Can a crated walk-in tub be delivered and installed in a high-rise condo?

Yes. Ella walk-in tubs go into condos and upper-floor units regularly, and a service elevator is simply one more opening and one more turn on the route from the curb to your bathroom. Ella's Bubbles builds the tub and does not install it, so you choose a licensed local installer, and the team at (800) 480-6850 can help you locate one near your building. The crate reaches the curb or loading area by freight truck, as described in can my walk-in tub be delivered to a condo loading dock instead, and from there your installer or helpers take over.

Delivery Day at a High-Rise

Walk-in tubs travel fully assembled inside a crate as less-than-truckload freight. The carrier calls the number on the order to set a delivery window, then lowers the crate by liftgate at the curb, driveway or loading area. Drivers do not enter the building, ride the elevator or carry the crate up to your unit, so the people who will move it need to be there when the truck arrives.

A condo tower with a service dock is still usually booked as a residential stop, because the carrier classifies the delivery by the physical delivery point rather than by the name on the building. Give your Ella dealer or the team the exact address and the dock details before the order is finalized so the shipment is booked the right way. Then reserve the service elevator with your management office for the delivery window, and confirm the phone number on the order is one you answer, since the carrier cannot schedule without reaching you.

Measuring the Elevator, the Hallway and the Unit Door

Every Ella spec sheet prints two sets of numbers, and the elevator needs both. Shipping size is the crated dimension, the figure for the route from the curb to wherever the crate is opened. Actual size is the tub itself, the figure for every opening the bare tub passes after the crate is off. What shipping size and shipping weight mean explains the two, and the imperial figures are the authoritative ones.

Treat the elevator as a doorway followed by a corner. Measure the elevator door at its clear width, then the inside of the car as a box the crate or tub has to fit into and pivot out of: floor length, floor width and ceiling height. Measure the diagonal too, because a long crate may need to be tilted or turned to get in. Check the hallway from the elevator to your unit and your own front door the same way, and note the turn at each corner, since a crate that clears an opening still has to swing around the bend after it.

If any part of the route is a stairwell, note the width of each landing, the ceiling height over the stairs and the turn at the top or bottom. A crate that clears the bottom door can still be stopped by a low ceiling or a tight turn.

What the figures mean is that the crate is only the first clearance question. Compare the shipping size against the elevator and corridor if the crate rides up, and the actual size if the crate is opened at the building entrance. Across the line, net weights run from 160 to 328 lbs and shipped weights from 220 to 531 lbs, so plan hands for the weight as carefully as the width. The full method for stairs, doorways and elevators is in will a crated walk-in tub fit up stairs, through doorways or in an elevator.

If the Crate Will Not Fit in the Car

Ella tubs cannot be disassembled to fit, but they do not have to ride up in the crate. Your installer can open the crate at the building entrance, remove the front apron, the access panels and the end panels, and carry the bare frame up in the elevator. Measure that path against the tub's actual size, lift only by the frame once it is uncrated, never by plumbing or panels, and keep the packaging until you have inspected the tub, in case anything needs to be reported.

What to Settle with the Building Before You Order

A condo adds a few planning steps that a house does not. Ella's tubs go into these settings regularly, and each step goes smoothly when it starts early.

• HOA approval and permits. Many associations want drawings and the electrical details before work begins, so ask what your board needs and share the spec sheet and schematic with your installer.
• Dedicated circuits. Jetted tubs need dedicated GFCI-protected power. In a high-rise there is often no attic or basement access, so your electrician pulls the circuits through finished walls, which takes planning.
• Water shut-off. Building shut-offs often control a whole tier of units, so schedule the shut-off with management rather than assuming your installer can close a valve in your bathroom.
• Floor and drain. Have a local professional confirm the floor's weight capacity and that the floor is level and adequately supported, and check that the existing drain and water supply serve the new tub.
• Door swing. An outward-swing door needs clearance in front of the tub, which a compact condo bathroom may not have, so compare the door style with your floor plan.

The wider guide to condos, upper floors and slabs is Installing in Mobile Homes, Condos, Upper Floors, and on Concrete Slabs.

Finding an Installer for an Upper-Floor Unit

Ella manufactures the tubs and does not perform the installation, so the installer is your choice, and any licensed, experienced local plumber or contractor can do the work. A call to (800) 480-6850 with your zip code is the place to start when you want help locating one near your address. Before you order, have that local professional walk the route through the building, including the entrance, the elevator, the stairs and every doorway, and confirm the floor's weight capacity. Once the tub is in, the team supports your installer by phone, email and live video at no charge, and replacement parts ship under the warranty rather than with a technician.

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