Can I Get a Custom Size Shower Base Made for My Space?

Yes. Ella's Bubbles manufactures its own acrylic shower bases and will build a rectangular base to your length and width when none of the three standard sizes fits, with the drain placed left, right or center to your order. The standard footprints and the custom limits are summarized in What Sizes Do Ella Shower Bases and Shower Pans Come In?, and this page walks through how to tell whether your space needs a custom base, what the factory can and cannot make, and what to have ready when you ask for one.

Start by Ruling Out a Standard Size

Ella's standard acrylic bases come in 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches, each with a left or right drain. All three share the 60 inch length and differ only in width, so the width of your alcove usually decides which one fits. A standard base is the simplest choice because the drain sits in a set position for that size, and the same three footprints are offered as wheelchair accessible curb-less roll-in pans with the drain position specified at the time of order. Tell the team where your existing drain line sits in the floor and it confirms which drain position matches your size. Only when none of these three footprints works does a custom base come into the picture.

What a Custom Base Can and Cannot Be

A custom base is a rectangle made to your length and width for either a three-wall alcove or a corner installation. The table below collects the size figures that apply, using only the numbers Ella publishes.

What the differences mean for you is simple. If your alcove is 60 inches long and between 30 and 36 inches wide, order a standard base and the drain position is already decided. Anything else is a custom request, and pans shorter than 60 inches are routine: a 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced, a 36 by 36 inch corner base has been produced, and sizes such as 46 by 46, 50 by 30 and 36 by 44 inches have all been handled as custom builds. At the top of the range, 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. On the largest sizes the threshold sits on the longer side. The full set of limits is laid out in What Is the Largest Custom Shower Base Ella's Bubbles Can Make?.

The one hard limit is shape. Only rectangular sizes are made, and 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. The first question for an unusual room is whether a rectangle can be drawn into it. Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts? works through that question for awkward spaces.

Where the Drain Can Go

On a custom base 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, so measure from your existing drain line to the nearest wall before you assume a custom pan will land on it. If your existing drain is in an unusual spot, or the installation is on a concrete slab with no access from below, 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. The team confirms whether a base can be made to match and what drain hardware ships with it. Because custom bases are made for both three-wall alcoves and corner installations, the team also asks which layout you have so the drain and edges are placed correctly.

Threshold, Finish and Why There Is Nothing to Build on Site

Many people searching for a custom pan are really asking whether they need to build one from mortar and tile. With an Ella base you do not. The pans, standard or custom, are finished acrylic with the slope, threshold and drain molded in, so they are ready to use once set and must not be tiled over. Your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it. Roll-in and barrier-free bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheelchair rolls over it.

A custom shower base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches, and a 3 inch step-in threshold base is offered for those who prefer a slightly raised edge. For a barrier-free entry, zero threshold bases sit flush with the surrounding floor instead. 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 also offers cultured marble shower bases in three sizes. The video on this page shows them: molded solid cultured marble with a glossy gelcoat finish and a slip-resistant textured floor, and heavy enough that they take at least two people to install. Whether those marble sizes can be customized is not stated, so ask the team if that finish is what you want.

How to Request a Custom Base

1. Measure the space wall to wall at the floor and decide whether it is a three-wall alcove or a corner installation.
2. Locate the existing drain and measure its distance from each wall, remembering the 9 inch minimum.
3. Sketch the room with those figures and the size you want.
4. Send the drawing through a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, or discuss it with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.
5. Wait for confirmation before your contractor cuts the floor. Custom sizes have not always been offered and the maximum size has been corrected in the past, so confirm the current limits against your drawing first.

Shower products are sold per item, 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. If the base is part of an accessible remodel, Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers? covers the roll-in versions and what ships with them.

Watch: Cultured Marble Reversible Shower Base with Low Threshold for Safer Bathing | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• How do I measure for a new shower pan or base?
• How Close to the Wall Can the Drain Be on a Custom Shower Base, and Can It Be Centered?

Common Questions