What actually changes a shower door's price

Thickness is the first fork in the road. A framed unit runs 3/16" or 1/4" glass because the aluminum frame carries the load. A frameless panel needs 3/8" or 1/2" because the glass is structural, and heavier glass drags heavier hinges, clamps, and sometimes a header along with it.

Stepping from 3/8" to 1/2" typically adds 15 to 25 percent to the glass line and can change the hardware spec entirely. It is the right call on tall or wide panels and unnecessary on a short door.

Price tracks square footage, but not linearly — oversized lites cost more per foot because they are harder to temper, ship, carry, and set. Two smaller panels are sometimes cheaper than one large one, and sometimes the only way to get glass up a switchback stair.

Brushed nickel and polished chrome sit at the bottom of the range. Matte black, brushed brass, and living finishes typically add 10 to 20 percent on the hardware line, more on heavy-duty hinges. Near the ocean, finish selection is a durability decision as much as an aesthetic one.

A factory-applied hydrophobic coating typically adds a few hundred dollars on a standard enclosure. On hard water it is the difference between a squeegee working and mineral etching becoming permanent.

A single fixed panel is the simplest thing we make. Every added corner, notch, transom, or curve adds template time and fabrication risk, so a neo-angle or a sealed steam enclosure lands well above a straight alcove door of the same square footage.