Where can I buy a custom-sized shower base for my bathroom?

A custom-sized shower base is ordered through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. Ella's Bubbles manufactures its own acrylic shower bases to your length and width, from a 30 by 30 inch minimum up to 44 inches wide by 80 inches long, for three-wall alcoves and for corner installations, with the drain placed left, right or center. Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers? covers who builds them; this page is about how to buy one for an odd-sized opening and what to have ready before you order.

Check the Standard Sizes Before Going Custom

Custom is the right answer only when no stock size fits, so start with the standard lineup. Ella's wheelchair accessible roll-in shower base comes in three sizes: 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches. All three are ADA curb-less roll-in pans that a wheelchair can roll straight into, each is available with a left or right drain in a set position for that size, and roll-in and barrier-free bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam. If one of these fits your opening it is the simplest choice, because the drain sits in a known position and there is nothing to specify beyond left or right.

Two other families use their own pans. Complete multi-piece shower kits, such as the 60 by 33 inch three-piece low-threshold kit with a molded seat, are sized as a whole unit rather than pan by pan. Ella also offers molded cultured marble shower bases in three sizes with a glossy gel coat finish and an ADA compliant slip resistant textured floor. Any shower longer than 60 inches, wider than 36 inches, or with a drain that none of these positions matches is a custom order.

What a Custom Base Can and Cannot Be

Ella builds custom bases to your own length and width, entered in quarter inch increments, with the threshold on the longer side. The published limits and layouts are below, built from the current pages and the team's own answers.

The differences come down to shape and drain. The footprint must be a rectangle, since angled or curved edges such as a neo-angle are not offered. The drain can go left, right, center or in a custom position, but it cannot sit closer than 9 inches to the back or side wall, so a drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge is not possible even on a custom base. Real orders show the range: a 38 by 80 inch base with a left drain is within the limits, and a custom 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced, while a request for 53 by 76 inches cannot be made because the width is beyond the 44 inch ceiling. A custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches, and for a barrier free entry zero threshold bases sit flush with the surrounding floor instead. The large end of the range is explored in What Is the Biggest Shower Pan You Can Buy from Ella's Bubbles?.

How to Order a Custom Base

Custom bases are built to the values on your order and are final once paid, so the order is worth getting right before your contractor cuts the floor. Have these ready:

1. Measure the finished opening, wall to wall, in length and width. Ella sizes in quarter inch increments, so measure to that precision.
2. Decide whether the space is a three-wall alcove or a corner, since the layout changes the size ceiling and where the edges and threshold are placed.
3. Locate the existing drain in the floor and measure its distance from each wall. If it is closer than 9 inches to a wall, your plumber will need to move the drain line.
4. Make a simple drawing showing the walls, the size you want, where the existing drain is, and whether the space is an alcove or a corner.
5. Send the drawing to your Ella dealer, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850, and confirm the size with the team before anything is cut.

You can review the base styles, size limits and drain options on the shower pages at ellasbubbles.com before you decide. Pricing is not published in this knowledge base; your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm current pricing and availability for the base size, drain position and any walls or accessories you want. Contractors and remodelers who expect to buy regularly can apply for the dealer program, and dealers can look up shower products in the dealer portal. Where can I buy accessible shower pans and bases? covers the buying process for the standard roll-in sizes in the same way.

Walls and Pieces That Go with It

Shower products are sold per item, so a complete shower is put together from the base in your size and drain position, a wall system sized to that base, and accessories such as grab bars or a shower door. Ella's custom bases are finished acrylic and ready to use once installed, so they are not tiled over. On the wall side, Ella's acrylic shower wall panels are manufactured 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. Cultured marble travertine surrounds glue directly over existing walls or sound tile. Where Can I Buy Walk-In Shower Wall Kits Locally? compares the wall options.

Your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it. Ella does not send technicians or installers, and the support team can answer your contractor's questions about the base and drain by phone, email or video.

Related Guides

• How Close to the Wall Can the Drain Be on a Custom Shower Base, and Can It Be Centered?
• What Is the Largest Custom Shower Base Ella's Bubbles Can Make?
• How long does a custom Ella shower pan take to build and ship?

Common Questions