Only 59" for tub/shower unit?

I just demolished my ancient cast iron tub and removed it, thinking that by the time I got the sheetrock off the walls around it I would have the needed 60" of width to put in a new 2-piece tub/surround.

Wrong! Only 59" of clearance - they actually notched the studs on one end an inch to get the original cast iron tub in. This house has surprised me like that a number of times. It was built with lumber from an an old barn that was torn down, and they used whatever suited their fancy in any given situation.

I can't do much with the one end - it's the bathroom wall with the hallway. The other end is a short (the depth of the tub) wall between the tub and toilet. I can't move it any closer to the toilet since it's already pretty tight. The "studs" in that wall are full 2x10's sideways (see what I mean?) The plumbing is in the hallway end.

Any ideas on squeezing another inch out of this setup?

-Keith

the short wall disappears. In its place, a panel of tempered glass can be siliconed onto the edge of your new tub, if you need to close the space. This means the new tub has only two sides where a tiling flange is attached. It can be ordered that way.

David

I think the surround is the problem, otherwise the tub would just fit into the same (or slightly extended for height difference) notches.