As far as grab bars go my gut take on all of them is this; They look to industrial and remind me of public toilets - for the most part, cheap and hospital like. I sourced an excellent supplier here in Canada that can custom make them for me in any size. These custom grab bars are pricy but worth the money. I also received a package from GreatGrabz showcasing their complete product line and this company has some tasteful good looking grab bars - Are all these ADA approved - I'm not sure. Can they stable you if you slip or loose your balance? I bet yes. I install extra blocking for all my clients in the 50 - 70 year age range and we discuss this in concept stage. There is no need to install grab bars until you need them, but at the first sign of dizzy spells, new medication or an injury a grab bar can not only keep you in your home longer - it can save your life. Order your grab bars so that they, your glass door handle and towel bars all look the same - this adds to the upscale look and a cheap grab bar doesn't cheapen the whole ensuite. If your building a shower bench it's nice to pull up with a grab bar as you get older. I made the mistake of installing my last one on a 45 degree angle and this is not to code. I offered to change it (my cost) but my client loves it as is. I can't get my 83 year old Nana to allow me to install more grab bars in her shower (I fixed a botched install a number of years back when she hired a Medical Supply Store to upgrade her Burnaby home.) - she wants them when she is old she says.... :) If you can upload a picture of your bathroom layout it will be much easier to advise on best location. The ADA guidelines are very specific and have been time tested for sure. Extra grab bars or hand held location for getting in and out are key. If you have a shampoo niche a place to grab and hold on will reaching for shampoo is a good idea as well. If you want the best - remove the curb, build a wet room with level access shower entry, add in grab bars and built it right the first time. If you build your next bathroom to last into your golden years you will be so happy you spent the extra $5,000 grand or so to make it perfect. I have replaced showers with 4" curbs that clients could not step over - think about that a 4" curb in your shower is to high to get in. To shower with this bad hip involves being driven to the local pool to shower in a public wet room. Not me... I'm 41 and building my curbless shower as we speak. For younger and older couples alike who have the time and desire to shower together - Grab bars can only open up new options in bathing department - I'll leave this where it belongs - with your imagination! Here is a link that might be useful: Great Grabz

I love the niches! Though your mom's looks built-out, not recessed between the studs. I could do that, even with the pocket door, but it would have to be very shallow as there is only 11" from the wall to the tub at the closest point. I also love the windows all the way to the deck - wish mine were lower (maybe not all the way down, but so that I could see out when sitting) but I lost the battle on that window and the one over the kitchen sink - I kept putting in bigger windows and they kept changing the plans, every time a study plan came back it had the smaller windows in again so I figured there was a structural reason and gave up. I could take out the linen closet - I've never liked linen closets in bathrooms, always take out lowest shelf to slide a hamper in and use the rest to stock up on shampoos and soaps - towels go in hallway linen closet where they won't get musty. I just need to keep a column at the front corner of the linen closet near the tub, there is a vent pipe running there - though maybe it could be relocated to the opposite wall of the closet, that is shared with the toilet/shower compartment, that's a thick wall anyway b/c of another pocket door (that slides in the opposite side - b/t the shower and the vanity which I'm not crazy about but I don't think I'm into trying to gut the unfinished bathroom around the brand-new tub and shower. Anyway, code says the controls have to be accessible from outside the tub, so faucets definitely have to go in front corner if I don't tear out the linen closet and box out around that vent pipe. I could forgo the handshower completely but it is convenient for rinsing hair and for rinsing the tub after cleaning (which I have to get into to tub to wipe so I usually clean just before or after using the tub). I could just return this small handshower and get a slightly larger one (with multiple settings!) that could mount on the deck and then I don't have to put it right in the middle, on the acrylic rim. I don't really like a big spout right near my face, would have to try it out and make sure it was far enough away not to be claustrophobic (or a hazard!) if I put it at the head of the tub instead of by the drain. The hot and cold water lines are the ones that would require 6ft hoses from the shutoff valves to the faucet handles/valves, the handshower is fine since it won't be that far from the spout (even when I had planned on it being opposite end, I just figured I'd put a 10-ft braided washing machine hose on). Maybe I will put a grab bar under the window - have to see if it really helps getting up/out. But if I were to put on on the deck for assistance getting in (I've only got a 30" inseam and the deck will be about 20" from finished floor), where would you suggest I put it? Thanks

Good luck Drake. There is no inground custom bathtub outa concrete industry, manual or design tome. Just get in there and build what you think best.

The overwhelming majority of demographics for your complex would prefer a great shower versus a mediocre tub/shower. Aging people who want to age in place need a shower - and as large as possible because stepping over a tub becomes increasingly problematic. Design with both function (bench and as many grab bars as possible to be reachable anywhere in the shower). While many older people are nimble up to a certain point, there are also periods when they might not be able to bathe and among my senior friends many have given up baths even if they previously enjoyed them because of difficulty of getting up from the tub. While you might lose a buyer who absolutely demands a tub in the master, the greater number will appreciate a great shower. And, if someone really wants a tub experience as critical, chances are they would prefer a larger soaking experience versus a tub/shower combo which doesn't provide the best experience for bathing or showering.