Planning the Bathroom Layout: Toilet Clearance, Corner Placement, Which Sides Can Be Open, Where the Outlet Goes and Where a Screen Mounts

Any Ella walk-in tub can be placed in a corner, against one wall or in a three-wall alcove, so the layout questions that really matter are where the door swings, which sides will be visible, where the drains and service access land, and whether a wall is available for a shower screen or column. The L-shape Transfer door is designed to pass over a standard-height toilet because its cutout sits about 20 to 21 inches above the floor, inward doors swing into the tub and never touch the toilet at all, and the outward U-shape door needs clear floor space in front of the tub. This article walks through each planning decision in the order your installer will ask about it.

Will the Door Hit the Toilet?

It depends on the door family and the height of the toilet.

• Transfer L-shape door: the long top section of the L is about 36 inches and swings out 172 degrees, while the lower section near the hinges is about 19 1/2 inches. The cutout at the bottom of the L is about 20 to 21 inches above the floor, so the door usually clears a 17 to 19 inch toilet seat. It only works if the toilet is far enough from the hinge side for the lower section to swing past. Tall comfort-height toilets can be a problem, so measure yours before you order. Budget the tub width plus about 36 inches of clear space beside the tub for the door.
• Inward stainless steel, Ultra and Standard doors: these swing into the tub, so a toilet or vanity next to the tub is never in the way. When a toilet sits close to the tub, the team's usual advice is to look at the inward-swing families first.
• Outward U-shape door: the door swings 165 degrees into the room, and whether it passes over a nearby toilet depends on the toilet's height and how far it sits from the tub. Installers have completed outward-door installs with the door swinging over a toilet, but only after measuring. Work through the swing envelope in planning floor space for the outward-swing door before deciding.

Corners and Corner-Shaped Tubs

Ella does not make a corner-shaped or neo-angle tub, but every model can be installed into a corner. A corner install exposes the front apron and one end, so the included reversible end panel finishes the exposed end and the apron finishes the front. A large corner garden tub is often replaced this way; choose a model sized for the bather rather than the biggest tub that fills the old footprint, since the ShaK, for example, is really only recommended for very tall bathers. The extension panel exists to close the gap to an alcove wall, so a corner install usually needs only the end panel.

Which Sides Can Be Open?

The front and one end are the sides that come finished from the factory. No Ella model offers a cover for the long back side, so the back of the tub must face a wall or a knee wall your contractor builds. If you want both ends exposed, a second end panel can be purchased. The details, including knee walls and free-standing looks, are in can the tub be freestanding.

Where the Drains, Outlet and Access Go

On a seated Ella walk-in tub the drains and faucet sit at the end opposite the door and seat, so a right-hand door tub drains on the left and a left-hand door tub drains on the right as you face the tub. That is the end where your installer will normally want the drain rough-in, and it is a sensible place to plan the dedicated GFCI outlet and a wall access panel, since the pump and control equipment are reached from behind the front apron and from the ends. Your house drain does not have to dictate the door side, because plumbing can be run under the tub to either side; your installer confirms that plan. See planning service access for what to leave reachable.

Screens and Shower Columns Need a Wall

• Four-fold glass screen: the 44 inch by 42 inch screen attaches to the wall at the faucet end of the tub and is reversible for left or right installs. It needs a real wall to fasten to on that end.
• Screen on the extension-panel side: it can be done, but the screen is only 44 inches long, so mounting it at the extension end pushes it away from the faucet and you lose coverage. The only way to recover it is a second screen.
• LayDown bi-fold screen: a different product from the four-fold. The bi-fold is for the LayDown tubs, the four-fold is for walk-in tubs.
• Shower column kit: the column anchors to the wall with a short connector when the tub sits directly against the wall or a long connector when an extension panel is in place, so plan which end will carry it.

Installation steps for both screens are in installing glass shower screens.

Can It Go Somewhere Other Than a Bathroom?

Yes, with a licensed contractor's approval. Owners have asked about placing a tub in a bedroom or living room close to a family member who cannot travel far. The tub needs a dedicated GFCI circuit, a proper drain and hot and cold supply lines wherever it sits, and splashing can damage furnishings nearby, so the contractor decides whether the floor, drain and electrical in that room are suitable. Condos, upper floors and mobile homes carry their own checks, covered in installing in mobile homes, condos, upper floors and on concrete slabs.

Door Construction and Toilet Clearance on Video

Related Guides

• Folding Glass Shower Screen: Which Side It Mounts On, How Much Room It Takes Folded, and Confirming Stock

Common Questions

If you would like a second set of eyes on your floor plan, send a sketch with the toilet, vanity and door positions marked through ellasbubbles.com/support, or call (800) 480-6850, and the team will help you place the tub.