The marble should have been installed to slope back into the shower. And why is it sloping to the tub...it should have at least been installed level (not that that is correct either, but it does not make sense why it would be angled the wrong way, it appears the marble installer did not use a level). You do not want water pooling on the bench along the shower glass. I would not blame the carpenter.

Hang on a second, Tom.

Novice-- was this slab on the tub deck that extends into your shower?

Yes, it is on the tub deck that extends into the shower. We spoke with the marble guy today and although he says that they noticed it was not sloping as expected (ie towards the shower floor), it is the responsibility of the carpenter to buld the tub surround with the slope. What I think really stinks is that they did not even mention the slope issue to me during installation and that it's not even level! Shouldn't they be responsible to at least ensure that the slab is installed completely level? The contractor says the marble installers are to blame since the tub surround is built level and the installers can manipulate the pitch by the way they install the slabs. The marble installers are telling me it will cost $900 to fix since they will most likely ruin the slab when they remove it (it's in 4 pieces). What to do?

It depends on how far out the slab is, but unless it's WAY out, I'm inclined to agree with the GC. Most slab installers don't worry too much about level, so long as the seams are nice and flush the deck is basically flat.

Is it going to be frameless glass going over the top of the slab for the shower enclosure?

I would be very annoyed, especially being they noticed it. They should have got you involved. With all the slabs installed in my home, the installer was meticulous in ensuring levelness. One even pulled the slab off several times to rework because he was not satisfied with the levelness. I would not blame the carpenter. A good installer would check the levelness of any surface and compensate or mention to the homeowner. You have cause to be angry. There is no reason to just come in and install willy nilly.

Water pooling at the glass will be a slimy watery yuky mess. You need to correct, or plan on squeeging off the standing water after each use, a pain in the butt forever. I agree, the installer should be scolded for knowingly doing it that way.

Bill, the bench sticks out 16 inches from the tub deck. There will be frameless glass going on top of the bench. I spoke with the marble salesman this morning and he says that they need to make sure that the tub deck is level so that there are no gaps at the seams and that when the tub is dropped in, there are no gaps either. It seems logical but why not install the bench/front tub deck slab piece first and then make sure the other three pieces are level to that? If it's only off 1/8th of an inch, I can't see that it would make much difference where the tub is concerened. I've asked to have someone come out to the house and take a look at it and explain it to me. If we keep it as is, how much trouble will it be for us?

As someone above said, it could cause algae problems, where water is holding in the back of the seat. This of course could be alleviated by squeegeeing after each use, but why should you have to make allowances for others' screwups, especially with the money you pay for slab! At the very least, it should have been dead level, and the architect or designer might share in a little of this blame, because the way I see it, this is a detail that should have been caught during the design phase, and that bench should've been a separate piece, specifically so it could be sloped.

OK to follow up, after much arguing back and forth, the marble guys finally agreed to take out the slab with the bench top connected and to refabricate it in two pieces. It was installed and now all is much better. I had the shower glass guys come to measure and now they are saying that we need to cut a piece out of the marble bench top so that the glass can slide in there. Has anyone heard of this being done? I now have to go back to the marble guy who I've been battling with and ask them to come out and make this cut. Why can't the glass be manufactured around the bench top? I know I'm not explaining this very clearly but hopefully someone understands what I'm talking about and can comment. Thanks!

The glass can be knotched around the bench top..assuming you are referring to the edge of the bench that protrudes over the edge for proper drainage? The glass guys probably want to avoid taking precise measurements and want an easy install. You can make any cut in the glass around chair rail tiles, bench seats, etc. The cut gets done during the glass manufacturing and prior to the glass being tempered.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! I really want to avoid anyone cutting into that marble given all the trouble we've had with it. I'll get on the phone with the glass guys today. Thanks for the advice!