Is this the worst thing happening right now?

Yes. The trim carpenter just finished reinstalling the crown moulding because it was the wrong stuff. No big deal. The guys delivering the interior doors ran into the corner of the garage so now a large section of the VERY EXPENSIVE metal roof needs to be ripped apart. I can handle that. I guess ripping out a shower floor (no tile, thank goodness) seems a bit big. My builder's reaction is what is really bugging me.

As long as the controls are centered perfectly, I see nothing wrong with the drain being off-center.

I can understand your feeling that the builder should take it a little more seriously, but in the bigger picture, if that's the worst problem you have, then your build is going more smoothly than most.

Ours is way off center; it's a walk-in, like yours is, and our local (? maybe international?) code requires that it be a certain distance from some *spot* or other; innermost corner of the opening? I don't remember, but that could be what's happening with yours, too.

I don't think you are, but then I'm a symmetry nut as well! If it makes you feel better, we made our plumber move the shower drain in the master bathroom. Our shower is a little larger than yours, and he had installed the drain off-center. It totally bugged us, so we had him move it. However, this was just the drain installed through the subfloor...it was not the finished version. I'm not sure what I'd do if it happened at that point.

If it bothers you, and you had stipulated where you wanted it (or actually, even if you hadn't stipulated where you wanted it...although, you'll be on the hook for the cost of changing it in that case)...then have it changed. I can't say that I'd be very happy with my builder if he told me that my obsession with symmetry was a problem. Good luck working it out.

Oh, and I don't think that any issue is too small to be an issue. It could be the tiniest detail to anyone else (including your builder), but if it is going to bother you everyday and you're paying the bills...then you should get what you want and what you've requested. IMO.

Isn't it time for one of our resident legal eagles to check in and ask if your specs called for that drain to be centered?

The drain in my walk-in shower is off center, too. We have a hand-held on one wall and a rain shower on the ajacent wall. The drain is pretty much between the two shower heads. I thought it looked goofy when I first saw it, but hey, it's right where it needs to be to get rid of water efficiently, whichever shower I'm using. When you mentioned it, that was the first time I've thought of it since the first time I used the shower -- 5 years!

I really appreciate everyone's input. I know it will bug me, but I'm not sure this is the hill I want to die on. If you know what I mean... My biggest frustration is with my builder right now. He is actually a really good guy and I've enjoyed working with him,but he delegates WAY to much to his associates and he doesn't always take my concerns seriously. As for the drain, he said it was off center because I changed the size of the shower (not true). According to our plans, the drain should be perfectly centered.

Sometimes there are reasons for things going where they have to go. It may be that the Floor joist is in the way for it to be in the center,or the drain couldnt get the correct angle if the drain was in the middle or perhaps thats the lowest point of the shower.
Did you ask Why it was put there? maybe a logical answer will help.

I prefer symmetry when possible too. In a recent project I strongly suggested that the clients centre the front door under the gable. I just checked the floor drain in our shower--it's three inches off-centre. Oh my gawd!

LOL, Worthy.

I think you just got a sense of perspective. If anyone here had a perfect builder, who attended to all these small details that MATTER to we who are sweating blood to pay for them, will they please speak up now?

Just musing here, but around here most custom builders are basically, um, administrators now. They have no crew on payroll, except for project managers, interior designers, etc. Everything is done by subcontractors. And I think when they find subs whose work is acceptable, they get comfortable and just let them do their thing. Too much so to suit me, but it's as good as it gets. Short of having Tommy Silva and his crew show up. Which is what I was really hoping for.

Where is the drain in conjunction with where you are standing when you are taking a shower? I wouldnt want to be standing on it.

Are you putting a seat in your shower? If so, could this be the reason its currently off center? If not, could a seat be put in (sounds like you have room) that would center it?

We love having a bench seat in our shower. It did not have one when we bought the house. The drain was centered. We remodeled and put in a seat and now the drain is not centered and I really don't notice it. In our new house we are building now, our shower is pretty large (maybe 7'X7')we put in a huge bench seat across the back wall and love it.

I just wrote on another thread here about 2 couples that are divorcing b/c of their builds. Both believe it or not were over bathrooms. The 1st wife decided after framing she wanted bigger bathrooms (all 3) with jetted tubs and pounded copper sinks. Of course, she didn't bother to run this by her husband before everything got ripped out. The 2nd couple across the street from us had been married for 30 some years and they have G-kids. That wife started making small changes which turned to obsession. In the end she had their builder gut their MBath and start over. Not once but 3 times. Finally her husband a great "good ol' boy" who I would have loved to call neighbor said...
"ENOUGH".
All I'm trying to say here is choose your battles. To have something redone is expensive and in the grand scheme of things where your drain is may not be all that important.

Then again, if it is.......

Luckily my husband of 27 years also finds the drain situation annoying. My plans call for the drain to be in the center of the shower. There are no joists to worry about, nor are there design conditions that would call for the drain to be off center. Bottom line, they messed up and I guess I'll have to live with it. We've decided to let it go, but I PROMISE you, I will spend every spare moment at the building site running QC.
I appreciate the opportunity to seek advice on this forum.

Pinktoes, yes it IS possible to have a contractor who respects all of one's obsessions. :) My builder made sure all his subs walked the house with me, so I could stipulate exactly where every light switch, electric plug, wall fixture, ceiling fixture, and yes, all three floor drains, were exactly where I wanted them. And when somebody on his crew made an assumption about where to put something (like happened with the electric plug in the mantel)and got it wrong, there were no problems with re-doing it.

Poigirl, even if you decide this isn't one of those battles you feel like fighting, I'd make sure your builder is aware that it is his screw up, not yours. That way, the next problem that comes up, you can remind him that you let this one slide, so he owes you the next time. It's like a little bargaining chip for the future. lol

I had three rooms with floor drains (my daughter's ADA bathroom, the puppy nursery and my steam shower room). They put all three drains exactly where I wanted them, including the one in my shower which is in the middle.
Summer

If the tiler had control of moving the drain around before mudding the base, it could be that he placed the drain according to the tile layout so that it would coincide with the layout of the tile, even if it is off centered to the base of the shower.