The Build

****Update May 9/12: this deal has expired, but there is an even better deal at Home Depot for a limited time.  Read my post for details on the Keystone Romance freestanding tub by Maax which is at an unbelievable clearance price.

If you are looking for a cheap free-standing tub, Costco.ca may be the place for you, but you’ll have to wait until March.

From March 12 to 25, Costco.ca is offering its Ove “Betsy” free-standing tub with the “Athena” faucet for $1399, a $300 savings.  This is only online, not in the warehouse. Even at $1699 this might be considered a good deal, but $1399 is probably an unbeatable price for a new acrylic freestanding tub.

Our tub, the Maax Jazz, was inexpensive; actually it was about the same price on sale as the Costco tub.  One of the features we liked was that the faucet mounts on the deck and the piping travels up within the walls of the tub itself.  No need for a floor-mounted faucet.  If you have a clawfoot or other freestanding tub that requires a floor-mounted faucet, all that brass and chrome is very costly.

Costco "Betsy" tub with "Athena" faucet

Our final price for the Maax Jazz tub, Moen faucet, and rough-ins came to almost $1700 before taxes.  By providing the faucet with the tub, Costco is saving you quite a bit of money.  (Of course, I can’t say anything about the quality of the faucet.  Not all faucets are created equal, but Costco has pretty good return policy.)  All you need to do is make sure you have your piping coming to the right spot on the floor.  If you have a plumber doing all your piping, he usually won’t charge for connecting the faucets, only for the roughin work.  I’m guessing you’ll be in under $1600 once the plumber is finished hooking it up.  Any plumbers out there?  Let me know if I’m off in my estimate.

Here are the specs for the Costco tub and faucet:

Tub Features:

• 3 mm acrylic construction
• Reinforcement layers of fibre glass
• Maximum water capacity:  290 L (77 gal.)
• Maximum immersion depth: 37 cm (14.6 in.)
• Drain and waste overflow included
• Pop-up drain included

Faucet Features:

• Freestanding faucet with hand held shower
• Brass construction
• Chrome finish
• Pressure balance valve
• 147.32 cm (58 in.) from hose to base
• 172.72 cm (68 in.) from end of faucet to base
• CSA approved

Tub Specifications:

• Dimensions (L x W x H):
  170.18 cm x 109.9 cm x 59 cm
  (67 in. x 43.3 in. x 23.2 in.)
• Weight: 47.2 kg (104 lb.)

Faucet Specifications:

• Dimensions (L x W):
  98.29 cm  x 27.17 cm
  (38.7 in. x 10.7 in.)
• Weight: 4.1 kg (9 lb.)

Warranty:

1 year