, because that is what a homeowner should be asking every contractor who bids the job.
We handle custom shower remodels throughout Salem, Keizer, and the surrounding Willamette Valley communities. Call 503-910-6951 for a free estimate and a straight conversation about what is behind your shower wall.
What Goes Into a Custom Tile Shower Remodel in Salem, OR
Curbless Shower vs. Traditional Shower Remodel in Salem (Pros and Cons)
