I'm curious as well..we want jacuzzi or whirlpool tub in and want to place shower beside it...but now are curious if we can because of any required clearances...is there info anywhere that discusses the basic area needed in a bath remodel to allow for a typical install, whether it be a corner tub or a regular tub? This would in turn tell us about the tub deck we should allow. Thanks...and thanks for this thread!

Sorry, I guess I should clarify. (This is why I linked the product page, because I knew I would not be able to explain this properly.) The oval tub has a "preexisting" sort-of-deck with a flange on three sides, otherwise I would not be so daft as to try to put a shower over it. I like my kitchen ceiling where it is! Here, this is what it looks like: However, and this is what I was asking about with the deck question, from the instructions it appears that there must be some kind of deck on the fourth side which does not have a tile flange if one does not use the optional (icky) apron, but it does not say how wide this deck must be. We both would rather not have to clamber over a wide margin to get into the tub - DH has to use this for showering every day. I'm mostly a lay-backer, not a sit-upper - my shoulders and upper back get very very painful so I have to get them into the scalding water. Unfortunately there isn't enough room for the 5'5" tub that would let me keep both shoulders and knees underwater and actually cover up most of the protruding bits on the front, leaving pretty much just my head and hands (to hold my book, of course) out of the water. ;-) The room is only 60" wide - it was carved out of a bedroom - and even if we had budget to redo all the plumbing there isn't room to turn the tub round sideways. I dislike the look of "stuff" cluttering up tub corners so I'm considering a down-low niche for my shampoo/soap/etc. and a high-up one for DH's shower things, and there will pretty much never be any kind of decorative bits on the corners because they'd just get soaked with the shower spray anyway. Well, okay, maybe a rubber ducky. (But no flamingos!) :-) Those four were pretty much the only tubs I've found that fit the parameters of size/depth, cost (crucial!), and appearance. I'm a short-but-wide person and DH is medium-height(5'9")-and-wide and we both manage OK in a standard 60x32 oblong tub - 34" or 36" would be a nicer but pretty much all I could find in this price point were funky molded-up things that looked like they belonged on the space station. Yuck-O. The deepest of the four tubs is actually the oblong Bancroft at 15" water depth but I'm not thrilled with how it looks, the other three are 14" water depth. The oval looks like it would have less shoulder room but that's not the case? The one oval tub I've seen available for sitting in was just about big enough for a kindergartener to do laps in, so it's pretty useless for comparison!

"...you were thinking of a solid deck, just made of wood, yes? Or were you thinking of open planks over...what?" Greetings. Yes, I was hoping to do the entire tub deck in wood. I like the unique look of wood around the tub rim. I originally planned to do a tiled deck, but then I saw Mongo's photos and started reconsidering. Of course, I don't have the kind of skills that Mongo has, so I'm a little apprehensive about trying this. But then, I've never tiled before either. I'm just a hopeless..and often helpless..DIY'er. :)

Your best bet is to talk to the plumber. I have seen deck mount fillers with diverters and hand showers...but not the mix of the two. I think this will really be a custom job. I would be interested in seeing what they come up with.