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Get Real! Are ‘floating’ tubs a plumbing marvel or a pipedream?  Middle schooled: to install a freestanding tub in the center of a room, homeowners can expect a challenge in laying pipes and drains. Image courtesy American Standard. Q: My husband says I’m crazy. We’re remodeling a bathroom and I’ve fallen in love with the idea of putting an elegant soaking bathtub smack-dab in the center of the room – not next to a wall or in a corner. What will it take? A: Money, patience and a heap of extra pipes, according to Gray Uhl, director of design for American Standard. “This isn’t a DIY, weekend type of project,” says Uhl. “An overwhelming majority of these projects are in new construction homes or those baths undergoing major renovations.” Logic stands that where pipes roam, a tub finds its home. Remove said tub from a cozy wall nook and the challenge becomes supplying water where no pipes exist. If your bathroom is a gut-rehab or you’re building a new home, the process is far simpler: additional labor, materials, the tub’s increased ticket price and lavish exterior piping are inevitable costs. For the average facelift, depending on placement, lavatory visionaries can expect additional renovations to encompass re-routing and re-laying of pipes, which constitutes anything from isolated ceiling destruction to partial floor replacements. “Most pipes are visible in the basement, and you need to have access from below on the first floor,” Uhl says. “If the bathroom’s on the second story, they go for access through the ceiling below.” If that isn’t possible, the only way to lay new pipe is by tearing up the floor: an exorbitant extra. “If someone called and asked me to put a tub in the center of the room, I’d probably tell them I’m busy,” jokes John Swihart, a licensed plumber in Winterset, Iowa. “It’s about ten times as difficult than a tub against the wall.” Difficulty aside, Swihart says this project is going to increase every cost involved. Most importantly, it’s going to take a lot more contractors to get the job done right. “You won’t find a plumber who’s going to do construction, so you’re looking at potentially hiring five contractors: a plumber, a construction worker, a tile installer, a dry wall expert and possibly an electrician, if you want any whirlpool action,” Swihart says. Once all of your contractors are in order, the next big task is getting the water and drain to the center of the room. “Hooking up the water takes a little more planning and work. You have to run a drain out from the middle of a room, as well as hot and cold lines,” says American Standard’s Uhl. Swihart says that with the increased use of plastic pipes, supplying the water won’t be as challenging as venting. “If you put your thumb over a straw with liquid in it and pull it out, the liquid stays in. That’s the basic plumbing vent principle. Getting that to work in the center of the room is quite a challenge because you can’t vent in a straight line.” Vent pipes, which generally run inside the walls, allow your plumbing drainage system to breathe. They equalize pressure in the drainage system every time a bathtub or sink is drained: if not done properly, it can cause drainage issues throughout your home. “It really is going to be about triple the time and materials to meet code,” he says. Stylistically, it’s a touch of elegance: allowing space on all sides of the tub gives bathers an airy reprieve from cramped, dark corners. Gray Uhl says the level of difficulty, in the end, means very little to consumers. “It’s not simple, but if you’re going for this look, it’s what you want no matter the cost,” he says. Renovators seeking a modicum of spa extravagance can get a big impact with a freestanding tub. American Standard tracks the trend back 15 years, when claw and ball tubs began their resurgence as home sizes increased, and tubs migrated to center stage. Led by baby boomers, whose newfound extra space (goodbye, kids!) and desire for relaxation intersected, it’s a look generally isolated to master bathrooms for the ultimate in selfish bathing. And according to American Standard, sales for freestanding units have increased every year this decade. “Boomers in the same house for years are blowing out the walls of vacant bedrooms and making one huge master bedroom and bath,” Uhl says. “They’re saying, ‘The world I live in today is hectic, and women especially want a place to shut out that world.’” Freestanding tubs tend to be for soaking only: few choose to install jets of the whirlpool variety. Instead, they opt for non-motorized tubs or bubble tubs, which create gentle movement that is subtle and relaxing. Separating the shower from the equation also gives homeowners one place to get clean and invigorated, and another to ease their mind, body and soul. That is, of course, long after the contractors have vacated the premises. Looking to avoid contractors? Uhl says to think twice before deciding to go it alone. “If I were to do this project, I’d get professional help,” he says. “I mean, I even understand the process and I still would seek the professionals. In the end, you’ll save time, money and a big headache.”
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