Deep water in a small footprint.
Silicon Valley Kitchen & Bath Co. designs and installs Japanese-style soaking tubs from our office in Campbell, serving the South Bay and the Bay Area. A soaking tub is deep rather than long, so you sit upright with water to your shoulders in a footprint that fits a small bathroom. We check the floor framing for the weight and the water heater for the volume, plan the filler and the surround, and build it with one design-build team.
CSLB License #975092 · Licensed since 2012 · 2272 Camden Avenue, Campbell
What's included
- —Deep ofuro-style tubs, sit-up or reclined
- —Floor loading checked and joists reinforced where needed
- —Water heater capacity confirmed for a full fill
- —Deck-mount, wall-mount or floor-mount filler placement
- —Drop-in, undermount or freestanding installation
- —Step, bench or tile deck for getting in and out
- —Tub inside a wet room or beside the shower
- —Permit and inspections
Depth instead of length
A standard American tub is about 60 inches long and holds 14 to 16 inches of water, which is why your knees are always cold. A soaking tub is built the other way: shorter, often 40 to 48 inches, and deep enough that the water line sits above your shoulders when you sit upright with your knees bent, roughly 22 to 27 inches of water. Some include a built-in seat. The payoff is a real soak in a tub that fits where a shower stall would, which is why they work in small primary baths and hall baths that a long tub never fit.
Weight and hot water
Depth means volume. A deep tub filled to the overflow can hold 60 to 100 gallons, and water weighs a little over 8 pounds per gallon, so a full tub with a person in it can put 800 to 1,000 pounds on a few square feet of floor. On a raised floor we check the joists under that spot and add blocking, sistered joists or a post as needed; a slab needs no help. The water heater matters just as much: a 40-gallon tank cannot fill a 90-gallon tub with hot water, so we size the heater, or plan a tankless unit, before the tub is ordered.
Filler, surround and getting in
A tub this deep needs a filler with the reach and flow to fill it in a reasonable time, and its position decides how the tub sits: a deck-mount filler needs a deck or a wide rim, a wall-mount keeps a freestanding tub tight to the wall, and a floor-mount filler stands beside a freestanding tub in the open. Getting into a 27-inch-deep tub takes a step or a tiled bench at the rim, and the floor around it should be waterproofed since a deep tub displaces a lot of water. Inside a wet room, the tub and shower share one floor and the splash is part of the design.
Questions we get
- Do you install soaking tubs in Campbell and the South Bay?
- Yes. Our office is at 2272 Camden Avenue in Campbell, and we install Japanese soaking tubs in Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, San Jose, Cupertino and across the Bay Area as part of our design-build bathroom remodeling. We hold California CSLB License #975092 and have been licensed since 2012.
- Will my floor hold a soaking tub?
- Usually, with checking. A full deep tub with a bather can weigh close to half a ton on a small footprint. On a raised wood floor we look at the joists under the tub and reinforce them where needed; a concrete slab carries the load without changes. We confirm this at the site visit before the tub is ordered.
- Is my water heater big enough for a soaking tub?
- That depends on the tub's volume and the tank's capacity. Many deep tubs hold more hot water than a standard 40- or 50-gallon tank can deliver, so a larger tank or a tankless heater is often part of the project. We size it from the tub you choose.
- Does a soaking tub fit in a small bathroom?
- Yes. Most are 40 to 48 inches long, close to the footprint of a shower stall, and because they are deep rather than long they give a better soak than the 60-inch tub that fit the old alcove.
- Does installing a soaking tub need a permit?
- If the drain or supply moves, the floor is reinforced or the water heater is replaced, yes, and that covers most installations. We handle the permit process with your city's building department.
Where we build
Based in Campbell and working from Napa to Carmel. These are the cities closest to our office.
- Campbell
- Los Gatos
- Saratoga
- San Jose
- Cupertino
- Monte Sereno
- Santa Clara
- Sunnyvale
- Los Altos
- Mountain View
- Palo Alto
- Menlo Park
From the Journal
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One team handles design, permits, and build — from concept to finished space.