Mom has Bain Ultra Meridian with air jets. She and Dad love it. It gives a nice therapeutic massage. It also has a dual dry cycle to help ensure there is no water in the air holes after the water has drained from the tub. The Amma is similar to their Meridian except it has those "integrated seats" in it. I really like the look of the Amma myself. On the other hand, I prefer a gentler air bubble bathing experience. We have the Kohler Purist with the effervescence feature (micro bubbles). It's exactly like what I imagined sitting in a tub full of champagne would feel like--soft, relaxing, caressing bubbles. Definitely more my speed. What does your shower layout look like? We have a regular showerhead, a handheld with multiple settings on a slide bar and a ceiling mount rainhead. We occasionally use the rainhead. With the way we placed the handheld and the main showerhead, we can achieve a very similar experience to the jets. Jets can be very costly, require plenty of water pressure (no running the dishwasher, washing machine or any other baths) while running those jets, and once installed many people use them for the first couple months and then stop. I would really do some serious thinking on the jets--unless you're in a super upscale neighborhood where the houses are all relatively new and have all the latest gadgets, no buyer will expect the jets. However, I do think buyers will expect a shower head and not just a handheld. Hope this helps!

We hired a GC to remodel our kitchen, powder, laundry and two baths. His workers do the plumbing, electrical, drywall and tile work, he doesn't sub it out, so that is a cost savings. We talked about the vanity this morning and he said the tile on the side would go on thinset, not the full-on thick mortar like the floor or the wall (it doesn't have to "float"). My problem is we were originally going to put the 4" backsplash where the vanity and tub meet but now might have to do a full tile piece due to the overall tile design. The granite countertop has been cut already, not installed though, and I'm not convinced the tile could fit in the lip between the granite and side of the vanity. Plus, different stone tile sizes have different thicknesses, I will have to make sure it fits underneath. You're right, there are a lot of little things to think of.

The answer depends upon the details: - A prefab shower surround will probably be your cheapest option (and while they lack in looks, they're super easy to clean). - A builder-grade tub/shower combo would probably come in second lowest. - A shower-pan-flooring with tile walls would be next in line. - Then an all-tile shower (of course, that depends upon whether you go with economical tiles or not). - And most expensive would be a nicer-grade tub with a shower. And with any of the above, you get into the question of what type of shower head you're using. A simple shower head can be had for less than $100, whereas a handheld on a pole is going to be more, and if you want a rainshower head in the middle of the shower in addition to the "regular shower head", that'll be more still. So, really, it depends.

Building code requires that you must provide access to the pump for service in such a way that otherwise permeant structure does not need to be removed or a hole through the exterior of the house not created. I forget the exact wording but you need to be able to open a panel. You can build a shower there but the access panel may be a sticking point for inspectors. Make sure to highlight that when the city does a plan check. The pump does need some ventilation but they are designed to run pretty warm. you can always put a few holes in the floor near it, is this 2nd floor or basement/crawlspace underneath?