Tub to Shower Conversion Hot/Cold Leads

[jeffsinpdx]

I've got an issue I wonder if anyone can help me with. I'm more construction, tiling, handiman than I am Plumbing, so I thought I'd give your boards a try.

I'm converting a 30x60 fiberglass tub/shower combo unit to a tiled walk-in shower unit. Most of the standard plumbing issues should be just converting a 1 1/2" drain to a 2" shower drain and moving the shower valve up from that low bathtub height to the higher shower height (and of course plugging the bottom spout on the valve).

But I ran into one issue I've never even heard of before and I'm preplexed. The actual hot and cold inlets that come up through the subfloor are literally coming up THROUGH the subfloor about 1 to 2 inches out from the studs in the wall. In other words, instead of being inside the framing of the wall and leaving a big, blank 30x60 area where the tub is/was, they were poking up from the subfloor an inch or so from the stud and then coming up at about a 5-degree angle until they reached the shower valve (where they eventually ended up a couple inches behind the studs). So there must an empty cavity in that old fiberglass tub that allowed that "shortcut" installation. But I'm forced now with having to move those hot/cold leads over a couple inches into the studs if I want to tile that 30x60 area and make a shower pan.

So my question is...I'm looking at a 6" x 10" hole near the drain just to see those hot/cold leads, and the whole area is in a tight 18" space between the 1st and 2nd stories of my house. So is there an easy way to move those over? Or do I need to cut open that subfloor and just create a large working space in order to do some cutting and welding? Any help? I'm not the best plumber, but since it is just copper pipe, if it's not much more than cutting, fluxing, and throwing a torch on it with some solder, then maybe with a little advice, I could avoid getting having to contract it out.

 

[Markts30]

My advice is to hire thisout...
Cutting and fitting pipe in a confined awkward space is hard enough to do when you have lots of experience...
To do it when you are a relative newby is very difficult. Add to this the soldering in the confined spaces (fire and burn danger) as well as having to do half the joints by "touch" and you have a situation where a professional would be the best bet...

 

[Sponsor]

 

[jeffsinpdx]

Thanks for the reply. I had a gut instinct that I might be hiring that job out. I guess my biggest reservation was I hadn't got a permit. I know their under a hundred bucks (here where I'm at), but it really just started out as a simple "honey, replace the linoleum floor with tile" and turned into a "could you also pull that ugly tub/shower out and tile that as well" type of deal.

So my simple tile job turned advanced tile job has now turned into a job that probably would get me turned in for not getting any permits. But I suppose it's not too late to do that now and begin fresh.

Thanks.