Can Ella build a walk-in tub in a custom size, shape, drain or color?

Every Ella walk-in tub, including the LayDown tubs, is made in white acrylic, so color is not a choice on any order. Length, width, shape and drain side are not custom-built either: you choose them by picking a model and its hand, since every model except the Front Entry is built in a left-hand and a right-hand version and the drains always sit on the side opposite the door. The published material does not describe a walk-in tub built to a custom length or shape, so confirm with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before planning around one. Ella's true custom program is for shower bases, and the color answer for tubs is spelled out in Common Model Questions: Soakers Without Jets, Big Tubs Without Jets, Colors, Off-White Transfer Tubs, Royal Versus Ultimate, Two-Seat Doors, Inward-Only Models and Front Entry Faucet Side.

Color: White, and Only White

Ella tubs are white. Biscuit, linen and off-white are not offered. Off-white was offered in the past and was dropped for lack of interest, and the only off-white units offered since have been a few leftover Transfer tubs. There are no black, beige or other colored tubs, and the same rule applies to the custom shower bases, which come in white acrylic only. If you are matching an existing fixture in another color, plan on the tub being the white piece in the room and bring the other color in through paint, flooring and the surrounding walls.

Length, Width and Shape: Pick the Model, Not a Custom Mold

A walk-in tub is a molded acrylic shell with its frame, door and latch built in at the factory. That is why swing direction cannot be changed after the tub is built: it is a factory build choice built into the shell, the door frame and the latch mechanism, as Can My Walk-In Tub Door Be Changed to Swing the Other Way? explains. The same logic governs size and shape. What you can choose is the model and the hand, and the lineup covers the common footprints: the Tub4Two is 32 by 60 inches and fits a standard 60 inch opening, the Companion is 32 by 60, the Big4Two is 36 by 80 inches, the LayDown comes as a 30x60 and a 32x72, and the TransferXXL is 36x55. Where two models share a footprint, they differ by door: the Monaco is the Royal's outward counterpart at the same size, and the Tub4Two is the outward-swing two-seater while the Companion has the inward-swing door.

The published material does not list a custom-length or custom-shape walk-in tub. If your alcove is an unusual size, the practical path is to look for the model whose footprint fits and then settle the hand, and to ask the team about anything outside the catalog before you assume it can be built. Ella also offers an online walk-in tub builder tool for exploring options; ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for the link, as described in Shower Builder Tool.

Drain Location: Always Opposite the Door, Left-Hand or Right-Hand

You do choose the drain side, but indirectly. On every Ella walk-in tub the door and seat sit on one side and the drains and faucet on the opposite side, so a right-side door means left-side drains and a left-side door means right-side drains, with sides read as you face the tub. Choosing the hand of the tub therefore places the drain. Every model except the Front Entry is built in both hands.

Do not let the house drain decide the hand for you. Plumbing can run under the tub in either direction, with roughly 3 inches of clearance beneath the frame for a 2 inch line, and the four-port drain bodies connect from the left or the right with the unused ports capped. That means the hand should follow the bather, the grab bars and the open floor, and the licensed installer routes the drain line to meet it. A custom drain position somewhere else on the tub floor is not among the published options.

Where Custom Really Is Offered: Shower Bases

If the question is about a shower base rather than a tub, the answer changes. Ella can build a custom-size acrylic shower base to your length and width, with the drain in a left, right, center or custom position. The custom shower base page 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 three-wall alcove bases from 30 by 30 inches up to 44 by 80 inches and corner bases from 30 by 30 inches up to 42 by 60 inches, and sizes such as 46 by 46, 50 by 30 and 36 by 44 have all been handled as custom requests. A custom drain spot must sit at least 9 inches from the back and side walls. Thresholds on custom builds have been shown at 2 inches and 4 inches, with the team also describing a 3 inch step, so confirm the height when you ask. Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One covers the construction and how to request one, and availability of the program has changed over time, so always confirm it is open for your size.

Shape is the one thing that does not change even on a custom base. Every Ella shower base is a rectangle that comes out of a mold with the drain and threshold already in it, so angled or curved edges are not offered and there is no neo-angle pan, with or without a curb. Does Ella Make a Neo-Angle Shower Pan With a Curb for Corners? explains what a corner can have instead: a custom rectangular base with a raised threshold of about 3 inches, a zero threshold, or a curb-less roll-in edge with a collapsible rubber dam. Custom bases are white acrylic only.

What Can Be Customized, Side by Side

What the table means in practice: a tub project is a selection problem and a base project can be a build-to-size problem. For a tub, bring your alcove measurements and the bather's needs, choose the model and the hand, and let the installer route the plumbing under the tub in whichever direction the house needs. For a base, bring the length and width you want, where the drain has to land and the threshold you prefer, and the team confirms whether the current molds can make it. In both cases the piece arrives white.

Related Guides

• Left-Hand or Right-Hand? Choosing Door, Drain, and Faucet Side
• What Can and Cannot Be Customized on an Ella Tub: Add-Ons, Special Orders, and Fixed Features

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