Can you flip your plumbing? Giving you the space on the 98" present tub wall for two large vanities since it's a Jack and Jill. Is the shower out past the wall as in the photo? If so you could flip the toilet into that space and add a door and have a private water closet there with door and add more privacy. That's a decent amount of space to allow for some dual use with two users able to use it at the same time with some privacy concerns met. There is a lot of space there to do layouts that would work well for a J&J shared bath. We have a Jack and Jill bath upstairs and it is divided with the tub and shower area walled off with a door and the vanity with dual sinks in a separate area. That way one can still use the sinks while the other person in in the shower/tub/ toilet area without tying up the entire bathroom for the other person. I have a tub on a pedestal or plinth as some call it and I don't have any cleaning issues with it. It's 68" which is plenty long enough, it could be shorter actually since I'm only 5'4". My faucet is the British telephone type that hangs up on it's stand. It has it's floor mounted water supply. That was an expensive faucet even with going cheap with an off brand it was still over $800 and if I had gotten a name brand it would have been more than $2000 for it all. I found that the spout and two faucets with spray was one thing but then they have to add in all the components of the chrome pipes to the floor and I don't know what all before it was all said and done. Sort of like when you buy the washer and they need to add for the hoses etc. It still wasn't a deal breaker. I ended up buying a Victoria + Albert "York" model tub and I love it. I"m so glad I ripped out that horrid jetted gigantic tub. I have never looked back on that decision. We never used it and ti took up so much space. It had gunk in the jets from day one and I couldn't get past it no matter how much I cleaned it the black gunk still came out. You did well to rid yourself of that space hogging tub. Well done!

Thanks again so much for sharing your ideas! Your points gave me a bunch of inspiration last night. I might not yet have it exactly right and I'll, of course, work more with our contractor and get a designer review, but I'm so much more excited and happy about having some new prospects. This is an "unplanned" master bath redo b/c of plumbing and structural problems - on top of a bunch of other never-ending projects - so it was kind of rushed and I knew I wasn't happy with keeping it mostly the same but I didn't have a good vision of what else was possible. Here's what I'm off to investigate now:Losing the linen closet/tower and splitting the vanities and gaining pretty much a full size shower made me so happy! I couldn't stand those sinks being so close together with our 60" vanity and all this $$$ for the remodel was killing me if I was going to end up still with a tiny shower. Our quotes for a new vanity/linen tower were so high, too, that I may end up not really spending much more overall to get what works so much better for us.

Make sure you and your husband sit in several of these in a showroom. They can be difficult to get in and climb out of, due to the oval shape with high sides. Keep in mind the slippery when wet factor. You don’t want to end up with a very expensive floor ornament you don’t use cause it’s a pain to get in and out of. Also, the freestanding plumbing pipes coming out of the floor is one more thing to clean around. I like a drop-in tub that is undermounted to sit within a built-up deck structure. Easier to climb in and out of. And, I like me a glass of wine and candles with a hot bath on a winter night, and the deck provides a place for them. If you want it to be a high-end installation, have the deck and surround be marble.

@cpartist that's very pretty. Thank you. Obviously my look is not contemporary like you're looking for but I wanted you to see it can be done. I thought about doing a ledge and then wall mount...that way i can have products candles etc... That could be quite attractive. do you find issues cleaning? anything to worry about. It's a bit tight behind my tub but it's doable. I'm glad I didn't get a clawfoot tub so no dirt under the tub. folks tried to talk me out of freestanding. but i just want that look now. i've had drop in for almost 20 years. I'm with you. My last tub was drop in and I do love the look of this one. Was talked out of a free standing in my condo and regretted it. good to know about the faucets.. There are lots of choices. i can't buy tub drilled unless comes with the faucet...is that not an issue? Yes you can. I had the choice at Signature Hardware to have it drilled or not and didn't have to pay for a cheap and poorly made faucet. i read that acrylic retains heat better than cast iron. plus cost. No cast iron holds heat more. Yes cost is an issue. It's a bit more expensive. The other problem is the cast iron tubs are more traditionally styled. My drop in tub was acrylic and it was fine. I was just curious. Here are a few that have tub drillings and no faucets with it: https://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/bathtubs/freestanding-tubs/boyce-freestanding-acrylic-tub-1.html https://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/bathtubs/freestanding-tubs/70-ashington-acrylic-freestanding-tub.html This is the one I have: https://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/bathtubs/freestanding-tubs/67-aiden-cast-iron-dual-tub-on-beveled-plinth.html