Opening needed for 60" tub

I have an 13 year old condo that has the original 1 piece tub in it, enclosed on 3 sides. It is pretty beat up from the hard water we have locally and I would like to replace it. I have measured the opening and it is 58" in length. This is wall to wall. I have been told by the guy in the plumbing dept at Lowes that a 60" tub will fit because that is a standard size and there is no way that it would have passed inspection without the ability to fit a 60" tub and if I need more room, I just shave down the wall stud. This makes me a little nervous because I dont want to buy a tub only to find it does not fit and I only have 1 bathroom so I dont want to tear it apart only to find that no bathtubs work in that space. Has anyone every put a 60" tub in a 58" opening?

tub

No, but I doubt that any one piece tub would have fit either, so you must be measuring incorrectly.

Did you take into account the wallboard and tile? This could very well account for the 2" that you need. The 60" measurement you're looking for is stud to stud.

Good luck

Is sthis a fiberglass or acrylic tub you are talking about? I am about to change out my tub/shower too, and from all the research I have done, I have learned that these tubs are installed, THEN the drywall is installed over them. The previous post is probably right. If you cut away the drywall, you will probably see that the tub has a lip that goes inside the wall and gets nailed directly to the studs. So that inch of drywall account s for some of your space.

Also be aware that you could not likely maneuver a new 1 piece unit into place. It will not go around corners and through doors. They are put in place early in construction and walls go up later. This is why they make so-called remodel units in 2 or 3 piece versions.