How do you build a wheelchair accessible roll-in shower at home?

A wheelchair accessible roll-in shower is built from a curb-less base that a wheelchair can roll straight into, a wall system sized to that base, and the grab bars or door you choose, all set by a local licensed contractor around your existing drain line. Ella's Bubbles makes the roll-in base in three standard sizes, 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches, with the drain position specified when you order, and the full range of entry styles for walkers as well as wheelchairs is compared in How Do You Build a Handicap Accessible Walk-In Shower at Home?. This page follows the roll-in build specifically, from choosing the pan to closing the walls.

Start with the Entry: A Roll-In Base, Not a Step-In

The part of a shower that decides whether a wheelchair can use it is the edge a person crosses to get in. A standard or custom Ella acrylic base carries a threshold of about 3 inches. That lip keeps water in the pan, but it is a step, and a wheelchair cannot cross it. Ella's roll-in bases are different in two ways. They are ADA curb-less pans, so there is nothing to roll over, and they ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water inside the pan while the wheels pass over it. The dam flattens under the chair and springs back once the chair is through.

A zero threshold base is the other barrier-free option. It sits flush with the surrounding floor rather than relying on a dam. For a person who rolls in, the choice is between the zero threshold base and the roll-in base with the dam, and the deciding factor is how your floor and your drain rough-in meet the pan. That is a conversation to have with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before anything is ordered, because the threshold style cannot be changed once the base is set. The 3 inch step-in threshold still has its place for someone who walks in with support, and Ella offers it, but for a roll-in shower choose the curb-less pan deliberately so the finished shower matches the person who will use it.

Choose the Size and the Drain Position

All three standard roll-in bases are 60 inches long and differ only in width, which makes them a natural replacement for a 60 inch tub alcove. Drain placement is specified at the time of order, so the first measurement your contractor takes is where the existing drain line sits in the floor. Tell the team that location and it confirms which drain position matches your size. Left-hand and center-drain bases are among those the team has supplied, and the 32 by 60 inch barrier-free roll-in base in left and right configurations is ready to ship. The sizes, drain rules and what ships with the pan are set out in Wheelchair Accessible Shower Base Sizes, Drain Positions, and What Is Sold Separately.

What the table means for your bathroom is simple. If your opening is 60 inches long, one of the three standard widths will almost always fit, and the 32 by 60 inch pan is the quickest route because it is stocked in both drain hands. If the opening is any other length, or if the existing drain sits where none of the standard positions land, you are into a custom pan, and the 9 inch rule for the drain becomes the measurement that decides whether the floor has to be opened to move the drain line.

When the Standard Sizes Do Not Fit

A base can be made to your dimensions as long as it is a rectangle. The largest custom base is 44 inches wide by 80 inches long. A 38 by 80 inch base with a left drain is within the limits, and a custom 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced, while a request such as 53 by 76 inches cannot be made. The drain can be placed left, right or center, but it must sit at least 9 inches from each wall, so a drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge is not possible even on a custom pan. Bases with angled or curved edges are not offered, which means a neo-angle corner or a curved front is the point at which an Ella base stops being the answer.

Custom bases are made for both three-wall alcoves and corner installations, and the team asks which layout you have so the drain and edges are placed correctly. Measure the finished opening, not the framing, before requesting a custom size. The layouts a custom rectangle can and cannot solve are worked through in Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts?.

Walls, Filler Pieces and Accessories Are Sold per Item

The roll-in base is sold on its own. Shower products are sold per item rather than as a single bundle, so a complete roll-in shower is assembled from the pieces you need:

• The roll-in base in your size and drain position, which arrives as finished acrylic and does not need to be tiled over.
• A wall system sized to the base. Options include the plain white acrylic three-piece panel kit, a CNC engraved pattern in acrylic, and a marble-look three-piece panel kit. Large acrylic panels are also made, including 98 by 60 inch back walls and 36 to 38 by 96 to 98 inch side walls, and ADA accessories are available for the three-piece systems.
• Accessories such as grab bars or a shower door.
• An L-shaped filler piece, 8 inches wide, to close a gap between the base and an adjoining wall or fixture. It is plastic, comes with brackets, and can be trimmed down if it is too large for the space.

The filler piece matters more on a roll-in shower than on a tub replacement, because a curb-less pan set slightly short of a wall leaves a channel that water finds. Closing that gap, and sealing the wall panels to the base, is what keeps the bathroom floor dry when there is no curb to stop the water. The base family, wall sizes and filler piece are listed together in Shower Bases, Walls, and Filler Pieces.

Who Does What

Ella's Bubbles manufactures the components and supplies them through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. A local licensed contractor does the measuring and the installation: setting the base level, connecting the drain, placing the collapsible dam, and finishing the walls around it. Ella's online shower builder lets you lay out the pieces first, and the sequence that works is to design the shower, then have the contractor measure the space, then order. Because the pans are finished acrylic, there is no tile or mortar bed to build over the base, which keeps the floor transition low and the installation simpler. Where you need help with pan sizes, drain limits or whether a custom rectangle will fit, Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers? explains how the custom process works. When you contact the team, have the base size, the drain position, and any walls or accessories you want ready, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support.

Related Guides

• What does barrier-free mean, and which shower bases have no threshold?
• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• What Is a Shower Dam and When Do You Need One?

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