How is an Ella walk-in shower installed at home and who does it?

An Ella walk-in shower is installed by a licensed local contractor that you hire, because Ella's Bubbles manufactures the shower stalls, bases and wall panels and does not perform installations or send technicians, as Does Ella's Bubbles install walk-in tubs, and how do I find an installer? explains. The practical sequence is to design the shower, have a contractor measure the space, order the kit through your Ella dealer, buy the valve and shower head separately, and have your plumber set the enclosure, cut the wall openings and connect the drain while following the installation manual published with the product listing. This page lays out that sequence so you know what to prepare before the carton arrives and what your contractor will be doing once it does.

Step One: Design the Shower and Have the Space Measured

The project begins online. The shower builder tool lets you scroll through the available options and put together a custom shower design before anything is ordered, and that design becomes the starting point for the conversation with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. Building a design is only the first step, though. After you have explored the options, a contractor visits your home to measure the space in person and finalize the installation details, which is where the alcove width, the drain location and the wall condition get confirmed against the design you built.

It helps to think about who will use the shower at this stage, because the openings for the valve and shower head are not cut at the factory. Their height and offset are decided during installation around the valve you choose, the rough-in behind the wall and the needs of the person using the shower, so a bather who sits on a bench or uses a hand shower on a slide bar should say so before the measuring visit.

Step Two: Know What Arrives and What You Still Need

A basic Ella walk-in shower kit includes three things: the shower stall itself, the set of grab bars listed for that kit, and the drain. The stall arrives as one piece or several pieces depending on the model, and the grab bars are packed loose rather than pre-installed. What is included in a basic DIY walk-in shower kit? turns the carton contents into a shopping checklist, and the short version is that the kit supplies the enclosure, not the water.

• A shower valve with its trim. Your plumber selects the valve, and the wall openings are planned around it.
• A shower head. Nothing in the box detaches for hand-held use, so a hand shower and a slide bar are separate purchases if you want them.
• Rough-in plumbing. The drain that ships with the kit is connected to the house waste line by your plumber, who supplies the piping and fittings.
• Wall panels, if your project starts from a shower base rather than a full stall. Ella's bases, walls and filler pieces are separate items, so confirm whether your order is a stall or a base with walls before assuming the walls are included.

When the enclosure is assembled from a base and separate walls, Ella makes the walls too, and What Companies Offer Custom Shower Wall Panel Systems, and Does Ella? lists the lineup. The three-piece acrylic wall system is published as 40 by 60 by 98 inches high and suits a complete three-wall shower over a 60 inch base. Large acrylic panels come as back walls of 98 by 60 inches and side walls of 36 to 38 by 96 to 98 inches. Cultured marble travertine surrounds come in eight, six or four panels for a remodel where panels go over existing walls or tile, and an 8 inch wide L-shaped filler piece, supplied with brackets, closes a gap between a shower base and a wall or fixture. Shower wall panels are manufactured at a consistent 98 inch height, so you choose the look and confirm the widths for your space.

Step Three: What Your Contractor Does on Site

The installation manual for your kit is published with the product listing and is also available from the team at (800) 480-6850, so read the whole procedure before the carton arrives and decide which steps, if any, you will take on yourself. On installation day the work falls to the plumber. The stall or base is set in the alcove, the kit's drain is connected to the house waste line with the plumber's own piping and fittings, and the valve and shower head openings are marked and cut in the solid wall where the chosen valve and the rough-in behind it dictate. If you want a hand shower on a slide bar, choose that hardware with your plumber at the same time as the valve so the openings can be planned together and cut once.

The contractor knows your local code, your existing plumbing and your walls, and Ella's technical support team knows the product. Whoever you choose receives free lifetime technical support from Ella by phone, email and live video, along with manuals and spec sheets, so keep your model number handy in case a question comes up mid-project. The two halves of the warranty follow the same line: the labor is warranted by the contractor who performs it, while the product is covered by Ella's Bubbles, which ships replacement parts under the warranty rather than sending a crew. Labor is arranged and paid for between you and the contractor, not through Ella.

Finding an Installer If You Do Not Have One

You are welcome to use anyone you trust, because certification by Ella's Bubbles is not required. If you do not have someone in mind, the team at (800) 480-6850 can check its installer network, which includes Angi Pro, for a professional near your installation address. Walk-in tubs, acrylic shower walls and shower bases ship from the Chicago warehouse to the dealer network, so the product reaches your home through your Ella dealer, and the work of fitting it into a real bathroom, with its own code, its own drain line and its own walls, is handled locally. If a question comes up once the shower is in, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model, photos of the enclosure and a sketch of the alcove with measurements in inches.

Related Guides

• How do you fit and install an Ella shower base?
• How do you install a shower wall panel kit from Ella's Bubbles?
• Choosing a Shower Valve and Cutting the Valve and Shower-Head Openings

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