Charlikin, if you have the Hansgrohe with diverter, you won't be able to use the wall mount and handheld at the same time. If you want to use both simultaneously, you will need two valves. I have the Hansgrohe Retroaktive on a slider bar for my childrens' baths. I really like it. I also like using the handheld to clean the shower itself. If you have a standard 30" shower/tub, it fits better on the wall to just use the bar. My three kids never tried to climb the bar. One advantage of the bar over the hook is that you can adjust it as the kids grow. I can't come up with any advantages that the wall mount has over the handheld on a wall bar (unless you don't like the look of the wall bar). In my master shower at my old house, I only had a Grohe thermostatic valve with a handheld on a shower bar. No wall mount shower head there either. I never missed it. I would much prefer just having a handheld on a bar to just having the wall mount.

I also have a 10" Hansgrohe -- actually one from their Axor line: the 10" Uno Downpour. I was planning to get the Hansgrohe version, the 240 Air, which is also 10" and has the same 180 nozzles, until I found this Axor version. The Axor has a flat, polished face, while the Raindance air has the ridged plastic used in all the Raindance Air showerheads. I just love the look of the polished nickel (or chrome) face on the Axor version, and surprisingly to me, it isn't more expensive. We have the Raindance Air version as a 6" handheld (Raindance S 150 Air). You can see the grey plastic face of the Raidance Air series better in this picture than the one above of the larger head: Here's a picture of our showerheads: Back to your original question, I'd go with the 10" over the 8" because it gives you a wider cylinder of water. If you're getting a rain shower head, why not maximize the rain shower experience? You've got a nice size shower, so I don't think there's any reason to go smaller. (Of course, you can go larger than 10"; there are 12" and 14" rain heads as well, but you need a wider water supply line for the larger of these, and the prices get pretty astronomical for the larger heads.) -- Eric

I'm glad you asked this question because I'm planning to redo our master bathroom and like you I want to do it thoughtfully to avoid problems of upkeep. I definitely will second that suggestion - no bar soap, only liquid - both hand and shower gels. I too would love a clawfoot tub but not in this bathroom. My tub area is a defined area sandwiched between three walls - no way to get access easily around the tub to clean from different angles. Beautiful but not practical. I can't wait to rip out that horrible whirlpool brand whirlpool tub which not only is a disgusting mess to clean the jets, but also turned yellow instead of remaining white. I haven't had any problems with my glass doors/wall in my shower and I suspect it's because the shower is large enough that the water normally doesn't hit the glass during a shower - I only have to deal with some mild steam condensation which is easy to wipe down. I often wonder about those with bathrooms where the shower has no door - what do you do about the steam - that steam carries fine particles of soap and shower debris and deposits them on the walls - at least if you have some closure on the shower itself, most of that gets deposited inside the shower which is a pain to clean - but much easier to clean a small shower area than all the walls of the bathroom? I love the look of the vessel sinks plunked down on top of the vanity top, but I think they are more difficult to keep clean than an undermount sink - I have no experience, just my guess. I hope maybe others with experience can comment. I will be looked to minimize sharp angles - so I'll opt for an oval rounded sink etc. I'm also looking to minimize nooks and crannies in places where I wipe often - so simple straight lines on faucets is a plus.

Even before Jen posted this, I was telling my husband about hearing it and being sad that I missed seeing Sedaris in my backyard. Then he suggested maybe we could do a road trip to catch another performance. He was probably thinking a place like D.C. I said well, I have checked the schedule and he'll be in Australia in January. I may have overplayed my hand. I think I'll recheck the schedule and see if there's a city - with a sports team - that we haven't visited and see about a weekend away. Unfortunately, we've already been to Dallas but I suppose we could repeat, we had a nice time.