umm, seattlemike and sippimom, what do you mean glass is a mess to keep clean? Do you just mean waterspots and soap splash? coz I could live with that, maybe hit it with windex and a squeege once a week. Now, the pink stuff growing at the bottom of my shower curtain that won't bleach out--that's gross to me. Of course I like the look of crystal clear glass, but if I don't expect it to look that way every day, I think I could live with glass. Years ago I was at a friend's dad's house. He was a very successful businessman and it was a multimillion dollar mansion. Very interesting to see all the do dads inside. He had a spacious 270 degree glass shower. She showed me the squeege he used HIMSELF to clean the shower every morning when he was done. I'll never forget that; all that money, and he still cleaned his own shower every day. So i guess my question is, if my goal is not crystal clear but just avoiding a mold collage, how hard will maintenance be?

I agree with moccasinlanding that you should prioritize the floor over the shower door. IMO it's fine to use different tiles for the shower floor and the rest of the floor, as long as the tiles coordinate well. However, if they don't, the floors will end up being an eyesore that would be difficult and expensive to re-do. As for the shower door/curtain choice, if money were no object, I'd prefer a glass door any day. Shower curtains are a nuisance and an on-going expense. I use a pair of clear liners around my clawfoot tub. I try to get extra heavy, mildew-resistance ones, but even so, they don't last long -- I'm lucky to get a year out of them. I can wash them in my washer once or twice before they either tear or the grommets rust out. (You'd think that someone would make shower curtains with water-resistant grommets, but no.) Finding decent shower curtain liners at a reasonable price (If I had a regular show/tub combo, I'd use a glass shower screen instead of a curtain or full-width glass doors. They're available in fixed (non-moving), pivoting, and folding styles. They look like they'd be easier to keep clean than shower doors, and you wouldn't feel so boxed in when you take a bath. Here is a link that might be useful: Pivoting Glass Shower Screens

You have a BIG problem with the width of the room - 84" is just not enough to have a door into the room and fixtures down both 96" walls. To move around comfortably - get out of tub or shower, stand up from the toilet, turn around from the sink - you really need to have at least 32 -36". (Realistically, not a code bare minimum which makes you feel like you are trapped in the space) 32" door way with basic trim will take up 36-37". That only leaves you with 47 inches to play with (assuming you are up for moving the door AND window.) The narrowest tub will be about 30". Now you only 17" on the opposite wall from door to wall for sink & toilet. You might sneak a narrow sink vanity in but not the standard depth 22 " and a 17" is very very iffy -doubt you would find one. Toilets come out from the wall 28". Than that would only leave 26" to the tub or shower. Impossible. Can NOT be done. Getting a 36 x 36 shower in there is impossible. That 84" wall - 37" door &trim = 47" left - 36" shower = 11 inches left = NO sink and NO toilet (they would be opposite the shower & tub) BTW 36" is the interior size on a shower. You might still have to allow for the framing on the shower side next to the tub - easily cost you 4 1/2".....a 55" tub? Definitely hard to find. Even if you come down a 96" wall with a shower and short tub and then across the 84" wall (with window) with the end of the tub, the toilet and sink, you still DO NOT have enough space. 84" - 30" tub end = 54" - 30" toilet (that is what is allowed from side to side so there is shoulder room - 24 inches. 24" is not enough to get into the sink without more shoulder space. Way way cramped. Going tub 30" then 24" sink (pedestal?) and then 30" for toilet space.......possible but that means moving the window somewhere else. You can not fit all that stuff in that room - it is impossible. To do what you want (36" x 36 shower, 5' tub, vanity & toilet on opposite wall) you would need a room that is minimum 95" -96" wide (not 84) and 101 1/2" (not 96) Now there might be way....and triple the cost because of semi-custom or specialty stuff (1) Move the door so from one 96" wall it is 28" to the door and from the other 96" wall it is 19" to the door (2) Move the window (do not put it in a shower - been there dealt with that and all the tile, mortar and caulking in the world won't keep water from leaking into the wall and window trim.) The window will end up over the end of the tub. (3) On the 96" wall that is 28" from the doorway it goes down the side from the door wall like this: 30" for toilet 66" long soaking tub (faucets on tub rim or wall) Don't waste space with a drop in that needs tile around its top edges - go with one that is stand-alone (double-ended clawfootish type maybe http://www.signaturehardware.com/67-aiden-cast-iron-dual-tub-on-beveled-plinth.html If you really want to go wild, Kohler makes whirlpool tubs that are 60x30 to 60 x 32 to 66x 32 http://www.us.kohler.com/us/browse/bathroom-bathing/_/N-255vZ4rZ4sZ5hZ5iZ1z141pw Some are apron front and others are drop in but you just frame under the lip and don't lose any space with tiling around the tub edges. (4) on the 96" wall that is 19" from the doorway it goes down the side from the door like this * 60" long 18" -19" deep vanity (yeah they make them - here is an example http://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/bathroom-vanities/59-dumont-double-basin-vanity-cabinet-wenge.html That is a double basin. They are called "Narrow vanities" That leaves 36" on that wall down to the 84" far wall. From the corner of that 96" wall and 84" back wall there is 51-52 inches to the tub across the 4" outside back wall * Here is where the custom built shower goes. It will 36 x 50/51 if you glass it in or 36 x 47 1/2 if the end next to the tub needs a supporting wall OR the standard 36x4 shower Now 36 x 50-52 is not standard. If you go to a standard 36 x48 tile ready base, you can get a standard 36 x 48 glass enclosure. Here is the base pan that you then tile http://www.tileredi.com/single-curb-shower-pan-with-center-drain-36x48-p3648cpvc and here is the enclosure http://www.build.com/vigo-vg605148/s741109?uid=1350617&gclid=COWgxsu5hcwCFYM2aQodATkBPQ&source=gg-gba-pla_1350617____49842552319&s_kwcid=AL!4215!3!49842552319!!!g!79246577688! (Plenty of room to get in the shower is 48" you vanity is 18 -19 and the shower door on the far left is 22 7/8. Vanity will not be in the way of the door opening. The shower 36 x 50-52 can have a door of 30 -32" but that means custom. ) Going with the standard 36 x48 leaves up to 36 inches to do a drop in tub and have a bit of tile show around it on top If you don't want the glass - way much windex - you could use the shower curtain ring like on clawfoot tubs that mounts on the long side of the tub. Maybe this kind of thing? http://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/shower/clawfoot-tub-shower-enclosures/side-mount-add-a-shower-kit-with-hand-shower-and-ring.html or this one http://www.signaturebath.com/shower-rods/122x-corner-shower-rods.html which - per its specs - can be cut down so it will be 36 x 48 Tileredi makes shower bases for all ready for tiling. Most big box stores have them. Another brand is KBRS - and while they have standard sizes, they will custom make them if you need something odd. (Very nice people to work with) This is way more work - moving a door and an exterior window but you get * 66" soaking tub or whirlpool * 36 x 50-52 " shower or 36 x 48 shower * 60" double vanity With all those specialty things, if you can steal 13" from a room parallel to the 96" walls, you would save money and be able to fit the 36 shower followed by 55" clawfootish type on one side and a 66" vanity on the other with the toilet at the end. Might be a lot cheaper as you could use standard off the shelf stuff instead of specialty things if you could move the wall if you can steal the space. You would only have to move the door and not the window.

Lauren, I miss that bathroom every day! I'm not going to be able to recreate it or really anything much like it here, sadly... due to the single bathroom's size and layout we are stuck with niche-tub-with-shower (I prefer baths, DH prefers showers) and for structural reasons we can only do acrylic. Waaah. No tile on the floor, either, since there's too much deflection and it would raise the floor height enough to create a real trip hazard anyway. I hope to distract with a cool wallpaper frieze, awesome lighting fixtures, and an antique vanity. Still, that'll be a few years away (more waaah) since we spent a lot outside this year and a chunk of our cash-on-hand lately has gone to help various family members survive this economy. (This house HAD no full bathroom until early 2007, when PO-the-flipper put one in with the cheapest possible junk that's already showing definite wear, including the most uncomfortable tub in the universe. A previous resident told us that the narrow front hallway had been blocked off and a toilet, sink, and tiny metal stall shower had been shoehorned in there - she said it was a real horror.)