How do I measure my bathroom and myself for a walk-in tub?

Measuring for a walk-in tub takes two sets of numbers: the finished space the tub will occupy, together with every doorway on the route into the bathroom, and your own seated shoulder, hip and length measurements so the seat and interior suit you. Compare both sets against the actual size printed on the spec sheet of each model rather than the rounded size in its name. Walk-In Tub and Shower Base Sizes and How to Measure for Fit lists every standard footprint Ella offers, and this page walks through the measuring itself, in the order a careful installer would take it.

Measure the Opening, Not the Old Tub

The tub you are removing may be shorter or narrower than the alcove it sits in, and the finished walls, tile included, are what the new tub has to fit between. Start from the walls and the floor, never from the rim of the old tub.

1. Measure the length between the finished walls at the two ends of the alcove. Take it once at the back of the opening and once at the front, because tiled walls are not always square. This is the figure to compare with the tub's length.
2. Measure the width from the back wall to the front edge of the alcove. This is the figure to compare with the tub's width.
3. Measure the height from the floor to the bottom of any window sill, ledge or soffit above the space, and compare it with the tub's height. If you plan to shower in the tub as well, note the ceiling height too.
4. If you are replacing a shower stall, take the wall to wall distance as it will be after the seat, glass enclosure and curb come out, since a stall is often shorter and narrower than a tub alcove.

Ella walk-in tubs are built for a standard three-wall alcove and can also stand free against one or two walls. A tub does not have to fill the whole opening on its own. Ella tubs shorter than 60 inches include an extension panel that closes the gap to the end wall, and the panel can be cut down to size, so a 52 inch model goes into a 60 inch alcove and still looks finished. How big is a standard bathtub, and how do you measure yours? explains why the alcove length, rather than the old tub, is the number that decides what will fit.

Once you have the room's figures, compare them with the actual dimensions on the spec sheet, which you can print from the Downloads tab of each model's product page. The size in a model's name is a nominal figure. The Petite is sold as a 28 inch tub and actually measures 27.5 inches wide by 52 inches long by 35 inches tall, the Elite is 30 inches wide by 52 inches long by 35 inches tall, and a tub described as a 5 foot tub can measure 59.5 inches long. What are the standard dimensions of a walk-in tub? explains what each of the three outside figures means.

Measure the Way in

A crated tub is larger than the tub itself, so the fit question often comes down to the path into the bathroom rather than the alcove. Measure the width of the bathroom doorway and of every door, hallway and turn the crate must pass through on delivery day, then compare the narrowest of them with the actual exterior width of the tub you are considering. As an example of how much a crate adds, the Escape ships in a crate measuring 40 by 76 by 49 inches at 398 pounds. While you have the tape out, note the distance from the tub space to your water heater, because your installer will want that figure when planning the plumbing run.

Measure Yourself for the Seat and the Soak

The seat is molded into the shell as one piece, so it cannot be moved or adjusted after the tub is installed. Sit in a straight chair with your feet flat, keep the tape level, and take three measurements:

• Across your shoulders at their widest.
• Across your hips at their widest, straight across the pelvis. The seat has to be wider than this figure to be comfortable.
• Your seated length. Measure from the back of the chair to the tips of your feet for soaking length, or from the top of your head to your feet for overall seated length.

Compare those figures with the seat width, interior length and seat-to-overflow depth on the drawing for each tub. Ella seats range from 19 to 29 inches wide, and the seat height is roughly 17 inches on most models, with a seat pillow riser available to add a few inches on the models it fits. The narrowest seats are 19 inches on the Petite and Transfer26, the Big4One and Transfer32 have 24 inch seats, the ShaK seat is 28 inches, and the TransferXXL is the widest at 29 inches. What Are Seat Width and Seat Height on a Walk-In Tub? explains how both figures are taken on the drawing.

The video on this page shows how the soaking depth of an Ella tub is determined by three factors: the depth from the top of the seat to the center of the overflow, the length of the seat, and the interior length of the tub. Your own size then sets the depth you actually feel in the water, which is why your seated length matters as much as the tub's interior length. If you would rather lie flat than sit upright, the laid-down models are a different shape entirely. Laid-Down Walk-In Tub Dimensions and Fit covers the 30x60 and 32x72 inch sizes and their 21 inch height, which is worth checking against any window or shelf above the space.

Drain Side, Door Swing and the Room Around the Tub

Find your existing drain and note whether it sits on the left or the right as you face the tub. On every Ella walk-in tub the door and the drains are on opposite sides, so a right-side door tub has its drains on the left, and a left-side door tub has its drains on the right. The door hand is set at the factory, which means the drain location in your room decides how the tub is built, and it should be settled before anything is ordered.

If an outward-swinging door interests you, plan clear floor space in front of the tub so the door can open fully without hitting a toilet or vanity. Think about where the tub will land in relation to the sink, toilet and shelves, not just whether it squeezes into the opening. A licensed local contractor or plumber should make the final fit check, measuring the space and the route in and locating the drain, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 is glad to go over your figures against the spec sheet for the model you like.

Which Tubs Fit a Space 59 Inches Long and 38.5 Inches Wide

Many readers arrive with one specific opening, and a common one is just under 60 inches. For a space 59 inches long and 38.5 inches wide, length is what limits you, because Ella's 60 inch models are all at least 59.5 inches long. The table uses the actual outside measurements of the tub shell, so measure from finished wall to finished wall before you compare.

What the table means: an opening that is a half inch short of 60 inches rules out every 60 inch model, but it leaves the whole 52 inch range, the 55 inch TransferXXL and the two compact tubs. The width of 38.5 inches is generous, so even the 36 inch TransferXXL fits, and the 52 inch tubs will each use their extension panel to close the gap at the end wall. The choice then comes back to your body: the Petite and Transfer26 carry 19 inch seats, while the TransferXXL carries the widest single seat in the line at 29 inches.

Watch: How to Measure the Soaking Depth in Your Walk-In-Tub | Ellas Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Will it fit through my doorway? How to measure your home for a walk-in tub
• Seat sizes and soaking depth: how to measure yourself for a comfortable fit
• Will it fit my alcove? Extension panels, end panels, and 60 inch spaces

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