Tub Access Panel?

[JeffV]

I'm adding a full bath in my basement. The ideal place for the tub is on a side of the bathroom where one end of the tub would be against an exterior wall and the other end against the side of a staircase...neither would allow any access to the diverter or overflow drain if something were to go wrong or leak. I could move the tub to an area that will allow me to build in an acces panel, but will need to make the bathroom a bit larger...not a huge deal but wasn't really wanting to waste more sq.ft. on this bathroom. Should the access panel be a big concern? The other two bathrooms in my house are situated such that they allow access and have access panels, but I can't imagine this is the case in all situations. Any thoughts or suggestions???

Thanks - Jeff

[Cass]

If you finish the job and 2 months down the road need to access the valve area for some unexpected reason will you be happy or sad.

[hj]

Do it right the first time and you will not need an access panel. There are hundreds of thousands, actually millions, of tubs without access panels. When a tub is back to back with another tub or shower there is no way to install a panel anyway.

[plumber1]

Put an access in under the steps, HJ is right, there are lots done without, but if I had a choice, I certainly would have an access for the future. Access makes the most sense to me too.