I think I’ve seen bathtubs that are delivered in pieces and glued together on site. This allows them to not worry about narrow doorways and other obstructions that might get in the way of installing a one-piece tub in a tight space.
My brother is disabled and needs an oversized walk-in tub with a seat. His bathroom is big enough to accept such a tub but the only way to get a conventional tub in there would be to knock a hole in an exterior wall, adding time and many thousands of dollars to the project. Do we have any options?
I’m confused about him needing a “walk-in tub”. There are prefabricated showers with seats where the bottom pan and the walls are separate. There are also really expensive walk-in tubs with waterproof doors that lock in place.
Do you have a picture similar to of what you are looking for?
Would it be feasible to put a portable indoor shower in his kitchen? Like this:http://www.shower-anywhere.com/
These come in all sizes and some will take a wheelchair. They can be taken part and stored when not in use.
Thanks for the idea but that wouldn’t really be an improvement on his current situation. He already has a waterproof seat in a shower cubical but he really wants a place to sit and soak and he wants the hydrotherapy jets to help with poor leg circulation.
Walking short distances and stepping over a standard size tub rim are certainly doable for him but normal tubs just aren’t deep or wide enough for him to properly bathe. If he did lie down in a wider but standard height tub he wouldn’t be able to get back out without assistance.
He’s getting by right now with his seat in his current standard shower/tub combo but it’s not ideal. He really wants a taller, wider tub with a seat for extended soaking. Finding a way to get that kind of tub into his bathroom, one way or another, is the purpose of this thread. Given the narrow doorways of his house, I need to figure out what his options are.
Yeah, sorry about that. You were posting your info about a standard tub not being big enough at the same time that I was typing my message about the tub lifter and I didn’t see yours in time.
taking out a door cutting up the wall is not thousands of dollars. It’s a couple hundred dollars. You’re probably looking at fixtures with a range many times this amount.
In fact, you don’t even need to take the door out. You would be removing one side of the frame which is really pretty easy. Making an opening in the wall is 10 minutes with a recip saw and a sharp knife. You would only need to go back as far as the next stud. Reframing it is literally sticking a couple scrap pieces of 2 x 4 back in place and then the cost of 1 or 2 sheets of drywall. You may be replacing the interior drywall anyway because of the new tub.
I’m not suggesting you do this but don’t rule it out because of cost. There are plenty of handy-people who do stuff like this on the side.
First of all Magiver, you are completely correct that I need to consult with someone more skilled in the construction arts than I to do an on-site estimate. The fact that I can’t see any way to get a 34" wide tub down a 32" wide hallway and through a 24" doorway does not mean that no way exists or that going through an exterior wall is my only option.
I’ve taken some measurements and the back door of his house is 32" wide. He wants to upgrade that door anyway to gain additional security which will involve stripping it down to the rough opening at least and possibly re-framing the opening. This should gain him the two inches he needs to get the tub in so the cost of this aspect of the project is a wash. Once in the house, if necessary, it should be a relatively simple matter to go through the kitchen wall and into the bathroom to install the tub.
Now, what that being said, my original question still stands. Do they in fact make bathtubs that are designed to be glued together in place and thus avoid the problem of narrow doors and such entirely? Did I just imagine seeing them or misinterpret what I did see? If this option does in fact exist then I’d like to explore it.
This tub is the current front runner although Premier Care makes a slightly larger and dramatically pricier tub that hasn’t been totally eliminated from consideration.
