I am thinking the wall tile will have to be at least as high as current tile, or should I go higher with it? Can't go lower since wall will be messy after tile is removed?

You would most likely have to do some wall patching anyway to retile, because you need a good smooth substrate for tiling onto. Depending on how the tile was installed it's often quite a bit easier and faster to demo tile by just pulling it out backing and all, which means it can be simpler to just rip it back to the studs and put new wallboard up than diddle around with little patches. So if you aren't actually thrilled by the idea of tiled walls, put up drywall or greenboard depending on your local codes, and paint the walls. I have had many bathrooms with plain painted walls and have never had any problems at all. Tiling bathroom walls outside the tub/shower area is totally an aesthetic choice, it is not a necessity unless your family members are total slobs. (If the males in the family whiz on the walls the way some people on this forum have reported, you have a far more serious problem!) So don't feel like you are trapped into tiling the walls again unless YOU really want to.

Not sure of cost of new style glass doors, but could be ok with shower curtain.

Shower curtains are wonderful because you can change the whole look of the room just by changing the shower curtain, and the options you have really run the gamut, from froufrou to ultramodern to downright nutty. The fabric of a shower curtain also reduces the "echo chamber" effect of many bathrooms, from all the hard surfaces. Nylon shower curtain liners are washable and I think are a lot classier than vinyl. (IMO the nicest liners are the 100% cotton Watershed liners in the Plow & Hearth catalog. I have one and it's wonderful. But, they're more expensive than the nylon liners.) I have never had any of the "flapping" and "billowing" problems that people complain about, but I don't use vinyl curtains and have always bought curtains with weights in the bottom hem. Plus if you wet the bottom of the fabric liner it will cling nicely to the inside of the tub, supplemented by the weights. You can always start out with a curtain for a few months and if you find you really miss the glass doors, then you can get them. I don't like shower doors at all so I can't advise you on them.

Vanity is 36 in, it is a small bathroom but I need storage space. The wood looks better quality than what I have seen, and new vanities are expensive. I was thinking of just restaining and adding slide out drawers. Then adding a nice sink and counter top, like granite, etc. Or will it just be better to get a new slightly smaller vanity that has drawers and a door and then get a nice wall storage to match it.

Price out both options. The interior pull-out fittings can get a little pricey (and some of them waste a lot of space), and unless you have unlimited time to spend, consider your time investment in refurbishing the vanity as well. Take off a door and test out your restaining idea - the finishes on some cabinets is a real stinker to remove, and you can't restain something properly without stripping every trace of the old finish off. (I have not been impressed with Minwax Polyshades at all.) Painting may be easier. A wall-hung storage cabinet does not have to match the vanity, in fact it's a great way to introduce another decorative element to the room.

Also figure out exactly what you need to store where. A lot of people keep things in the bathroom that don't really need to live there permanently, or accumulate "stuff" in the bathroom that they rarely use and could be stored elsewhere. In addition, if you have untiled walls, you can have additional storage between the studs - there's a company that makes prefabricated wooden storage units that fit between the studs, as an example here's the 48" tall version. You could have a local carpenter copy them if you did not want to order them from that company. I plan to use these in our new house.

So here is where I would spend on this bathroom: New vanity with top/sink or new vanity top w/sink, new faucet. Tiled walls or drywall, as you wish. If tub surround is tiled, retile it. If you do not have a good vent fan, prioritize this. Additional storage, either in-wall or decorative on-wall. Mirror or mirrored medicine cabinet if you like them (I do), lighting (huge impact for relatively little cost if you shop intelligently), new hardware like towel bars/hooks, TP holder, yadda yadda. Spiffy shower curtain, window treatment (if there is a window, obviously), bathmat/rug, and if you don't have some nice towels get yourself some (I bought some fantastic ones dirt cheap on eBay) because it's a drag putting ratty old towels in a newly refurbished bathroom! :-)

Since the vanity is so huge I was thinking of replacing it with a slightly smaller model and making it into a double sink again with a nice countertop.

If you want a double sink, most people will say to keep the 72" vanity. We have a double sink in a 60" vanity and have no problems with it, but the prevailing attitude these days seems to be "the bigger the better". Is the plumbing for the second sink still in place or would you have to replumb? If you do need to replumb, think hard about whether you really need that second sink - how often do you have two people using that bathroom at one time? If you stayed with a single sink and downsized the 72" vanity to a 60" or even a 48", what would you do with the extra space?

I am wondering though, since I can get matching tile, to spend on the new vanity and sinks, and mirror(s)and stay with the same tile since I can get matching. Or will that look too dated.

_I_ think the gold-flecked white tile is a bit cheesetastic and just screams 1970s, but I imagine other people must like it since it's still made. (Is it a 100% perfect match for yours? There is not much worse in decorating than "tried to match and missed" AFAIC.) If you actually LIKE it, keep it, but if you're just settling, find other corners to cut.

Here is where I would spend on this bathroom if it were mine: demo the white/gold tile, drywall and paint the bathroom walls, and if the tub surround is currently tiled, retile that with something very basic and untrendy. (Can't go wrong with a plain white 4x4 or 6x6! Set it on the diagonal for a more interesting look.) Vent fan if there isn't one. Paint the vanity if you're keeping it, install a new countertop with sink(s) in either solid surfacing or granite, new faucet(s). New mirror(s) and lighting, towel bar/TP holder/blahblahblah, shower curtain/window treatments/rug, et cetera.

What's on the floors? If it's a pleasant, neutral tile in good condition, refreshing the grout with a grout colorant can make it look almost newly-installed. Chipped, worn or cracked tile or tatty vinyl should be replaced because it will drag the whole room down. There are a lot of very pretty vinyls available now so there's no shame in using it if that's what works for the room and the budget!

Mari,
Thank you for posting with helpful advice, you have such good taste. I've enjoyed your posts.
The walls are plaster so that probably means re-tiling the same wall area. The guys seemed to be ok with targeting the toilet and not the walls so at least that isn't a problem.
Both baths have windows and we had some nice vinyl flooring installed. I realize that the vinyl floor might have to go when renovations happen. But to be honest, it is the easiest flooring surface to clean. So like you said, I am considering using it again. Don't know if what is there could be salvaged with whatever we end up doing.
We also painted the walls and added a small storage cabinet to the smaller bathroom (my bathroom).

I like the look of recessed in the wall storage but am not sure if I can manage it. The baths share a wall so there is probably much plumbing and wiring going on in between.
Since my bath is so small I had thought of using the nice new clear glass shower doors would open it up visually. Maybe a smaller vanity with 2 drawers and 1 door would be enough storage. I think you are right, sometimes all the time and bother of refurbishing just isn't worth it. The tub and toilet are ok to use again. And go with a good looking, good quality counter top, sink and fixtures - for both baths.

In main bath, well you are right, the gold flecked tiles are a bit outdated. I just kinda felt nostalgic because my childhood home had them. The 72" vanity looks like this long runway and and 1 sink at the end. And for potential resale value I think 2 sinks make more sense. So I will replace that vanity and get 2 sinks, keep the 72" size, and go with granite, or other good look/quality. I think a shower curtain could be ok in there.

Both tub surrounds are tiled, but I was thinking of bringing tile all the way to the ceiling in that area. Yes or no?, it seems to be the trend on TV shows.

Wow, if I get all this done i can move onto bath #3, the "utility bath" off of the garage, currently featuring: dark paneling, orange indoor/outdoor carpet, washer, dryer, toilet, washtub sink (only) and a really old shower stall. Sounds like fun no? Maybe I can move the 36" vanity down there for a regular sink, then again maybe not. It is actually a good sized room, about 7 x 12 feet, but things are arranged awkwardly.

Thanks for the props! Your nickname gives me a big grin.

Just to letcha know, extensive plaster damage, like huge missing areas, can be fixed with a product called "blueboard" and a skimcoat of plaster. (We'll be putting this to the test in our new circa-1900 house because there's some seriously crapola repairs to the lath-and-plaster walls that stick out like a zit on a supermodel. :-) I love the look, the feel, the sound, and even the smell of plaster walls!) Depending on where you live, a veneer plaster job may be competitive with competent drywall taping/mudding, and might even be less than tiling, depending of course on what tile you choose. So you're still not trapped into the tile on the walls if you don't really want it for its own sake. :-) If you do find that you need to take out plaster and have to take the "shortcut" of drywall, check out a product called QuietRock - you won't get the look and feel of plaster, but you'll get the acoustic qualities, which can be durned important especially in a bathroom or parents' room *wink wink nudge nudge*. LOL Anyhoo, nuffadat.

Tile all the way to the ceiling in the tub/shower (or just shower) alcove is very, very practical. Some people like to have the ceiling tiled as well but it makes me claustrophobic - it's a good thing if you have low ceilings and shower-ers who are very tall and liable to splatter the ceiling though. However, if you are leaving the old tile and don't have perfectly matching tile on hand, you're better off leaving it as is because it is likely to look "patched".

You may be SOL with the vinyl flooring; if you perimeter-glued the larger room you may be able to salvage out enough to do the smaller room. Thankfully most vinyls aren't heinously expensive.

When you pull out your vanities and sinks, whatever you're not going to reuse (I like your idea of stashing the 36" one for the "utility bath"), put up on Freecycle so that they can go to a "good home" with someone else who can use them, rather than to the dump. I got rid of a giant bathtub, three sinks, a vanity, medicine cabinet, crapload of (ugly) lighting fixtures and two toilets via Freecycle and people were darn grateful for them. You can find your local lists on "freecycle.org". Or, if you're in an area where there's a Habitat for Humanity ReStore they (sometimes) take items in good condition for reselling; for the building projects they've gotten very picky in recent years and will only accept brand-new items of certain types and styles and in original packaging. If there's no ReStore nearby they probably will not accept "salvaged" stuff. You can also check with the Building Materials Reuse Association to see if there is a recycle/reuse center near you.

The utility bath sounds like a very fun project, actually. I'd be divvying up the two spaces into separate powder and laundry rooms. I'd also be ripping out the indoor-outdoor carpeting immediately, and not waiting for the remodel - yeccch! Lowes carries a flooring that would be great for that space, it's a rubbery matting that comes in interlocking squares, almost like puzzle pieces, that is often used for garage floors. It's great looking and very practical, like if the washer or toilet goes kerflooey you just pick up the squares and let everything dry out. (BTW, our washer literally exploded out the bottom and we had over an inch of water in our laundry room. Thank heavens we were home so we could shut off the water! We had to empty the shop-vac several times and used every towel in the house cleaning up the water. The washer was only about 7 or 8 years old, too.) Hey, I found it, it's called Flexi-Tile.

Oh thanks for replying, I was hoping you would. I might get the whole thing tiled on same surface as before and then tile shower area up to the ceiling. I wouldn't want the ceiling tiled either. I was going to recycle or just see if people wanted leftover sinks or vanities, etc. I think someone could use them for a summer camp or something like that.

I wish I could make a diagram of the utility bath. But here goes for a descriptive tour. The door into room is on a long wall, the wall is 11 or 12 feet long. Opposite that wall from left to right as you face it are: old shower stall 36" x 36" in far left corner, next washing machine with a small window above it, then the utility sink (which actually is handy so I want to keep it) then in the far right corner the toilet. Toilet is attached so back of it is on same wall as sink. Then on the wall to right as you walk in is the dryer, which closes off the toilet somewhat. So when you are sitting on toilet you are looking at side of the dryer. Next to dryer in the corner near the door is the water heater (water heater is opposite corner from shower stall).

About the only space that is available is opposite dryer wall, so i could put a longer shower or tub on that wall and frame it in. The wall opposite washer has a baseboard heater. I think the dryer may have been an afterthought. Can't really picture how to move things around to make them more practical. Switching the toilet and washer could work, but that would be expensive to replumb. The house is a bilevel so this room is lower level, off of the garage, can't imagine the pipes are easy to get at.
Probably getting rid of the utility sink and replacing it with some nicer would help. Maybe this room can be a little ruatic.

So my minimal plan is paint the dark paneling, color depends on floor. Get something better for shower stall. i 've seen that carpet you mentioned, it looks good, so we will go with something like that or vinyl flooring.