Thank you Shakkari...again new at this. Says 5 parts to 1...so 5 bags of sand to 1 bag of cement?? should I mix a small amount first and work from there, I don't want to keep mixing over and over. HD only had a 94lbs bag of the cement, seems like a lot to me. will that cover both the pre-slope and bed after I put the line in.

Also, I was wondering about the Durock.
1.Apply Poly on 2x4's and no waterproof
2.No Poly and Durock and then waterproof
3.Poly,Durock and waterproof

If you've not mixed deck mud before, a helper can be a great asset. Someone to keep the mud going while you put it down and screed it, particularly in larger shower. This may have been in an earlier post, but sand topping mix works well. Some think it has too much portland in it, in which case you can throw a shovel of sand in with each bag. Go easy with the water. You can always add more water, but you can't take any out. If you're by yourself, mix just enough that you feel comfortable handling it by yourself. I usually do an 80lb. bag at a time, sometimes a little more if I ate my Wheaties that day.

You can do #1, or #2, but not #3.

Yeah Kman, I'm on my own, unless a pregnant wife and 2yr old counts. Nope Never mixed deck mud b4, so I will use a little bit at a time. I did look for the sand mix, but HD only had sand and Portland bags, not a mix. I will look else where before I get started...Just to make sure I get what you're saying. The sand is what makes up most of the mix, so 5 bags of sand or the mix and 1 bag of the cement I have. I'll have to figure out how to do it in smaller quantity.
Also about he durock, I forgot to mention one wall is basement level with concrete blocks, 1 against a bedroom and one against a laudry room, so I guess #1 will have to do.

I bet the 2yr old would have a good time mixing up mud. They love that stuff.

Try mixing it in shovelfulls. Four sand, one portland. Keep doing that until you think you have enough to work with.

To clarify, the sand topping mix would be all you need, unless you wanted to throw in an extra shovel or two of sand to dilute the mix a little more. I never do, but some like it better that way. So if you get the mix, you can just get a little sharp sand to mix with it if you want. If you get the portland and sand in separate bags, get 1 bag of portland to 5 bags of sand.

Why could you not put up the durock with waterproofing over it? That's really the best option, in my opinion. Your shower will dry out quicker.

Oh man, I will go look for the mix tomorrow, that may be the easier route for a novice.

"Why could you not put up the durock with waterproofing over it? That's really the best option, in my opinion. Your shower will dry out quicker." - When we moved in the house, basement had some condensation issues with insulation and poly. I wondered about if it would work better without them, but I always thought insulation kept moisture out. I'll have check on your option when the inspector comes in.

The idea is: with the poly up, any moisture that gets through the Durock is stopped by the poly. With Redgard, or some equivalent, the moisture is stopped at the waterproofing, right behind the tile, before it can get to the Durock. With both, you would have moisture trapped between the two, something you don't want.

If you have moisture issues, I would think you'd have that problem no matter which method you use. I don't know, maybe if you put some type of moisture block (like Aqualock) on the block wall before you start?

I've not done a shower in a basement with an unprotected wall like that, so you might wait for one of the other guys to give you better advice on that.

Kman..thank you very much for the info. I added some photos, so that may help in a better answer perhaps. I did apply some white moisture block on the cement blocks, so we will see.

I see you're installing a Kerdi drain, and I assume using Kerdi on the walls and floor? That negates the need for any other waterproofing or poly on the walls.

Well i bought the Kerdi drain, but now I need to know if I should put it in with the pre slope or with the second mud pan...Reason- the pipe coming out of the floor drain was cut really short, so not very much room to work with.

Hi folks
Don't mean to butt in as I new here, but I want to be clear what you're doing.
You don't need any portland cement. You should only be using the bags of Sand Mix from your building supply store which is the sand and portland already mixed.
You only need 1 layer to build a complete showerpan when using the kerdi drain and membrane. The pre-slope is only used when using the conventional liner.

PS... a short drain pipe is good with the Kerdi drain. Ideally the pipe should be cut 1" or 2" below the surface of the existing slab.