I'm currently working on remodeling a bathroom on my first floor which sits directly on the concrete slab. Part of the remodeling included making a 32"x32" shower into a 32"x48" shower. I've removed the old fiberglass shower pan and currently have the old drain sticking up from the slab. I intend to install a Swanstone prefabricated shower floor:
http://www.swanstone.com/FAQs/installationInstructions/PDFs/FORM509.pdf

In order to do so, I will have to move the old drain and p-trap to the location for the new shower floor drain and want to make sure I do this correctly. The Swanstone installation instructions call for a 6" hole in the slab surrounding the drain line.

My questions:
(1) Is it okay to leave a 6" hold in the concrete slab after the installation is complete? What's the purpose of that hole?
(2) When I finish roughing in the drain, what should it look like - just a piece of 2" PVC sticking up from the slab (and if so, how high)?
(3) Is there a standard drain that I should purchase, and do I need anything special to install it and create the proper seal?

Thanks very much for any help!

Hey Surfer, you going to hang 10 in that new shower? LOL

My questions:
(1) Is it okay to leave a 6" hold in the concrete slab after the installation is complete? What's the purpose of that hole?
As you can see in the directions, (see image) the 6" hole's needed to maintain slope and to install the drain. The hole stays.
(2) When I finish roughing in the drain, what should it look like - just a piece of 2" PVC sticking up from the slab (and if so, how high)?
Again, look at the image. The trap raiser will terminate just a tad beneath the slab.
(3) Is there a standard drain that I should purchase, and do I need anything special to install it and create the proper seal?
I don't understand your question. Don't you plan on using the drain that comes with the base?

Good luck, Tom

Thanks for the response, Tom. If I leave a 6" hole in the slab, should I fill the hole with concrete, though keeping it below the slope? Obviously there's just dirt under the slab and I've been told that any hole such as this could allow unwanted guests (insects and rodents) into the house. The reason I asked about the drain is that I'm not sure the model we will be purchasing comes with one (SS-3248). The RO and RI models (made of a different material) specifically state that they do come with a drain, but the SS model does not:
http://www.swanstone.com/products/showerWallsFloors/singleThreshold/index.php
Thanks again for your help - surf's up!

Packaging:
Each floor is packed with a drain in a rectangular carton.

Colors:
Molded Swanstone shower floors available in eighteen colors: five solid and thirteen aggregate.


Swanstone Shower Floors are available in fifteen sizes:

SS-3232
32" x 32"


Ship Wt.
Cart. Dims.
Cu. Ft. 31
35 x 35 x 8
5.68


SS-3248
32" x 48"


Ship Wt.
Cart. Dims.
Cu. Ft. 46
51 x 36 x 8
8.50

This tells me that it does,in deed, come with a drain.
We pour hot tar in a tub dap out hole for homeowners that are concerned about open soil in their homes. You could do the same. Since all of the shower bases extend down to the floor line, no matter what drain you install you'll have to allow a hole for the drain to recess into. Regards, Tom

Tom, thanks so much!