Great to see your name on a post! Don't be a stranger. Now that you've got high speed access you can zip right through these forums.

We had heard that Toto was not going to be selling residential tubs anymore. Hope that's not true--our 1525's are really nice tubs (read about them here on GW). If you can still get a Toto tub I think you'll be happy with it! FWIW, we have a Kohler cast iron shower pan in our guest bathroom and it's nice, too.

Re the question about pit bulls and rottweilers: Watch Animal Cops and Animal Precinct on the Animal Planet channel. The majority of dogs taken in because of owners not being to handle them are pits, with rotties second. The majority of dogs that the SPCAs on those shows have to euthanize are again, pits and rotties. Someone may be able to mention a collie or beagle that turned vicious and attacked, but it would be extremely unusual. Pit bull breeding is out of control - these dogs are sought for their aggressive behavior. I don't know if the same is true for rottweilers, but you couldn't pay me to have this breed around children or the elderly for any reason. Dogs are by nature aggressive and territorial. No amount of training can get rid of this instinct. It may never appear in overt behavior, but it's always there. I would never bring my children to a home with untrustworthy dogs, not even that of my parents. I would also not leave an older child alone with a dog unless that child had proven that he was the alpha creature in that relationship and was used to handling the dog. Here in California pit bulls have made virtually all the attacks reported over the past several years. That is, with the exception of the two presa canarios who killed a thirty-year old woman in San Francisco a few years ago.

Since you have chlorine in the water, can I assume you will have city water? Start with the city water report - can you link to it or copy it here? That way we can see what your raw water looks like and go from there. At first glance, you are making a very tall order. All of what you are asking for is possible. However, it won't be very practical unless money is truly no object and you have lots of space for water treatment equipment. Second, if you want to remove VOCs and pharmaceuticals, you need to know how much is actually in your water. You will need to find a certified lab and ask them about sampling and testing procedures. You can find certified water labs on your state's web site or by calling you city's water treatment facility. Chlorine and VOCs are relatively easy to remove with a carbon filter. IF VOCs are high enough, you would likely need aeration in addition to the carbon filter. The filter would look much like a softener, with a tank and a valve on top to control periodic backwashing. Flouride: A reverse osmosis will remove flouride. However, you have stated a desire to keep the minerals in your water and this is where you run into a bit of a problem. Activated alumina filters do exist for flouride removal. However, they are expensive - $50-$60 per cartridge and should be replace every three months. Additionally, If you want to ensure they remove all of the flouride, pH should be between 5 and 6. Your water pH will be higher. So, to make these work really well, you would need to inject acid to drop pH, run through the filter, then inject base to bring pH back up. Alternatively, you install reverse osmosis for drinking and get your minerals from your food. Softener: This one is easy, but in order to ensure it will work correctly and is size properly, the following analysis is needed: pH, TDS, hardness, iron, manganese, sulfides. Hopefully your city's water report will contain the necessary information. Pharmaceuticals: For drinking water, the reverse osmosis I mentioned previously will take care of it. You can install the RO in a central location and install a drinking water faucet at every sink throughout the home. However, removing trace pharmaceuticals from the water from your entire home will be impractical and expensive with no discernible benefit. That's not to say it can't be done. BUT, you would need a commercial-sized RO unit, a large atmospheric water storage tank, UV or other disinfection after the tank, a pump to move the water through your home, integrated control systems and the know-how to run it all. Realize also that these units will have about a 60% recovery rate - for every gallon of water they make, 2/3 of a gallon goes down the drain. Further, all of the piping in your home would have to be plastic - absolutely no copper. All of the above can be obtained from local water treatment dealers. However, if you do decide you want to do all of it, you do not want to deal with just any dealer. You need a company and a rep that routinely deals with commercial buildings and light industry.