Well, there is no way they are putting a pIece of vinyl base -I'm picturing a wide strip of ugly stuff like they use in commercial locations between the rug and the wall - maybe you are thinking of something else. What about a well primed and painted piece of wooden quarter round or other nice looking trim? Could we caulk the seam and then apply the trim and then caulk the edges of the trim between the tub and floor? I took a couple of pictures and I don't think the gap is quite as wide as in Bill's pic of the motel.

Cold-weather... thank you for your thoughful response. I have some comments and questions for clarification, if you don't mind: If you’re thinking of raising the deck, a deck-cabinet gap can be concealed far easier than the tub-deck gap, but the deck is hard in the wall tile, so that's a big bite for the tile installer to eat. >>> You are sooo right about the tile on the deck being against the wall and since the bottom has crackled glass tiles you can't raise the deck tile without it coming against that glass... and that you can't replace just one row of the glass without it messing everything else up. Darn!!! Guess that option is out.Any tub installer who left it that way is a screw up. The tub installer was the ONLY person who was in a position to fix this thing. Since that person did not, that person gets the prize for the ultimate screw up. If he/she could not do a better job, he/she should not have done any job. The entire onus is on the tub guy to do it or to not do it. >>> The really frustrating part is that I have been a part of the process - trying to get them to do it right (I had to tell then that they used the wrong material - drywall instead of mortar... and I only found that out by researching and talking to people). The GC wanted to give them another chance to fix the issue and since it was only putting mortar in, we didn't think they could screw that up (wrong!!!). Now we have a mess. That's a fiberglass/plastic tub with two things to be aware of. One, the feet can be cut, and they can be set in a bed of mud along with the tub belly. They’re wood blocks covered with resin. Two, the top can be scribed, but only by someone far more competent than this guy. That tub should hang by the top rim and sit firmly on the bottom mud at the same time. It should be set in the mud (which could have a separator layer like a plastic bag or a piece of shower liner) with a load of water in it. >>> Unfortunately it is near impossible to get to the back right corner of the tub because it is filled with all kinds of innerworkings of the tub. The good news is that the ONLY corner that lays flat against the tile is that back right corner... so presumably they can work on the other 3 corners. The mortar does have plastic on it now... so I guess that's a good thing.. would they have to take all the mortar out first and then do something with the feet? By scribing do you mean shaving the top of the feet off? (I hate to say this but in the framer took off a couple of the back feet off at one point... because he thought they were part of the shipping material.. not supposed to stay on the tub). And by mud with water... do you mean mortar like shown in the pic? Caulking/sealing/bridging a quarter inch gap is absurd. The sealant is to stop water from seeping, not to stop pencils from rolling. Sealant thickness should be nearly unseen. It has no strength. Cut the tub. Everything points to the tub person being not skilled enough to eat a donut without a bib. Since the top edge of the tub is NOT level, cut! I can’t see how the GC could allow this. >>> Funny that you should mention pencils rolling - I just took a pic tonight to send to the GC and one of the pics showed a pen under the edge. Okay, not funny at all. Thank you for explaining about the sealant and why it has to be fixed. Cut the tub. >>>What do you mean "cut the tub"I'm gathering from everyone that this is a big problem that just has to be fixed.. it's not an aesthetic thing (which is bad enough... that big gap is going to look bad) but I'm going to have a problem down the road...

Be aware that the Bellwether has two types of tubs. At least last year they did. The original has a slanted front end as well as a back end. It looks great but reduces the bottom length of the tub. It also requires a longer spout to reach the drain hole. I imagine the plumbing would need reworked too to accommodate the atypical drain placement. Typical spout is something like 9" and the need for the original Bellwether is something like 11" to cl drain, if I remember correctly. The (new version) Bellwether is not a good height for soaking. Kohler considers the new Bellwether more of a builders model, as it can fit into a standard alcove setup, no special fixtures. I don't think it is as wide at the original version either. The 5' original Bellwether had one of the shortest lengths of any of ther 5' cast iron models. The new version, while shallow like the Villager, has one of the longest bottoms of the 5' lengths. I know you are looking at the 5.5' and so this may not matter to you. It would be best if you could sit in a tub or two to see how they fit. People regularly make a different decision once they sit in one and can get a feel for the dimensions. I have the (new version) Bellwether in the 5' length and love it, but it is not the primary bathroom. It is in a room that is more of a guest bathroom, and can be used for bathing small children and pets. It would also make a great tub for a tub/shower setup. I wanted a lower tub like the Villager. But I didn't like the looks of the Villager. I am very happy with my shallow Bellwether (new version)

Another vote for preformed showers not being in anyway perfect. I just ripped out a few and considered switching to tub and tile. The issue with ours is that they had foam for stabilization of the floor. Foam deteriorates and then the floor cracked. Mortar much better but just a reminder that one piece are not infallible. I have a 7 yo boy who has grown up in a tile and tub. The bathtub tile is not an issue. The grout around the toilet is a bit of one. But a big deal - no. I know things are regional but I haven't seen sheet vinyl used in a new home in a long time let alone a custom home. We built a super cheap rental house that has tile floors - but one piece showers. Vinyl rips, shrinks, burns, stains. If you have never had old vinyl, you need to look at some. Tile is pretty durable. Just to give you an idea of what this house is like - vinyl siding, vinyl windows, thermafoil cabinets, no crown etc. Interestingly, the worst cheap out we did was the showers and I wish we did better tubs and tile.