If you leave all the underlayments as they are (lathe, plaster and mortar) and then add more mortar and new tile, you will end up having to change all the trim around the doors, baseboard and window. The new mortar and tile will increase the depth of the walls, which will throw the profile of the existing trim out of whack. However, if you tackle the removal of it all, you'll have to deal with the same thing. The good news about removing it all is that you'll increase the size of your bathroom by the thickness of it all - a couple of inches in each direction:) We are also in an old bungalow and gutting our 4' x 5' master bath is on our to do list. One thing that we're including in our planning is our furnace. Why? Because the chimney comes up from the basement behind the bathroom wall and out thru the roof. When we redo the bathroom, we'll also be getting a new furnace which is energy efficient and side vents out the basement, eliminate the chimney and then add the space that the chimney currently occupies into the area of the bathroom. Don't know if you have a basement or how your furnace is set up. This may be food for thought...

I had a day like that...started off by stepping cat puke on my way to the shower, car wouldn't start..used the other one, it was on empty and when I went to leave my first job, I went out and the tire was flat. Got it to the tire place after making a ton of phone calls, but then when I got to my second job, my cell phone wasn't in my pocket. Called the tire place, and it was in my car thank goodness. Things were fine, until I got home. Friend called to ask if I could peel 5 dozen eggs she had boiled for her son's reception the next day. Surrrrre I said. Went to get them from her house, and my niece who was staying with me got stung by a bee, so we had to peel all the eggs with the doors an windows shut in a non airconditioned trailer in 90 degree heat. That was lovely. Oh, it just went on and on and on and on......one stupid thing after another. It was so unbelievable I had to write it all down. But.........at the end of the day, my other car started and ran just fine, my tire was fixed and nothing was permanently damaged. All I could do was raise my hands in the air and ask "What the hell was that all about????" And, yes, it WAS just like the book Alexander's horrible etc etc day. So much so, my cousin found the book and mailed it to me. It was absofreakinlutely crazy. So.....hopefully one day, you can look back on this and know that if you can get through this, you can do pretty much anything! And that makes you a mighty powerful woman :)

"We will not be redoing the whole shower and will turn to the manufacturers if there are problems down the road as we followed their directions carefully. Project done!" I'm happy to read that the initial problem resolved itself. Folks here can come across to newcomers as a bit overzealous, but it's only because we see so many failed showers on these forums. Do understand, that both Wonderboard and Durock, two of the most common basic cement boards, do recommend you add some sort of added waterproofing when installing the product in wet areas. The boards themselves, being made from "cement", are not damaged themselves by moisture. But because they are porous, moisture can pass through them and into the framing bays behind the walls. With any installation, as long as any moisture that may get into the cement board during the wetting cycle (taking a shower) can evaporate during the drying cycle (no one taking a shower), then in general, all will be well. It's when there are successive accumulations of moisture, with moisture absorbing in to the wall faster than it can evaporate out, that problems can occur. That written, I hope it works out and they're able to enjoy the shower. Looks like they did a thoughtful job with the tile installation. The basket weave insert on the back wall looks terrific. If the niche and shower head wall was not waterproofed, have them keep an eye on that wall, especially the tile on the bottom half of it. As well as keeping an eye on whatever rooms (if any) are behind and below that shower head wall. Since the niches are on the shower head wall, the niches will see a bit of water. The first negative indication will usually be a darkening of the tiles (moisture absorption) that does not seem to go away in the niche bottoms, as well as down low on the niche wall. It'll look similar to the darkening of the tiles in your first photo. It'll be because the tiles are absorbing moisture from behind, and with the tiles sealed on the front, it's a bit more difficult for the moisture to evaporate out of the tile. Most sealers are vapor permeable, so the moisture vapor should be able to get out...it may just be slowed by the sealer. Some marbles have iron deposits within the stone. Iron plus repeated moisture can result in iron oxide..."rust". If they notice any signs of yellowish/orange/brown discoloration in the tiles, that could be an indication that the tiles are holding moisture and iron oxide is forming within the thickness of the tile. Another indicator can be the caulk used between the tub and the tile at the bottom of the shower head wall. If excess moisture does get in to that wall, it can collect behind the caulk. With moisture trapped behind the caulk, the caulk can become problematic. Discolored, soft, etc. Depends on what type of caulk was used. So, there's a fair amount of negative information in my post. Hopefully they won't see anything bad occur with this tub surround. On the plus side, the premixed grouts are typically more impervious to water penetration than cement-based grouts. That's a big check mark in your family's favor that will help limit moisture absorption in to the wall. Hope it all works out. It's a pretty installation.

I believe the difference in color is too great with the white and brown. Why? 3 reasons 1. The products that are cemented to the building you will not redo anytime soon. Messy , dirty, expensive and just not worth the trouble  2. When you add a product to the building structure. Windows , floors they must last a long time. Durability, wear and tear, and STYLE. All equal a story of when the home was designed.  The look over a period of time 10 years + and the home will become "out of date" Needs a face lift . 3. The homes we admire, the Museums, Churches, Libraries, Opera House have one common thread. At a glance they are timeless. Built in 1940, 1990 etc  The crystal clear item is not seen  For this reason I would not go "trendy". Generally our first choice is the right one. Simple and elegant  How do you change this ad time moves on. Color Bedroom a change of bedspread. Bathroom towels become a dark navy or  deep forest green. Yellow for spring  Paint a wall blue, hang a piece of art  The change is simple and your money well spent for resale  Take a moment to do another board  Remove the brown and replace with a neutral. Try an Odegard runner - There are so many options  Enjoy