How Do I Evaluate a Walk-In Tub's Footprint for a Small Bathroom?

To evaluate a walk-in tub's footprint for a small bathroom, compare the tub's exterior width and length, which is the floor space it occupies, against three things: the opening where it will sit, the path it must travel to get there, and the floor the door needs in order to open. Then check the interior numbers, such as seat width, against the bather. Are Walk-In Tub Dimensions the Floor Footprint or the Inside Bathing Space? explains which published figure is which, and this page turns those figures into a step-by-step evaluation for a tight room.

Start with the Right Number: The Exterior Footprint

The width and length on an Ella product listing and spec sheet are the outside of the acrylic shell. That is the number to check against your alcove, and it is the number your installer compares to every doorway and hallway on the path into the bathroom. The interior is described separately, by seat width, seat length and the depth from the seat to the overflow.

Use the actual size rather than the model's nominal name. The Petite is the classic example: it is listed at 28 inches wide, while its actual exterior width is 27 1/2 inches. The current spec sheet lists the Elite at 30 inches wide. Ella's measuring video shows where to find the specific dimensions for a model: open the download tab for the tub on the website and use the spec sheet for whichever model you are measuring for.

Length matters less than many people expect in a standard alcove. An Ella tub shorter than 60 inches includes an extension panel that closes the gap at the wall, so a 52 inch tub still fits a standard 60 inch alcove. The video tour of the Flow shows that it can come with an extension panel to fit neatly into a 60 inch tub alcove, and that it has an end panel on the faucet side.

The Compact Ella Models Side by Side

These are the models most often considered for a small bathroom, with the actual sizes from the current spec sheets rather than the nominal names.

What the differences mean: length decides whether a tub fits the opening, width decides whether it passes the doorway and how much elbow room the bather has, and seat width decides comfort once seated. The Mobile wins on length and ties the Transfer26 on width. The Front Entry is shorter front to back but needs 32 inches of width. A bather who wants the stainless door or a wider seat gives up a few inches of floor and steps up to the Petite or the Elite. What is the smallest bathtub size you can buy for a bathroom? goes deeper on the Mobile.

Check the Path in, the Door Swing and the Flow of the Room

A tub that fits the alcove still has to reach it. Your installer compares the exterior size to every doorway and hallway on the way to the bathroom, so measure those as carefully as the alcove. Two published figures help here: the Flow fits through a 28 inch doorway, and the Mobile can pass a 25 inch doorway with the frame removed.

Next, think about the door, because it decides how much open floor the tub needs when it is in use. The Flow, Petite and Elite have inward doors. The Mobile, Front Entry, Lounger and Capri have outward-swing U-shape doors, and the Transfer26 has an outward L-shape door. An outward door opens into the room, so the floor in front of it has to stay clear of the toilet, the vanity and the bathroom door. The Mobile's U-shape door swings 165 degrees. The Front Entry enters from the front rather than the side, which changes where that clear floor has to be.

If you are replacing a shower rather than a bathtub, the smallest tubs leave room to spare. The Mobile at 26 by 45 inches and the Flow at 28 by 48 inches both have a footprint smaller than Ella's own 32 by 60 inch roll-in shower base. That means a tub can sit where a standard shower stall now stands, provided the opening, the doorway path and the door swing all check out. Is there a whirlpool walk-in tub small enough to fit a shower space? covers that swap and the jetted options on these two models.

The first video on this page tours the Mobile and shows how much is packed into that footprint. It shows the 45 inch length and nearly 26 inch width, the 19 inch seat, the outward-swing U-shaped door with its three-latch gear and shaft locking mechanism, the low threshold and the textured floor.

Check the Inside Against the Bather

A small footprint only works if the person using the tub fits comfortably inside it. The interior is smaller than the exterior suggests. The Mobile has an interior length of 38 7/8 inches and a step-in of about 3 3/4 inches. The Flow gives 38 inches of interior length, with a seat 20 inches wide and 13 inches long. On seated tubs the seat-to-overflow depth runs roughly 15 to 18 inches across the mid-size models. Because the published depth is measured to the overflow, it is the real depth you can fill to.

Ella's measuring video does not ask how tall you are. It asks you to sit in a chair facing a wall, in a relaxed position, and measure yourself seated. The tub seat must be wider than your seated hip measurement, and shoulder width and head-to-feet length matter as well. Tub height is part of the fit too. The Petite, Elite and Royal are the shortest seated tubs at 35 inches tall because they carry a lower seat, which is the platform many shorter bathers find easiest to settle into. A small footprint and a small seat do not always come together, so decide which matters more before you compare drawings. What is the smallest walk-in tub for a petite bather? walks through that choice.

A Footprint Checklist for a Small Bathroom

1. Measure the opening where the tub will sit: the width, the length and the height available.
2. Pull the spec sheet for each candidate model and use the actual exterior size, not the nominal name.
3. Compare the tub's length to the opening. In a 60 inch alcove, the extension panel on a shorter tub closes the gap at the wall.
4. Compare the tub's width to every doorway and hallway on the path in, and have your installer confirm it.
5. Note whether the door swings inward or outward, and mark the floor an outward door needs so the room still flows around the toilet and vanity.
6. Take the bather's seated measurements and compare them to the seat width and interior length.
7. Plan the walls above the tub. Measure the alcove width, the depth, and the height from the tub rim to the ceiling before choosing a surround, because each wall kit is built for a specific footprint. The options are covered in Where can I buy acrylic shower wall panels for my Ella bathroom?.

The second video on this page is Ella's short guide to choosing a walk-in tub, and it follows the same order: consider your mobility, comfort and safety needs, measure your bathroom to ensure the tub fits comfortably, select the features you want, and ensure professional installation. Bring your measurements to your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 and they can confirm the fit for the model you have in mind.

Watch: How to Choose the Perfect Walk-In Tub | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Will it fit through my doorway? How to measure your home for a walk-in tub
• Will it fit my alcove? Extension panels, end panels, and 60 inch spaces
• Seat sizes and soaking depth: how to measure yourself for a comfortable fit

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