The vertical wall seams crack more readily because the house shifts and moves. Ive tried grouting only and going back to caulk with sanded grout caulk or silicon only after a crack develops, hoping in some cases it will not. Sometimes it does not crack. Some contractors caulk all seams as a matter of course, no callbacks, safer. I liked the idea of sanded grout caulk to match your grout color It has not held up for me in wet conditions, such as the top of the bathtub where the wall tile starts, etc. , definitely not along the shower floor where the wall tile starts. It has held up in other areas though, and looks nicer when it all ties in. I agree, mildew on silicon is unsightly. Every bathroom has different conditions, including ventilation, moisture, etc. Some people have to clean out and recaulk the silicon every year or two. Whether its allegedly mildewproof silicon or not.

"I could also just get a pull-down faucet for the sink and aim it at the tub to fill it." You could - but you won't like it. The most one of those will fill is 2.2 gallons a minute - some less that that. Divide your tub's capacity by that and you're looking at 20 minutes to fill +/- Not good. beekeeper - I have one of these and have placed more than half a dozen in projects over the past few years. What you get for your money is a machined brass body that mounts in the ceiling or wall and a plated trim piece. The body is a substantial piece of hardware and chrome,brass, nickel plating costs $$$ too. Whether that's all worth 500 + bucks, is up to you. Like davidro says, it doesn't matter what the delivery system is, this is just an opening for hot water to come out of, albeit one with a bit of engineering. GD & Spanish - the splashing is very much dependent on the mounting height of the unit AND the tub selected AND the location of the water column inside the tub. Mine hardly splashes at all. The ones I have seen that splash only do so for a minute or so until their is enough of a pool in the tub to counteract it. Flat bottom tubs with tall ceilings are going to splash more than one from 7' into a sloped contact point in the tub. Besides , we're talking water in a bathroom, generally tiled so what's the big deal ??? It's not like the amount of splash is the same as taking a shower and leaving the door open. 2. While you are correct in that "the water cools off much more than it would from just a regular tub filler", it's not as if it cools off enough for anyone without a thermometer to tell a difference, and a very sensitive one at that! Sure the air cools the water more from a stream falling from 8 feet than one falling from two feet. But bath water that is 100 + degrees is not going to cool down to 90 deg. in the xtra 1-2 seconds it takes it to fall from the ceiling- get real. Additionally , that filler produces a very dense column of water (laminar) that has little to no air in it, so one might argue it will be hotter and less prone to heat loss than a "regular" filler that introduces room temp air into it's stream - thus cooling it off on it's way to the tub. So don't worry Spanish -your tub will still be plenty hot with that filler if you choose it. IT'S A NON -ISSUE people. I've already alluded to the real issue for lower tub temps - FILL TIME. That's directly related to the delivery system ( valve). If your valve and accompanying filler will only deliver 5 gallons a minute it's going to take a while to fill an 80 gallon tub, and there will be some heat loss. Select a valve that delivers 20 gallons a minute and you can be soaking quicker that most people can undress. Here is a link that might be useful: laminar valve body - see page 2

I have a few questions on putting in a large soak tub; It is a drop-in with a lip of 3". How much counter surface is need around it? It is a tight fit in the space available. Access comfort and level of the tub? Does sinking it below floor level and putting a 6" step in front help? Other options? Just thinking of old age which is not far around the corner. What do people like. Any strong preferences for cable drive vs. lift & turn waste and overflow? Is the big price difference worth the cable drive? Anyone with experience with mosaic tile over wood tub? What goes under the tile/grout to keep it from leaking?

This long and narrow bathroom reminds me of the one I grew up with in Brooklyn. It had the same problems you are facing. I highly doubt there is a radiator in this bathroom. The OP can comment if it exists or not. The large diameter steam pipe in the corner is a typical set up for bathrooms in old buildings. There is probably one thermostat controlling the heat for the entire building. The apartment above does not get to set its own temperature. How warm you apartment is in the winter is determined by what floor you live on. I agree if this is the only bathroom then it should to have a tub. I am not sure if re-configuring the tub is going to lower the resale value on a $1M+ coop in NYC. Putting up the wall between the tub and the sink makes the shower more functional. But it will make the bathroom look smaller and block some of the light from the window. I still think if you are going to move the tub the something like this one at Home Depot could work. It is 6 inches shorter than a normal tub. You will need 54 inches from stud to stud which may be possible once the plaster and lathe are removed from the walls. You could install the tub 8-10 inches away from the window wall. A shelf could be built between the tub and the wall and covered with tile. That becomes a place to hold your shampoo bottles and soap dish. Most of the steam pipe would still be exposed and will keep the bathroom warm even with the shower curtain closed. The shower head and controls stay on the same wall. This will open the space to put in a 36 - 48 in vanity with a granite counter top and a wider medicine cabinets and better lighting. That will give you ample storage space. Something that was not an issue when this bathroom was laid out 100 years ago. Have you asked any of your neighbors if they have remodeled their bathrooms? It would be helpful to get ideas and see how they dealt with these challenges.