What If My Alcove Is Wider Than 60 Inches for an Ella Tub?

An alcove wider than 60 inches still works for an Ella walk-in tub. The leftover space at the open end is closed with an extension panel, in some layouts a second panel, or framing that your installer builds and finishes. The supplied extension panel is designed to take a 52 or 55 inch tub to a standard 60 inch opening, and 60 inch tubs ship without one, so a wider alcove needs a plan before installation day. The starting point is Getting an Extension Panel When Your Alcove Is Wider Than Your Tub, and this page stays with the over 60 inch case.

Start with the Real Gap, in Inches

Everything depends on one number: the space left between the end of the tub and the wall. Work it out before you talk to anyone, because the right solution changes with the size of that gap.

1. Measure the alcove wall to wall where the tub will sit, allowing for the tile and drywall thickness on the finished walls.
2. Subtract the actual length of your tub from the spec sheet, not the nominal size in the model name. Half-inch differences are normal rounding, and a tub described as a 5 foot tub can measure 59.5 inches long.
3. Note which end of the tub faces the gap. The extension panel mounts on the end away from the faucet deck, so a gap that lands on the faucet end needs a layout review.
4. Have your model and serial number ready so the correct panel can be matched to your tub.

A single panel covers a gap up to its own width. Panel widths differ by model. The Standard, for example, comes with a 7 inch extension panel, and the Deluxe includes an 8-inch L-shaped panel. In a standard 60 inch alcove that is all a shorter tub needs. In an alcove wider than 60 inches the gap grows past what one panel was made to cover, and that is the situation the rest of this page addresses. Actual lengths for several models are listed in How Wide Is a Walk-In Tub, and Will It Fit Your Home?

If Your Tub Is Shorter Than 60 Inches

Tubs shorter than 60 inches include one extension panel, left or right as specified on your order. It mounts on adjustable stainless steel shelf brackets built into the frame at that end. The panel is an L-shaped acrylic finish piece that extends the apron to the wall. It is not structural. The tub still rests on its own frame, and your installer levels and supports it exactly as usual.

When the alcove is wider than one panel covers, there are two paths:

• A second panel on the opposite end. In some layouts a second panel can be installed on the other end of the tub, adding roughly one more panel width. This needs brackets at that end. On a Capri or Elite, brackets can be fitted to both ends only when that is requested before the tub is built, so raise it with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 while your order is still being configured.
• Framing the remaining space. If the gap is wider than the panel covers, your installer frames and finishes the remaining space, and the panel completes the visible part of the run.

If a panel will not go on the end you expected, the frame is usually telling you which end it was built for. That is explained in Why Doesn't the Extension Panel Attach on the Faucet Side?

If Your Tub Is 60 Inches Long or Longer

Tubs built at 60 inches, such as the Zen60, do not include an extension panel, because they are built to fill a standard 60-inch alcove. That holds even if a third-party listing suggested a panel was included. Several other models also fill their space without one: the Front Entry, Mobile, Ultimate, Big4One, Shak, Transfer60 and the two seat models.

So with one of these tubs in an alcove wider than 60 inches, no panel is waiting in the crate to close the gap. You have two choices, and both are worth settling early:

• Ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 whether a panel can be arranged for your tub. Have your model, serial number and the measured gap ready.
• Have your installer frame and finish the open space as part of the bathroom work.

Before you decide a panel is missing from a shorter tub, check the crate contents against your order, because the panel side is chosen when the tub is configured.

Extension Panel, End Panel or Framing: Which One Closes Which Gap

Three different pieces get mixed up in wide alcoves, and each one does a different job.

• Extension panel, also called a filler kit. It closes a gap between the end of the tub and a wall. The filler kit video shows that it can be trimmed when an alcove is out of square or an unusual size, that it becomes a handy place for towels, shampoos, soaps and other bathing items, and that it rests on fully adjustable stainless steel shelf support brackets that are an integrated part of the tub frame.
• End panel. It covers the plumbing and the frame at an end of the tub that is exposed, not a gap at a wall. Every Ella walk-in tub comes with one reversible end panel, and a second can be purchased through where you purchased the tub.
• Site framing. It takes up whatever space the panels do not cover. Your installer builds and finishes it.

The Standard installation tips video shows the usual 60 inch case for comparison: a 30 by 52 tub with an end panel for the faucet side and a 7 inch extension panel on the other side, mounted for a snug fit.

What a Wider Alcove Changes for a Shower Column

If your tub has the shower column kit, the extra space matters twice. The column is braced to the bathroom wall with connector rods, and the kit now ships with two shorter rods, one adjustable from 2 to 3 inches and one from 3 to 4 inches. If the distance between the tub and the wall where the column is braced is wider than 4 inches, which can happen in an alcove installation with an extension panel, contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before your installer arrives. The longer rods are no longer a standard part, and whether any remain in stock cannot be assumed.

Measure from the edge of the tub deck to that wall while the tub can still be repositioned. The details are in What Is the Shower Column Kit on a Walk-In Tub?

What to Send When You Ask for Help

A clear picture of the alcove gets you a clear answer. When you open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850, have these ready:

• Your model and serial number.
• The door side, and which end of the tub faces the gap.
• A photo of each end of the frame, so the bracket locations are visible.
• A sketch of the alcove with measurements in inches, including the measured gap.

The team will confirm what was built for your tub and what can be added.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Installation Tips For The Ella Standard Walk-In Tub with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Extension panels and filler kits: fitting your walk-in tub into a 60 inch alcove
• How to Add a Second End Panel to Your Walk-In Tub Order or Buy One Later

Common Questions