Can I Get a Second Installation Estimate From a Different Local Installer?

Yes. Ella's Bubbles is the manufacturer and does not perform or price installation, so the choice of installer is yours, and you are welcome to collect estimates from more than one licensed contractor in your area before you decide. A referral from Ella's network is one way to meet an installer, as described in Getting Installer Referrals and Leads for Your Walk-In Tub, and a contractor you find yourself is just as acceptable.

Why the Choice of Installer Is Yours

Ella's Bubbles builds, tests and ships the tub. It does not perform installation and never charges for it, which is why the tub's configuration never includes labor and why Ella's Bubbles does not publish installation prices. The work is done by a licensed, experienced contractor, either one you hire yourself or one referred from Ella's nationwide installer network, and that contractor prices the job from the scope of work in your bathroom.

Any licensed plumber, electrician or general contractor can install an Ella tub by following the installation manual, and certification by Ella is not required. Because every contractor builds an estimate from what they see in your home, the figure belongs to the contractor and not to Ella's Bubbles. Asking a second contractor to look at the same bathroom is a normal, sensible step, and nothing about your tub or your order stands in the way of it.

Three Ways to Find Another Installer

• A contractor you already know. A licensed plumber, electrician or general contractor you trust can work from the installation manual for your model.
• A referral from Ella's network. Share your installation address through ellasbubbles.com/support or at (800) 480-6850 and the team will check for a preferred installer near you. Ella's Bubbles also works with the Angi contractor network.
• An authorized dealer. In some areas an authorized dealer sells and installs the tub as one package, with one crew handling removal, haul-away, setting, testing and cleanup, and one number to call afterward.

Each route has its own character. Assembling your own team of trades usually costs less than a dealer's package, but each trade works independently, so you or your general contractor coordinate the plumber and the electrician. A dealer's package brings everything under one crew.

When a referral is made, the process is straightforward. Ella's Bubbles sends the recommended installer your contact information, the tub specifications for your model and the electrical diagrams, so the installer has them ahead of time. The installer then contacts you directly, visits the home to measure the installation space and gives you an estimate for the work. That estimate is the installer's own. Contractors who would like to receive these referrals can read Becoming an Ella Dealer, Joining the Installer Network, and Contractor Pricing.

How to Compare Two Estimates Fairly

Two estimates are only comparable when they cover the same work. Installers price the job from what is in front of them, and the main variables are laid out in What Installation Involves, How Long It Takes, and What Drives the Cost. Ask each installer to tell you how their estimate handles every one of these:

• Removing the old tub or shower. Demolition, disposal fees, and any tile that comes out with it.
• Plumbing. A like-for-like swap in the same spot is simplest. Moving the tub, rerouting drains or updating old pipes to meet current code adds time.
• Electrical. Jetted tubs and heated seats need dedicated GFCI circuits, so an electrician is part of any hydro, air or heated-seat installation. A soaker with no equipment needs much less.
• Water heater. A walk-in tub can call for more hot water than an older heater delivers, and some projects include a heater upgrade.
• Walls and surround. The finish around the tub is part of the job, so check whether it is included.

If one estimate includes an electrician and a new circuit and the other assumes the wiring is already there, the two figures are answering different questions. The same is true when one installer plans to keep the drain where it is and another plans to move it. Give both installers the same model, the same tub specifications and the same electrical diagrams, and have each of them visit and measure, so both are pricing the same bathroom.

The installation and delivery video on this page shows what that scope looks like in a real home. It follows a Transfer 60 from unpacking and inspection through a water test outside, floor modifications for the oversized 2 inch drains, the connection to the house drain, shut-off valves placed where they can be reached, a licensed electrician adding the correct breakers and GFCI outlets at the panel, and leveling the tub so the door closes properly. As the video says, all installations are different, which is exactly why a home visit matters for each estimate.

What Stays the Same Whichever Installer You Choose

Your choice of installer does not change the support behind the tub. Ella's technical support guides your contractor at no charge by phone, email and live video, and the installation manual is the same for every installer. The lifetime limited warranty covers parts. Labor is warranted by the independent contractor who did the work, so ask each installer what they stand behind on their own workmanship.

A few points are worth knowing as you compare:

• Improper or negligent installation is excluded from warranty coverage, so licensing and experience matter more than the lowest figure.
• Ella's Bubbles is not bound by warranty promises made by dealers, retailers, distributors or contractors, so rely on the published warranty for what the manufacturer covers.
• Warranty activation uses a form that is completed and signed by both the customer and the installer, so let the installer you choose know that their signature will be needed.
• Ella's Bubbles does not estimate installation labor. For a specific warranty question about an installation plan, ask through ellasbubbles.com/support.

Settle on an Installer Before Delivery Day

Take the time you need to compare, and aim to have your installer chosen before the tub ships. Walk-in tubs travel as LTL freight in a crate, and the truck's liftgate lowers the crate to the curb or driveway. Drivers do not enter the home, unpack the tub or carry it inside, so moving the crate into the house and up to the bathroom is the customer's or installer's responsibility. How Shipping Is Quoted: Weight, Distance, Liftgate Delivery, and Accessory Shipping explains what curbside delivery means and how to prepare for it.

Watch: Walk-In Tub Installation and Delivery Ella's Bubbles Transfer 60 with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What Questions Should I Ask a Contractor Before Hiring Them to Install My Tub?

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