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Schluter Home Additions & ADU: The Orlando Owner’s Guide
If you’re planning a home addition or ADU in Orlando and want Schluter waterproofing and uncoupling membrane systems specified into the build, we install them as standard on our projects across the metro area. A Schluter-specified home addition here typically runs $45,000 – $130,000, and an ADU built with Schluter shower systems, KERDI-board, and DITRA underlayment falls in the $90,000 – $220,000 range. Most owners discover they need Schluter-specific guidance when their existing addition shows water damage at the tile transitions, or when they’re pricing out an ADU and realize the shower and wet-area details matter more than the floor plan.
Here’s the situation we see regularly in Orlando: a homeowner has a permitted addition or garage conversion underway, and the drywall crew is ready to hang board, but nobody has addressed how the bathroom or kitchen wet areas will be waterproofed. Schluter products are the answer in most cases, but they have to be installed in a specific sequence with the right thinset and the right substrates, or the warranty is void. That’s where we come in. Isaac Pruett has been specifying Schluter systems on Orlando additions for years, and he’ll tell you straight: the membrane is only as good as the prep beneath it.
Key Takeaways:
- Home additions that include Schluter waterproofing in Orlando typically cost $45,000 – $130,000 depending on square footage, foundation work, and bathroom count.
- ADU construction with Schluter KERDI and DITRA systems runs $90,000 – $220,000, and the Schluter component is a small but critical line item.
- We stock common Schluter profiles, KERDI-band, and DITRA on our trucks so a project doesn’t stall mid-tile.
- Mason Remodeling Co Orlando is an independent contractor and installer, not affiliated with Schluter Systems.
Which Schluter Models This Applies To
Schluter makes several product lines that matter on a home addition or ADU in Orlando, and each one has compatibility rules that trip up weekend builders and even some GCs. The main systems are KERDI (sheet waterproofing membrane for showers and wet walls), KERDI-BOARD (waterproof foam backer board), DITRA and DITRA-HEAT (uncoupling and floor-heating membranes under tile), and the Schluter profiles (the metal or PVC trim strips that finish tile edges, transitions, and outside corners).
The compatibility gotcha we see most often: DITRA requires a specific type of thinset depending on whether you’re bonding it to plywood or concrete. Use the wrong mortar and the fleece backing won’t bond, and then the tile cracks within a year. Similarly, KERDI-BAND must overlap KERDI membrane by a full 2 inches at every seam, and corners need the pre-formed KERDI-KERECK pieces. Skip either detail and water finds a path into the framing. If you’re looking at an existing addition and trying to identify what was installed, check the edge of the membrane near the shower valve or at the base of a tile transition. Schluter products carry a printed orange logo on the fleece side. Aftermarket generic membranes exist, but for a permitted addition in Orlando, building inspectors in Orange County expect the real thing, and so do we.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Schluter Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Tile cracking at the threshold or field: This usually means the substrate moved and there was no uncoupling membrane beneath the tile, or the DITRA was installed with modified thinset over plywood, which Schluter explicitly prohibits because the latex can’t dry between two impermeable layers.
- Musty smell in a finished ADU bathroom: Water has penetrated the wall cavity. In Orlando humidity, that moisture never fully dries on its own, and mold starts in as little as 48 hours behind the tile.
- Efflorescence or dark staining at grout joints near the shower floor: This is water wicking through and evaporating at the surface. The waterproofing layer beneath either has a gap, a bad seam, or was never installed.
- Loose or hollow-sounding tile in a wet area: The thinset has lost its bond, often because the substrate got wet from a failed waterproofing seam, or because the wrong thinset was used over the membrane.
- Rust staining at a Schluter profile edge: Aluminum profiles hold up fine in Florida, but if someone substituted a steel trim piece at a shower edge or floor transition, the humidity and water exposure will rust it within a year or two.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a full home addition in Orlando with Schluter systems specified, you’re looking at $45,000 – $130,000. An ADU built to code with Schluter waterproofing runs $90,000 – $220,000. The Schluter materials themselves are rarely the cost driver: KERDI membrane runs roughly $2 – $3 per square foot, KERDI-BOARD panels are $35 – $60 per sheet depending on thickness, and DITRA is around $1.50 – $2.50 per square foot. The real cost is the labor to install them correctly, and that’s where Orlando pricing varies.
Here’s what’s included on every Mason Remodeling Co Orlando project: a written line-item price before work starts, the specific Schluter products named in the quote, all required mortar and fasteners, and a written warranty covering the installation for 365 days from completion. If something fails on a Schluter detail within that year, we come back at no charge. No change orders, no surprise invoices. We also pull permits and schedule inspections, because a failed inspection is not a problem you want to discover after the tile goes up.
| Project Type | Orlando Installed Range |
|---|---|
| Home Addition (Schluter-specified) | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction (Schluter wet areas) | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion (with Schluter bath) | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Walk-in Shower (Schluter KERDI) | $4,500 – $12,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel (Schluter waterproofing) | $9,000 – $28,000 |
DIY or Call Us?
Schluter installation is not inherently dangerous the way electrical or gas work is, but the failure mode is silent and expensive. Water damage behind tile shows up months after the job is “done,” and by then you’re pulling drywall, replacing studs, and redoing the whole wet area. What you can safely do yourself: check whether existing tile has movement by tapping it with a mallet, inspect visible grout lines for cracking, and look for staining at floor transitions. What you shouldn’t do: peel back KERDI to check a seam, apply silicone over a failed waterproofing layer and call it fixed, or install DITRA over plywood with modified thinset and hope for the best.
If the addition or ADU is already under construction and you’re second-guessing the waterproofing, call us at (850) 920-7745. We’ll come look at what’s in place and give you a straight answer, even if that answer is “tear this section out and start over.” Tell me what the problem is. We’ll figure out the rest from there.
FAQs
Schluter KERDI and DITRA membranes have a 10-year limited warranty from Schluter, and properly installed systems routinely last 20+ years even in Orlando’s heat and humidity. The membrane itself doesn’t degrade; failures almost always trace back to installation errors, wrong thinset, or substrate movement. Call (850) 920-7745 and we’ll evaluate what you’ve got at no charge.
Small failures, like a gap at a seam or a punctured area around a plumbing penetration, can sometimes be patched with KERDI-BAND and a properly bonded overlap. If the failure has already allowed water into the framing or the existing tile is cracked and loose, the repair involves removing and replacing the affected tile and membrane section. That’s a judgment call we’ll make on-site, and we’ll show you the damaged area before any work proceeds.
A standard ADU shower tear-out, KERDI reinstallation, and re-tile takes 3 to 5 working days including thinset cure time between steps. We schedule inspections inline so there’s no waiting for the inspector after the waterproofing goes up. Call (850) 920-7745 for a written timeline on your specific project.
Yes, we keep KERDI membrane, KERDI-BAND, DITRA, and common profile sizes on our trucks and in our Orlando shop. If you need a less common profile finish or a specialty KERDI-BOARD thickness, we can order it from our supplier same-week. We also install and work around KraftMaid cabinetry, plus Cambria and Silestone countertops, so the whole addition can be sourced and sequenced through one company.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner, Mason Remodeling Co Orlando at Mason Remodeling Co Orlando, serving Orlando and nearby areas.
