Relocate tub in condo no access from below

[Coocoo1012]

First time here. Any help will be appreciated. live in a condo and I cannot access the apartment below. My current tub is oval shape and I would love to put a free standing or an undermounted tub with a more modern shape and less bulky. I was thinking that perhaps I could create a step and raise the tub enough so the pipe can be routed and sloped to get to the existing tub drain. I 've seen other people doing this in other apartments and I am asking all the experts here if doing this make sense. My plumber says yes. How much will I have to raise the tub so everything works and connect? I don't have a tub in mind yet but I was thinking a 60" x 34" with a lateral drain, or a slightly wider with a center drain.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Coocoo1012]

Here is a sketch with my idea. Thank you for your consideration...

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

Putting it on a platform makes sense. It may be the only way to move it over the floor joists. I'm not a big fan of the free standing tubs. So many have fill valves that need access from below for the hookups. And getting between the tub and wall to access things like the drain, and the worries about cleaning non-accessible areas.
I used to hear my mother talk about how hard the old clawfoot tubs were to keep tidy. She's 99 now, and it's coming full circle. What was considered old fashioned and hard to clean, is the new cool.
It does seem like there is a wave on new tubs that free stand. It reminds me of the old saying. Yes, anything can be done, just take out your checkbook and let's do this.

 

[Coocoo1012]

Terry, Thank you so much for replying. I agree with you regarding the freestanding tubs with claws. I was thinking more of a contemporary type and my preference would be placing the tub filler valves wall mounted. Are you saying that the underneath of the tub raised platform will need to be accessible? What would be its height more or less to have the proper clearances to route the pipes, waste and overflow, from the new tub to the ext'g tub's drain underneath? 6"? 12"? How do we determine that?

I was thinking creating a wooden structure above the concrete slab, setting the tub on top and using the spaces in between the floor joists to accommodate the pipe.

No, my wallet is not unlimited and that's why I'm trying to have a grasp of the costs of something like this. I would really want to replace the tub but to find another tub with the drain in the exact same place so things align perfectly seems impossible. And the plan B is to loose the option of having a tub, which is not my preferred one. I live in a condo in Florida with very strict rules and I would prefer if we don't have to do anything from below.

I'm attaching images with what I envision a platform with steps will look like. The height of those steps/ platform height is important to know. I don't really have very high ceilings in our unit.

Any advise will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[Terry]

I installed this tub last week.

Below the bathroom, is the kitchen. We opened up the ceiling to make the connections for the tub filler.
Isn't there a better way? I suggested leaving an access panel for future work. I have no idea how long those braided supplies last in a place like this.
I will say this, they sure restrict the flow to the faucet. It's takes forever and a day to fill the tub.
I didn't pick it. All I did was plumb it.

 

[Babsie]

Those tubs are absolutely beautiful! I love them all!!!

 

[Coocoo1012]

Terry and Forum, I'm back here. I really need you guys. Please help if you can.

My tub is going to be located on top of a tiled wooden platform. My contractor says that the acrylic freestanding tub I bought needs to be supported by 4 adjustable legs and nothing else. The tub is a Piatti, BT1617. No instructions were included. The acrylic edge is very thin and delicate at the edges and is curved. I read everywhere on the web that one needs to secure the tub in order to not have any movement, otherwise the connections to the drain could be affected and future problems could happen. Only these 4 legs or points are in contact with the floor, nothing else, and there are no bolts or anything else to tie the tub down. The issue is that the tub is supposed to have zero separation from the floor.

How do these legs need to get secured to the platform? I called the store and they say that once we know the exact height each leg needs to be, to just sit the legs on some type of special silicone, but my contractor says that this is not possible and the tub needs to stay loose. This tub is not heavy so I could bump into it and compromise the drains and connection. I'm afraid the contractor is thinking of the cheap white caulking silicone stuff contractors use to fill holes, cracks and patch things, but that does not make sense. Does any one knows what kind of silicone is this one?

My bathroom project has been delayed for over 3 months for issues this guy created and I cannot control. I really need certainty but I feel he is giving me the easy way out but not the correct one.

If anyone in this forum has experience with these type of tubs and conditions, please chime in. Thank you.

 

[Coocoo1012]

Current status of the tub with the platform and the leg. Will a blob of silicone at each leg be enough to hold the tub in place?

 

[Terry]

The Silicone is pretty much all you can do there.
That looks out of level. Is there a reason for that?

 

[Coocoo1012]

The Silicone is pretty much all you can do there.
That looks out of level. Is there a reason for that?

Terry, thank you. Well, no. I did that so I could touch the rim there to see how leg will need to be attached. Supposedly the platform is level.

 

[Reach4]

When installed, how far above the tile will the tub bottom rim be?

 

[Coocoo1012]

Thank you REach4. I think this guy said about 1/8' from the floor.

 

[Reach4]

I wonder if you could surround the whole installed tub base with acrylic caulk to lock the tub from sliding. They do that with toilets -- particularly the toilets that use the Toto Unifit adapters. The toilet with Unifit does bolt to the adapter with two bolts, but only at the rear of the toilet. The caulk on those toilets is important to keep the front part from sliding. Yet that caulk can be removed much more easily than can silicone caulk. With the whole perimeter held in place to an extent, the total force to resist bumping should be very strong. You could use the clear type. I am not a pro.

 

[Terry]

I wonder if you could surround the whole installed tub base with acrylic caulk to lock the tub from sliding. They do that with toilets -- particularly the toilets that use the Toto Unifit adapters. The toilet with Unifit does bolt to the adapter with two bolts, but only at the rear of the toilet. The caulk on those toilets is important to keep the front part from sliding. Yet that caulk can be removed much more easily than can silicone caulk. With the whole perimeter held in place to an extent, the total force to resist bumping should be very strong. You could use the clear type. I am not a pro.

I did something like that on a tub with legs that I installed. I used the legs for leveling, dropped down low, and caulked around most of the tub to keep it from shifting.

 

[Coocoo1012]

Well, Terry and Reach, Thanks again. I suppose that is an option but that is not the look wanted. I don't see caulking around any of the modern freestanding tubs with rounded bottom rims. I have looked in more than enough magazines and I don't see that. Yes, one could do that for toilets, but the rounded edges of this tub calls for an almost like floating look. If caulking just around the 4 legs is enough, question 1, I want to know what type, question 2. I have attached 4 images. The 3 first ones have rounded bottom rim edges and looks like floating. That is the look I need. The 4th picture has the caulking around the entire tub,and because it has an almost straight edge it may work with that tub but not with the one we have.

 

[Reach4]

I don't know the answer to your direct question. I thought about a slow hardening Marine Adhesive Sealant under the feet after the feet are known to be level, but that may be too permanent. I have never used it. I think it would need experiments.

If the surface under the tile was strong enough, I was wondering if 4 of the floor tiles could have precisely located holes that the feet would drop into. Just thinking.

How do you keep it clean under a slightly elevated tub?

 

[Terry]

I take that back, remembering better, it was two spots near the wall where you wouldn't happen to notice unless you poked your head back there.

 

[Coocoo1012]

Ok.... Now I'm really lost but I do want to thank you both for your patience.

Terry, I'm going to think that your first response is the one I need to follow. So I guess normal silicone blobs at each of the legs should be enough. BTW, I think the acrylic is not really that strong and doesn't do any of the work besides the aesthetic and hiding the legs. These legs are attached to an inner frame the tub has and that is how the floating lookwith the rounded edges and the tiny separation from the floor is achieved . I'm guessing that applying a bit of pressure, force or cutting with a knife around each blob should take care if in the future this area needs to be inspected.

 

[Coocoo1012]

I don't know the answer to your direct question. I thought about a slow hardening Marine Adhesive Sealant under the feet after the feet are known to be level, but that may be too permanent. I have never used it. I think it would need experiments.

If the surface under the tile was strong enough, I was wondering if 4 of the floor tiles could have precisely located holes that the feet would drop into. Just thinking.

How do you keep it clean under a slightly elevated tub?

Unfortunately, we didn't think about all this ahead of time. I thought the plumber was an expert and was relying on him but apparently too late we realized this is their experiment.

I did think about creating some notches on the porcelain, but then we realized that by doing that we will weaken the elevated platform's structure. The loads are split into these 4 legs.

The gap is so minimal, about an 1/8" that I don't think this area will need to be accessed that much.