After the final glaze had been applied to the plasterwork above the tub in the last installment, I had to turn my attention to placing the tub base into its final position.
The 6′x3′ tapered box would be attached to the floor and side walls and padded with vinyl underlayment to as to provide a slight cushion for the copper which would be constructed and inserted later.
The box was made using heavy duty 1″ plywood and reinforced on all joined and edges.
The box itself was tremendously heavy and just getting it into the room and positioned correctly was a task I did not want to repeat. My measurements had to be exact.
I had constructed the box with a slight sloping floor so as to counteract the sloped floor of the space. Since the drain would be centered of the wet wall this means that I had to run the slope along the length from the foot of the tub while making sure that the top edge of the tub remained level. This would prove tricky when it came time to construct the copper insert as I would have to account for multiple compound tapers.
The wet wall was positioned at the head of the tub against the exposed logs. This would present an additional challenge as I need to make sure to protect the logs from being doused with water every time someone used the shower. In addition this meant that I would have to calculate for the additional flashing that would not only cover the shower decking but also up into the first course of log so that water could not run behind the tub but drain properly into the tub itself.
Plumbing lines for hot and cold water were brought up from below along the log wall at the head of the tub and then holes were drilled through the shower deck. As I was making my own faucets and exposed shower system I could custom fit to the water lines later.
Now that the tub structure was in place I could start bending and hammering out my copper for the tub. In the next installment I make my first bends.
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