I know I probably went overboard, but I have been searching Houzz for shower/tub combos for myself if I decide to go in that direction. Most of these pictures have Master Bath titles - they tend to be small houses or apartments in large cities where space is an issue. They all have a generous sized tub. A few have extra shower bling and even a separate tub filler. All of them have material choices and the level of tile work that you see in a master bathroom. I'm sure that if I searched Houzz I could find just as many, or even more, remodels of small master baths where they have just built a walk in shower. I think the decision to do a shower/tub may be a personal choice because they want a soaking tub - since they are titled Master I'm assuming the bath is not the only bath in the house and they could easily just go with a shower. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/lakewood-bathroom-contemporary-bathroom-denver-phvw-vp~564696) [Contemporary Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2103) by Aurora General Contractors Heritage Home Improvement [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/tamara-mack-design-interiors-traditional-bathroom-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1860108) [Transitional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2112) by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Tamara Mack Design [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/jackson-hole-residence-rustic-bathroom-portland-phvw-vp~1116073) [Rustic Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/rustic-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2111) by Portland Architects & Designers Howells Architecture + Design, LLC [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/bath-traditional-bathroom-charlotte-phvw-vp~1153799) [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Charlotte Architects & Designers Don Duffy Architecture [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/tile-showers-traditional-bathroom-houston-phvw-vp~1597876) [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Lake Jackson Kitchen & Bath Remodelers JC Remodeling & Restoration, LLC [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/icon-development-tofino-job-contemporary-bathroom-vancouver-phvw-vp~2443799) [Contemporary Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2103) by Nanaimo Tile, Stone & Countertops City Tile [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/riverside-drive-super-groovy-masterpiece-contemporary-bathroom-new-york-phvw-vp~2456534) [Contemporary Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2103) by New York General Contractors Rusk Renovation [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/burns-park-addition-and-remodeling-2000-and-2006-traditional-bathroom-detroit-phvw-vp~374078) [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Canton Architects & Designers Studio Z Architecture [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/erica-islas-silverlake-contemporary-bathroom-los-angeles-phvw-vp~190979) [Contemporary Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2103) by Culver City Interior Designers & Decorators Erica Islas / EMI Interior Design, Inc. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/hall-bathroom-traditional-bathroom-new-york-phvw-vp~678390) [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by New York Interior Designers & Decorators Nathan Cuttle Design [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/master-bathroom-highrise-new-york-city-contemporary-bathroom-new-york-phvw-vp~89484) [Contemporary Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2103) by New York Photographers Vanni Archive/Architectural Photography [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/carnegie-hill-residence-traditional-bathroom-new-york-phvw-vp~204853) [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by New York Architects & Designers Incorporated[[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/upper-west-side-nyc-apartment-renovation-transitional-bathroom-new-york-phvw-vp~6968329) [Transitional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2112) by New York Architects & Designers John M Reimnitz Architect PC div> [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mediterranean-bathroom-mediterranean-bathroom-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1042841) [Mediterranean Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mediterranean-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2109) [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/nyc-bathrooms-traditional-bathroom-phvw-vp~7215764) [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by New York Design-Build Firms DELUXE Design & Construction [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/cat-mountain-greenbelt-homes-austin-tx-transitional-bathroom-austin-phvw-vp~834553) [Eclectic Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2104) by Austin General Contractors Greenbelt Construction This post was edited by Anna_in_TX on Tue, Feb 11, 14 at 6:40

I think, Steve, that you are assuming that a soaking tub must be enormous, to think that your 5'2" wife wouldn't be able to get in and out easily. It ain't necessarily so, to quote the old song. I'm the same height, with osteoarthritis in back (due to old back injuries), hip, and a buncha other joints along with severe fibromyalgia and I soak in my clawfoot tub at least once a day. Can barely walk if I don't. With the clawfoot I'm able to hold the rim to get in and out of the tub easily even though the rim is nearly 24" off the floor; with a more conventional tub you could install grab bars (there are many attractive ones now, they're not all so institutional-looking) or if you wanted a tub with a deck, make the deck wide enough and solid enough to sit on and swing one's legs in. From a therapeutic and and physiological POV, simple moist heat is a lot more important than the thumpety-thump of jets - 20 minutes of moist heat (aka a soaking tub) softens tight fascia/ligaments/tendons, relaxes muscle spasms, increases circulation. You need those 20 minutes though, less doesn't cut it. (This information comes from the chronic pain clinic I go to, my previous pain clinic in Boston, my husband's massage therapy training - he is certified but is not practicing at this time - and my physical therapist.) A 20 minute shower with body jet use runs through a LOT of hot water unless you have a recirculating shower unit with a built-in heater to keep the water hot (Kohler makes one but I hear it's pricey, like several thousand dollars just for the unit kind of pricey); without a recirculating system you would also need a water heater capable of supplying a good 200+ gallons to take a multidirectional shower that long and mighty deep pockets to pay the water and water-heating bills! I too think whirlpools are disgusting things - once I saw the gunk that collected in the pipes, I was cured of ever wanting one, and when we tore the PO's whirlpool out we did not get another. Cleaning (or more particularly rinsing, since you have to refill the tub above the level of the jets) uses a lot of water, which I consider pretty wasteful. I tried out an airbath and frankly wasn't that impressed, but you might want to try one and see what you think of it; some people are really thrilled with the Sanijet pipeless whirlpools but I have been hearing some less than positive things about their quality control and customer service, and for their prices both should be impeccable. IMO there must be at least one good tub, not one of these pansya$$ oversized shower receptors with a 9" water depth, somewhere in the house. We have been househunting for the last couple of months and bypassed at least a half-dozen houses that I'm sure were nice otherwise because they only had 3/4 baths instead of full baths. The 1 1/2 bath house we picked has a pretty uncomfortable tub, but it's there, it's almost deep enough, and I can tolerate it while we come up with the money to replace it.

No, you were right first time on the Mariposa with 66". We were talking about changing the walls by flipping the relevant studs so give a little more room, or moving the whole wall out a couple of inches which we could do.... for a price. I think the problem is we are doing too much at once - kitchen, bathroom, a ton of painting and stuff in other rooms, painting the whole outside of the house, about to have a baby, deal with a pool for the first time and just moved in. I am probably not on top of the details in the way I should be. There are just 10 million decisions that have to be made all at once. Really struggling with tile decisions too. I am trying to stay as on top of it as I can but it's hard to catch all these details. Do you have any comments on the size of the vanity? We need to decide between a 60" or 72" vanity. For reference this is a big house - the master bath is surprisingly small for the sie of the home. The other two bathrooms both have double sinks.... and both will be bigger than the master bath sinks, no matter what we do. The guest bathroom has a 92" vanity (which is a bit big TBH, we need 2 of everything we share because we can't reach the other side), and the small bathroom has a 77" vanity. We've been looking at these 3 mainly: These are 72": and this one is 60":

Thanks so much for the suggestions and advice. I am concerned about being able to get the tub close enough for a faucet reach but far away enough to clean. Unfortunately, a floor mount is not ideal since we're on a concrete slab. A wall mount would be a much easier install. It would be on a wall backing up to the master closet, so I think we could also have a panel to access the plumbing. I really like the Newport brass fixture, although it's a bit more modern than fixtures we've used in the other bathrooms. I would like to use a readily available brand name so parts are replaceable.