Walk In Tub Shower Combo: One Unit, Both Ways to Bathe

The most common objection to a walk in tub comes from the other person in the house: "I don't want to sit in a tub for twenty minutes, I want a shower." A walk in tub shower combo answers it. The tub stays a full walk in tub with a seat, door and hydrotherapy; we add a wall-mounted shower riser with a slide-bar handheld, a diverter, and either a four-fold glass screen or a three-wall surround, so the same unit is a seated shower in the morning and a soak at night.

How we build a tub-shower combo

1. Choose the tub: any model works. The most popular combos are the Ella Elite, Ultimate and Transfer60, Hydro Dimensions 3052 and 3060, and Meditub 3060, because 60-inch models leave a clean back wall for the riser.
2. Shower riser: a 60-to-72-inch riser with an adjustable handheld holder, mounted to blocking we add in the wall, plus a fixed head if you want one.
3. Wall surround: acrylic wall panels in glossy white, marble, stone or engraved patterns (Ella's kits) or Bestbath's Crestline walls; or we tile.
4. Splash control: a four-fold tempered glass screen that folds flat against the wall, or a curtain rod for a lower cost.
5. Extension panels close the gap between a 52-to-55-inch tub and the 60-inch alcove and are finished to match the surround.

Pick a combo starting point

Combo vs. two separate units

If the bathroom is large enough for both a walk in tub and a walk in shower, separate units are better: nobody compromises. Most bathrooms are not, and the combo costs a fraction of a second fixture. If nobody in the house will ever soak, skip the tub and look at a tub to shower conversion instead.