Can a walk-in tub replace a triangular corner garden tub and fill the space?

Yes, a walk-in tub can take the place of a triangular corner garden tub. Ella's Bubbles does not make a corner-shaped or neo-angle tub, but every model is a rectangle built on one of the standard sizes, and every one of them can be installed into a corner, which is exactly how a large garden tub is usually replaced. The tub sits along two walls, the factory apron finishes the front, the included reversible end panel finishes the exposed end, and your installer frames and finishes whatever part of the old footprint the new tub does not fill. Walk-in tub dimensions by model: exterior sizes, seat widths, and door types lists every factory size. This page covers how the swap works, which models suit a garden tub footprint, and what happens to the leftover triangle.

Why a Rectangular Tub Works in a Corner

Think of an Ella walk-in tub as having four sides, two of which come finished from the factory. The front apron, with its removable access panels, finishes the side you face. Every tub also ships with one reversible end panel that can be placed on either end, so if the tub sits in the right-hand corner the panel goes on the exposed left end, and the reverse for a left-hand corner. The video on this page shows that panel going on either end, along with the extension panel and the apron.

• The long back side has no cover on any model, so it must face a wall or a knee wall your contractor builds.
• A second end panel can be purchased if the tub will stand against the back wall with both ends open.
• Any Ella tub shorter than 60 inches comes with an extension panel so it fits a standard 60 inch alcove, and the panel can go on the right or the left of the tub.
• If you do not need the extra end panel or the extension panel, you can opt out of receiving one or the other to reduce plastic waste.

In a corner that used to hold a garden tub, the two walls that met behind the old tub become the back wall and one end wall of the new one. The apron faces the room and the reversible end panel finishes the open end. The extension panel exists to close the gap to an alcove wall, so a corner install usually needs only the end panel.

Which Models Suit a Garden Tub Footprint

A triangular corner space measuring roughly 62 by 83 inches wall to wall has room for any Ella model, because the lineup runs from the compact Mobile at 26 inches wide by 45 inches long up to the bariatric ShaK at 36 inches wide by 72 inches long. The models below are the ones the team points to when someone wants to fill a larger footprint rather than leave most of it to framing. Measurements are the actual factory sizes, width by length by height.

The differences matter more than the fit. All eight of these tubs leave part of a 62 by 83 inch corner to be framed, so the question is not which one fills the most space but which one fits the person using it. The three inward-door tubs never swing into the room, which keeps a nearby toilet or vanity out of play. The Transfer60's L-shape door swings out 172 degrees and needs about 36 inches of clear space beside the tub, and the outward U-shape door on the Tub4Two, Big4One and ShaK swings 165 degrees into the room and needs clear floor in front. The team's advice is to choose the model sized for the bather rather than the biggest tub that fills the old footprint, and the ShaK in particular is really only recommended for very tall bathers. The Escape and Big4Two run 72 to 80 inches long and belong in the same conversation only when a very large bather needs them.

Door Swing, Drains and Which Corner to Choose

Before you settle on a corner, work out where the door will land and where the drains will go. On an Ella walk-in tub the door and the drains are on opposite sides as you face the tub: a right-side door puts the drains on the left, and a left-side door puts the drains on the right. Tell your plumber which side the door will be on so the drain connection lands where the old garden tub's drain was, or where it can be moved to. The door family then decides how much open floor the swing needs, which is covered step by step in Planning the Bathroom Layout: Toilet Clearance, Corner Placement, Which Sides Can Be Open, Where the Outlet Goes and Where a Screen Mounts.

1. Measure the two walls of the corner wall to wall, in inches, and note where the old drain and supply came up through the floor.
2. Decide which wall the long back of the tub will sit against. That side carries no panel, so it is the one that stays hidden.
3. Pick the door side so the swing has the clearance its family needs and the drains land where your plumber can connect them.
4. Check the height of any window, ledge or shelf against the tub height in the table, since a corner window is common above a garden tub.

Finishing the Leftover Space

Once a rectangle sits in a triangle, there is always a wedge left over, and that wedge is finished by your installer as part of the bathroom work rather than by a factory part. The usual approach is a framed knee wall or a built-up section that runs from the exposed end of the tub to the wall, finished to match the room. A few points keep that finish from causing trouble later.

• Keep the front apron reachable. It typically has two easily removable panels that give service access to the plumbing and other components, and a knee wall should never cover them.
• Where the tub meets tile, remember that Ella tubs do not have a built-in lip. A tile flange is available as an aftermarket option to waterproof the gap between the tub and the tiles, and Walk-In Tub Accessories and Add-Ons: What Is Available and How They Work describes it along with the other options.
• Use the extension panel where the tub meets an alcove wall, and the end panel where an end is open to the room. The extension panel is trimmed on site.

Getting the New Tub into the Corner

Garden tubs often live in rooms reached through a hallway turn, so plan the route before delivery day. All removable panels, including the front apron with its access panels, the end panel and the extension panel, must be removed before the tub is moved into the house and into the bathroom. The frame and shell are one piece and cannot be separated. If a corner on the route will not let the tub pass flat, it can be stood on its end with the seat end, where the pumps are, facing down, as Can I Stand the Tub on End to Get It Through the Door? explains. When you are ready, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your wall to wall measurements, the width of every doorway on the path and a photo of the corner, and the team can confirm the best fit.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Understanding Extension and End Panels with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How to Add a Second End Panel to Your Walk-In Tub Order or Buy One Later
• Will it fit my alcove? Extension panels, end panels, and 60 inch spaces
• Can the Tub Be Freestanding? Exposed Ends, Second End Panels, and Knee Walls

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