Who Installs Walk-In Showers, and How Do I Find an Installer?

An Ella walk-in shower is installed by local licensed trades, never by Ella's Bubbles. In most bathrooms that means a licensed contractor to remove the old tub or shower and prepare the space, and a licensed plumber to select and set the valve and make the supply and drain connections, and one installation company can cover both roles. Ella manufactures the shower, ships it nationwide and gives whoever you hire free technical support by phone and email, the same arrangement Who installs walk-in tubs, a plumber or a contractor? describes for the tub side of the line.

What Arrives in an Ella Shower Kit, and What Your Installer Supplies

Knowing what ships tells you which trade you need. An Ella shower kit ships with the stall, the grab bar set listed for that kit, and the drain. It does not include a shower head, a hand shower, a mixing valve or valve trim, and the wall arrives without a valve cutout. Your plumber selects the valve and cuts the openings on site, which is why a licensed plumber is part of every walk-in shower installation even when the rest of the room is already prepared. Ella's shower line includes acrylic shower walls and shower bases, and both ship nationwide through the dealer network, so where you live does not limit which configuration you can receive.

Who Does What on a Walk-In Shower Job

• Licensed contractor. Removes the old tub or shower, prepares the opening, sets the base and walls, and finishes the surrounding surfaces. This is the lead trade whenever the bathroom needs demolition or finishing work, and the contractor coordinates the plumber.
• Licensed plumber. Selects the mixing valve, cuts the valve openings in the wall, and makes the water supply and drain connections. A plumber alone can be the whole job when the space is ready and only the hookups remain.
• Licensed electrician. If your project also includes an Ella walk-in tub, a licensed electrician provides the dedicated circuit the tub requires, working alongside the plumber.
• An Ella dealer that installs in its territory. Sells Ella products and often installs what it sells, so one company already knows the product.
• An installer from Ella's network. Independent installers who receive customer referrals from Ella, including installers listed through Angi Pro. This is the route when you have no installer of your own.
• Ella's Bubbles. Manufactures the shower, ships it, supplies the drawings and parts, and answers technical questions. Ella does not install, does not send technicians, and never charges for installation.

Read the list as one job with several hands on it rather than a choice between a plumber and a contractor. Whichever way the work is arranged, every trade involved should be licensed. Ella certification is not required for an installer.

How to Find a Walk-In Shower Installer

1. Start with the shower builder tool. The online shower builder lets you scroll through the available options and put together a custom design before your project moves forward. After you build a design, a contractor visits your home to measure the space in person and finalize the installation details, so the design itself is the first step toward an installer. Ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for the link. Where Can I Buy an Ella Walk-In Tub or Shower? describes both the shower and tub builder tools.
2. Ask the team for a referral. The team can help you get in touch with installers in your area, including independent installers in Ella's network and those listed through Angi Pro.
3. Ask your Ella dealer. Dealers often install in their own territory and already know the paperwork and the product.
4. Use a licensed local contractor or plumber you already trust. Any licensed professional can install an Ella product using the installation documents, and Ella supports them for free.
5. Share the documents before delivery. Give your installer the spec sheet and installation documents ahead of time so the rough-in is ready when the shower arrives, and let them know they can call (800) 480-6850 during the job with technical questions.

If a Shower over a Walk-In Tub Is the Better Fit

Some households want a seated soak as well as a shower, and a walk-in tub covers both. The Ella 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucet sets come with a hand shower on the tub deck for rinsing while seated, and the shower column kit adds an overhead shower fed by the diverter on that faucet. The kit adds a height adjustable multi-function hand shower that tilts and swivels plus a large overhead rain shower head that pivots, with the rain head reaching a maximum height of approximately 90 inches and 14 inches of adjustment down to approximately 76 inches. Because the kit needs access to the back side of the tub, it is installed prior to the final installation of the tub, so tell your dealer or the team at order time and tell your installer before the tub is set. Can you take a shower in a walk-in tub? covers the hand shower, the waterfall faucet and the column in detail. For a tub, the same local plumber handles the faucet hookup, and a licensed electrician adds the dedicated GFCI protected circuit.

Installing in Canada

Ella walk-in tubs ship to Canada regularly, but shower bases do not ship to Canada because they are fragile and easily damaged in transit. Ella has no installers of its own in Canada, so a local licensed contractor does the work there as well, and duties, brokerage and taxes are the buyer's responsibility. Where can I buy an Ella walk-in tub near me? has the Canadian buying notes.

When you contact the team about an installer, have your location, the shower design or model you are considering, the wall-to-wall measurements of the space, and whether the old tub or shower still needs to come out. That lets the team point you to the right kind of installer for the amount of work your bathroom needs.

Related Guides

• How is an Ella walk-in shower installed at home and who does it?
• What Comes in the Box With an Ella Shower Kit, and What You Still Need to Buy
• Choosing a Shower Valve and Cutting the Valve and Shower-Head Openings

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