How do you build a custom shower pan or base?

With an Ella's Bubbles shower, you do not build a custom shower pan in the bathroom. The factory molds a rectangular acrylic base to your length and width, with the drain placed left, right or center, so your part of the job is measuring the space, choosing a threshold style and confirming the order, as Can I Get a Custom Size Shower Base Made for My Space? explains. A local licensed contractor then sets the finished base on your floor and connects it to the drain line.

Why the Pan Arrives Finished Instead of Being Built on Site

Ella pans, standard or custom, are finished acrylic and do not need to be tiled over. The base carries the drain and the threshold, and on some shower models a molded seat, so nothing is formed, lined or grouted in your bathroom. What changes from one order to the next is the size of the rectangle, where the drain sits and how tall the threshold is, and those three decisions are made before the base is molded rather than after it arrives.

Ella also makes cultured marble shower bases in three sizes. The video on this page shows them: molded solid cultured marble with a glossy gel coat finish and an ADA compliant slip resistant textured floor. These bases are heavy and need at least two people to set them, which is worth telling your contractor before delivery day. Whichever material you choose, the base comes out of a mold, so the shape is fixed at the factory and the work on your end is limited to preparing the floor and the plumbing.

Step One: Fit a Rectangle into Your Space

Every Ella base is a rectangle. 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 therefore whether a rectangle can be drawn into it, either as a three-wall alcove or as a two-wall corner installation. The team asks which layout you have so the drain and the edges are placed correctly.

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 if your opening is 60 inches long and between 30 and 36 inches wide, a standard base fits and the drain position is already decided. The same three footprints are offered as wheelchair accessible curb-less roll-in pans with the drain position specified at the time of order.

When none of those three footprints works, the base becomes a custom request, and the limits are firm:

• The minimum for either layout is 30 by 30 inches, so a square or short footprint is always a custom build.
• A three-wall alcove base can be made up to 44 inches wide by 80 inches long, with the threshold on the longer side.
• A corner base tops out at 42 by 60 inches.
• Pans shorter than 60 inches are routine. A 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain 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.
• 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.

The full ladder of sizes, from the smallest custom square to the largest custom rectangle, is laid out in What sizes do shower pans come in, from smallest to largest?.

Step Two: Decide Where the Drain Goes

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 each wall before you settle on a size. On a standard base the drain sits in a set position for that size, which is why the team asks where your existing drain line sits in the floor and then confirms which drain position matches. If the line is in an awkward spot, the examples in Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts? show which requests a custom rectangle can solve and which it cannot.

Step Three: Choose the Threshold

A custom shower base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches. For a barrier-free entry, zero threshold bases sit flush with the surrounding floor instead, which can make getting in easier, and the roll-in bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in the shower while a wheelchair rolls over it. The threshold style has to meet your plumbing rough-in and the finished floor height, so your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 confirms which style suits your bathroom before the base is made.

Step Four: Design, Measure and Order

The practical sequence for a custom shower is a design first and a toolbox second. You can put the shower together online with the Shower Builder Tool, which lets you scroll through the bases, wall panels and screens Ella offers and gives you a starting point for the conversation with your dealer. A contractor then visits your home to measure the space in person and finalize the installation details against your actual walls and rough-in. Only after that measurement is the base ordered, together with the wall panels and any screen that contractor will install. The whole sequence, from the online design through the contractor visit, is described in How do I build or install a walk-in shower at home?.

Bases are usually paired with multi-piece wall kits rather than sold as stand-alone pieces. Shower wall panels are manufactured at 98 inches high, with side panels measuring 40 inches and the back wall panel measuring 60 inches, in a plain white finish, a CNC routed design with light gray grout lines or a digital print option. A four-fold or LayDown glass screen can be added once the base and walls are settled. When you contact the team, have these details ready:

1. The length and width of the space, and whether it is a three-wall alcove or a two-wall corner.
2. Where the existing drain line sits, measured to each wall.
3. Whether you want the standard threshold, a zero threshold or a roll-in base with the rubber dam.
4. Which wall panels and screen, if any, the base needs to pair with.

Ella's Bubbles manufactures the components and ships them. The measuring and the installation are handled locally by a licensed plumber or contractor, with the parts supplied through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

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

Related Guides

• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• How Do I Measure for a New or Replacement Shower Pan or Base?
• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed

Common Questions