Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts?

Ella's Bubbles builds custom-size acrylic shower bases for spaces that a standard pan will not fit, as long as the pan is a rectangle. A custom base is made to your length and width for a three-wall alcove or a corner installation, with a left, right or center drain, within the limits described in What Is the Largest Custom Shower Base Ella's Bubbles Can Make?. Angled or curved edges are not offered, so the first question for an odd layout is whether a rectangle can be drawn into it.

Odd Layouts a Custom Rectangle Can Solve

• A space shorter than 60 inches. The standard bases are all 60 inches long, but the team has handled pans shorter than that, and a custom 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced.
• A space longer or wider than the standard sizes. 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, while a request such as 53 by 76 inches cannot be produced.
• A drain in an unusual spot. The drain can be placed left, right or center, but it must sit at least 9 inches from each wall. A drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge is not possible, even on a custom base.
• A corner installation instead of a three-wall alcove. Custom bases are made for both layouts, and the team asks which one you have so the drain and edges are placed correctly.

What Cannot Be Made

Only rectangular sizes are made. Bases with angled or curved edges are not offered, so a neo-angle corner, a curved front or any other non-rectangular footprint is not a fit for an Ella base. If your room only works with an angled pan, that is the point at which to look elsewhere. Everything else starts with the standard sizes, which are 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches with a left or right drain. The wheelchair accessible roll-in base comes in the same three sizes with the drain position specified at order time, and sizes outside those three can be made to order, as covered in Wheelchair Accessible Shower Base Sizes, Drain Positions, and What Is Sold Separately.

Threshold Choices on a Custom Base

A custom shower base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches. For a barrier-free entry, zero threshold bases sit flush with the surrounding floor instead, and roll-in bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheelchair rolls over it. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which threshold style suits your bathroom and how it meets your plumbing rough-in. Ella pans, standard or custom, are finished acrylic and do not need to be tiled over.

How to Request a Custom Pan

1. Measure the finished opening, not the framing, so the base arrives ready to set.
2. Note where the existing drain line sits in the floor, measured from the walls, and whether the shower is in a three-wall alcove or a corner.
3. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with a simple drawing of the space showing the walls, the size you want and where the existing drain is. This matters most when the installation is on a concrete slab with no access from below.
4. The team confirms whether a base can be made to match and what drain hardware ships with it.

Custom sizes have not always been offered, and the maximum size has been corrected in the past, so confirm the current answer before your contractor cuts the floor. The online Shower Builder Tool lets you scroll through the available options and put together a design first, and a contractor then visits to measure your space and finalize the installation details.

Finishing the Rest of the Shower

The base is sold on its own, so a complete shower is put together from the base in your size and drain position, a wall system sized to the base, and accessories such as grab bars or a shower door. Wall options include a plain white acrylic three-piece panel kit, a CNC engraved pattern in acrylic and a marble-look three-piece kit. The full range of bases, dams and wall systems is described in Ella Shower Kits and Bases: Multi-Piece Showers, Roll-In Bases, and Cultured Marble.

Related Guides

• How Close to the Wall Can the Drain Be on a Custom Shower Base, and Can It Be Centered?
• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• Installing the SMC Low-Profile Shower Bases: 1 Inch Reversible Linear Drain and Barrier-Free Linear-Drain Bases

Common Questions