Replacing a fiberglass tub and surround

[Mitch Kronowit]

The one-piece fiberglass tub and surround in one of our rentals need to be replaced. The bottom of the tub is cracked and several repairs have failed to maintain it. I understand these one-piece units were installed before the walls of the house were even up and they sell multi-piece units for after-market replacement, but our contractor is telling us it still will not fit inside the bathroom without removing part of the wall.

Has anybody come across this before? I thought the whole idea behind the multi-piece replacements was to fit them inside the doorway after the house was built, but the tub section must still be fairly large and I can see how it would be hard to maneuver and place inside the closet-sized bathroom they love building out here in California.