Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One

Yes, Ella's Bubbles can build a custom-size acrylic shower base; a 46 by 46 inch pan with a low step-in threshold and a drain placed where your plumbing needs it is a typical request. Custom bases are built to your length and width, with a drain in a left, right, center, or custom position. Availability of the custom program has changed over time, so the first step is always to confirm with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 that custom builds are currently open for your size.

What Sizes Can Be Made

The custom shower base page on ellasbubbles.com lists a minimum of 30 by 30 inches and a maximum of 80 inches long by 44 inches wide, with the threshold on the longer side. The team describes the same ranges this way:

• Three-wall alcove bases: from 30 by 30 inches up to 44 by 80 inches.
• Corner bases: from 30 by 30 inches up to 42 by 60 inches.

Sizes such as 46 by 46, 50 by 30, and 36 by 44 have all been handled as custom requests. If your space falls outside these ranges, still ask, because the answer depends on the current molds. For the standard sizes that are already made, see the shower base sizes and thresholds comparison.

Threshold Options and the Floor

Custom bases are low step-in pans. The photo galleries on the custom base page show a 32 by 60 inch base with a 4 inch low threshold and a second version with a 2 inch low threshold, and the team has also described a 3 inch step on custom builds, so confirm the threshold height when you request your size. Every version has a textured, slip-resistant floor with molded drainage channels, and the page notes that the floor texture and channel layout are similar across all of the custom bases.

One point the team is careful about: a short step-in threshold is still a step. A low-threshold pan is not labeled ADA, because ADA roll-in access requires a barrier-free threshold. The custom page lists a barrier-free style in its selector, but the team has also explained that true roll-in thresholds need different molds, so if you need a wheelchair roll-in, ask the team whether it can be built at your size. The sure route is the ready-made roll-in and SMC barrier-free bases, which pair with the collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheelchair rolls over it.

This video shows the flexible, compressible dam used on barrier-free bases. It lets a wheelchair roll over the edge while keeping shower water inside, and the sequence covers cleaning the surface with alcohol, laying a guide line, cutting the dam to length, fitting the end caps, and sealing the lower edge with silicone. The full written procedure is in the shower base and dam installation article. Watch: The Ella Shower Dam u2014 Keep Water In, Roll In With Ease with chapters and a full transcript.

Drain Placement Rules

You can choose a left, right, or center drain, or specify a custom drain location. The one rule for a custom position is that the drain cannot be closer than 9 inches to the back wall or the side wall. When you request a custom location, send a simple drawing of the space that shows the length, the width, which side is the open entry, and the distance from the drain center to the back and side walls. That drawing is what the team builds from.

How the Base Is Built

The shower pages on ellasbubbles.com describe the shell as thermoformed acrylic reinforced with fiberglass gel coat, with steel reinforcement around the drain of a low-threshold base. The team has also described the custom pan as an acrylic top surface reinforced underneath with high-density foam for strength and support. Either way, the finish you see and stand on is acrylic.

• Color: white only. Off-white, almond, and other colors are not offered.
• Cultured marble: not available as a custom pan. Custom builds are acrylic.
• Slope: the molded drainage channels direct water to the drain, and the base is set level on a solid subfloor. You do not tilt the base.

This short visual piece shows the construction and the textured floor of Ella shower bases. It has no narration, so treat it as a look at the product rather than an instruction video. Watch: Slip-Resistant, Strong Shower Bases - Built to Last on its own page.

Availability Has Changed, so Confirm First

The custom program has paused and reopened before while the molds were reworked, with customers pointed to the ready-made roll-in and SMC bases in the meantime. Because it can pause again, please confirm current availability with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before you plan the framing around a custom size. The overview of every base line, including the ones that ship ready-made, is in Ella shower kits and bases.

Installation and Warranty

A custom base installs the same way as the standard roll-in bases: it is secured to the wall studs, not to drywall, following the roll-in shower base installation guide published on ellasbubbles.com. The subfloor must be solid and level, and the base is set level so the molded channels carry water to the drain. Low-threshold acrylic bases carry a 30-year limited warranty at the original installation location. Drilling into the base threshold voids that coverage, and a defect must be reported within 10 days of discovering it, so keep photos. The full terms are in the shower base warranty article. Because a custom base is built to the dimensions you provide, double-check every measurement before you confirm your order.

How to Request a Custom Base

1. Measure the finished opening: length, width, and which side is open.
2. Decide on the threshold height you need, and whether you need a wheelchair roll-in.
3. Mark the drain: left, right, center, or a custom position at least 9 inches from the back and side walls.
4. Sketch it and send the drawing to your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support.
5. Confirm that custom builds are currently available for your size before you frame.

Lead Time, Flange Layout and Shipping

A custom base is not pulled from a shelf. The mold is prepared for your size, the base is assembled, and then it is water-tested. If the test finds a quality issue, the base is remade. Because of those steps the production sequence cannot be shortened, and a custom order cannot be expedited. The team confirms current timing for your specific order rather than quoting a set date, so plan your tear-out and prep work around the timing they confirm.

Custom bases come in two layouts. An alcove base has a nailing flange on three sides for a three-wall opening. A corner base has the flange on two sides. A flange on all four sides is not possible, because there is no mold for it and the open side is the threshold you step over. Tell the team which layout your bathroom needs when you send your drawing.

The drain can be center, left, right or offset. If your drain center is at least 9 inches from every wall, the base can be built around it even if the drain then sits off center in the pan. Measure from the drain center to the nearest walls so the team can check that rule before the base is made.

Custom bases ship to you like any other Ella product, and pickup can also be arranged if you prefer. If you paid for shipping and later decide to pick up, or the other way around, let the team know before the base is finished so the order can be updated.

Related Guides

• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• How Close to the Wall Can the Drain Be on a Custom Shower Base, and Can It Be Centered?
• Ella Shower Dimensions: Nominal Size Versus Usable Interior Floor
• Can You Tile Over an Ella Acrylic Shower Base?
• Will a Three-Piece Ella Shower Fit Through My Doorway? Piece Dimensions and Turning the Base Sideways
• Shower Drain Rough-In: How Far the Drain Sits From the Back Wall and Side Wall

Common Questions

Have a drawing ready and want to confirm your size, threshold, and drain position? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support and the team will review it with you.