: I want to replace a shower stall with a bathtub/shower. The drain for the shower stall is in the middle how do I put it where it needs to be for the tub? How do I know if my floor will support the weight of a full tub? I would like to do this job myself and could use any and all advice that any body has!!! Plumbers are too expensive and I am on SSI. Thanks

Vicky,
The floor most likely will hold the tub if it held a shower before. For this type of project, you may want to check out a book at a local library with instructions and pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words. Moving the drain is not hard, with a shielded coupling to connect the two sections of pipe. Remember to use a p-trap, and you will need a tub drain. The tub will need to be supported at the back wall. Keep this level, and your tiling will be much easier.

Do plumbers make too much? It depends on what burn marks on your body and bad joints are worth. Plumbing requires at least four years of apprenticeship and learning on the job. A good plumber needs to dovetail his work alongside all of the other trades. I have spent many hours crawling under houses, with insulation falling in my eyes, digging until my hands blistered while standing or laying in cold wet mud. Not many plumbers make it to retirement able to do what they would like.
Heck, I've often thought that plumbers were "not" paid enough. But that is neither here nor there. At other times, I can't believe I get paid to do this. Most plumbers love what they do. Terry