When I moved my 90 year old clawfoot tub, I borrowed a friend's motorcycle lift. That made my single girl DIY project so much easier! I just placed the lift under the tub, lifted the 300+ pound tub and set it in the corner, tiled in it's spot, and wheeled it back into place. Very slick! I don't know if you can rent one of these, but in my 5'X9' bath, it was super easy to maneuver by one person- didn't have to buy pizza and beer for anyone on that project!

Hi Michael, I have work with Vintage tub & Bath on a numinous of projects. A few things I like about them is that they will match or beat any prices on Clawfoot tubs and you get 5% off the rest of your order. They also have there own house brand of tubs (Randolph Morris) and sell other premium tubs brands (like Sunrise, Strom & Cheviot). I prefer Vintage over Signature because the Vintage does not have a restocking fee like Signature and they have been in business for over 20 years. A + about Sunrise is that there tubs are made in Portugal (Signature's tubs are made in China). Thank You, Tony

Ah, Golddust, you do not want to do what I did (or didn't do). This is an 1850 house, and the plumbing pictured is the only option. In order to pull it off, the tub needs to be raised up. Before the remodel/repainting, it sat on four ugly wood blocks (courtesy of a former owner). My contractor decided to build a more attractive platform. Nice idea, but then unrelated events were set into motion and he ended up quitting my remodel and going into another business. This was a blow because he did a great job on other areas of the house, and the very rural area in which I live isn't exactly overrun with reliable workers. Since then I've approached two other contractors about finishing the job. One sounds like he might actually do it.....one of these days. In addition to the plumbing/platform, the room needs new wiring over the sink, and cabinet hardware installed. Meanwhile, after a lot of time spent looking forward to taking a bath (yes, we have a stall shower, thank heavens), my hip arthritis has progressed to the point where I'm no longer able to sit on the floor, and I have serious doubts about my ability to get in and out of that tub. So the way it looks now, it's possible the tub will never be usable in my lifetime--or, if it is, I won't use it. That's the long answer. :-)

Thanks everyone, By "very dated" I meant awkward - thats as kind as I can be. The best label I can come up with for this house style is contemporary mountain. But this bathroom was late 70's early 80's uber country, I couldn't see how it fit with the rest of the home. But after many many hours looking at design photos I think I can make it work visually, it just really doesn't seem very practical. But I guess practical isn't everything! We have had 3 pre-1850's houses before, so I understood them in that context, it just took me a while to see that it a claw foot could also work in a more contemporary setting. sushipup1 - I'm not terribly worried about the first round of interest rate hikes - maybe I should be - but when we bought in spring 2004 rates were on the rise and it seemed like houses were snapped up as fast as they were listed because buyers were trying to get in before the rates went higher. Anyway thats what I'm telling myself. Plus we are moving to the other side of the country and wanted to give DH time to settle into his new job before having to decide on a new place to live.