Here's a closeup of the gap.

And finally... a picture of the whole area. The gap is higher on both corners but not as big in the middle of the tub (you can see where we put some caulk as a test for the color)....

Which is level and which is not? Is the tub deck level but the tub is not? Or is it the tub deck/surround that is out of level?

I can talk to DH and see if he has any suggestions. But I hope you can push for it to be done right rather than a patchwork solution.

Is this tub supported on a bed of mortar or did he use mortar only in certain spots to level it?

I don't know what the solution is, it looks like the tub might be skewed because it's higher on the end than in the middle (?)

But you will never get a caulk joint to stay closed in something like that.

The tub must sit on the tile. This is not negotiable. Reset the tub or the tile.

Lottery Ticket - re: the tub being level or the tub deck. It appears that the tub deck is level. But the tub never quite sat level - it was "leaning" a lot to one side (it looked like the Titanic leaning on one side...okay, not that bad but you get the idea). AND, the tub rocked... you could get in it and move it back and forth. So, the plumber came back and set it in mortar but now it seems higher than the tub deck all the way around... originally it was the just back left corner that was higher and now it is 3 of the 4 corners (every one but the back right). You can put your fingers under all 3 of those corners.

La Cocina - most of the tub is sitting on mortar now, but not all of it.. now that I think about it, I believe he did all 3 corners that are now higher than the deck. He sort of put globs and "smoothed" them out (see picture).

Trebruchet - I had not thought about resetting the tile... I would if that's an option... the tub is in such a small space and is very hard to maneuver around that tiling would probably be difficult but it may be able to be done. Thanks for that idea.

Fortunately, he did put plastic on top of the mortar.. but does anyone know how hard it is to get the mortar out?

It's hard because they've had to come back several times and we've spent HOURS trying to work this out....but they just can't get it right... I was hoping to find a solution but it sounds like there is no good option to fill that gap?

Can anyone help give me a good reason why a gap like that would pose a problem (besides aesthetically)? I would like to be able to go back to the General Contractor (who hired the Plumber) and have some sound reasons why they have to redo it...

Thanks for all of your help.

Here's another picture of what the underside looks like in that one corner.. if it helps I can take the panels off and upload pics of as much of the underside as I can (which has a lot of pipes/motors/etc - it's a combo jet and air bath tub).

So is 3/8" a pretty big gap to have? What is normal?

If the guy who built the tub surround had valid specs from the tub manufacturer, that guy screwed up, but since the deck is level, probably not. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Cut the tub.

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...

I am also thinking that you might have a problem with vibration and sound once the jets are on because the tub is not sitting flat on the tub deck. Thing to remember with a Jacuzzi also - there is splashing so you want to make sure there are no gaps.

That being said - I love the tiles you selected - your tub surround is really beautiful.

Jerzee - thanks for the compliment. :)

And I am having problems with vibration and sound.... you're exactly right! Since this is my first jacuzzi tub I wasn't sure if it was normal but it seemed pretty loud. I was going to ask my electrician when he comes next week (he has one in his own home) if that was normal...

I paid for the "Whisper Quiet" upgrade on the Jacuzzi but it still seemed really loud to me.... like I could hear the motor in my ear. Thank you for pointing that out! It's another point I can use with my GC.

Our fiberglass tub didn't have feet, but the installation instructions said that it had to be supported on a bed of mortar. You might want to check on the installation instructions for your specific tub to see if a bed of mortar under only the feet is sufficient. If not, it may be simply better to pull it out, lower the feet and have it reinstalled properly.

You do need to have him reset that tub so it's level. And there should be no gap between the tub and the tile. If the surround was built correctly then the tub should sit right on the tile and the way it's set in the mortar is the problem, Do you have a level? I would take the GC in there, put the level on the tub and tell him/her that this is unacceptable.

You may even be able to tell it's not level just by putting water in it. I think if you can get this fixed you will notice the difference and be very glad you had them take care of it.

i have a jacuzzi air tub as well. it does sit on the tile deck, though, but the thing is loud.