I posted this same question to Bill about a month ago and over on John Bridge's board. What I was told was it is annoying, yes but not AWFUL. I have a point in my shower where the water pools about the size of a bread plate, not deep but pools. I have discovered it takes about 10 seconds in the AM to squeege it down the drain. I have also found that if I towel off first and brush my teeth and THEN do the shower clean up, it is a smaller puddle. Bottom line, I clean my shower RELIGIOUSLY daily with a wipe down to dry it etc. and spend 10 extra seconds on the floor. Not a thing I even think about anymore.....

it is a moen assembly sorry I don't know the actual valve models--no paperwork on that from the original owners and the plumber took the info I used to order the part--the part I ordered/replaced was 1423 Balancing spool Moentrol maybe something like this for the two-head control http://www.moen.com/products/T4111ORB ours is oil-rubbed bronze and it is installed with the lever at the top and the pull-out valve under it which looks the opposite of the Moen site photo the info on the Moen site says that it should turn from 'full cold to full hot' but there are stops the plumber came back out and said that when he put in the balancing spool he had opened the hot stop all the way and that if he closed the cool stop that it would not do any good because the balancing spool would basically just reduce the flow of water to make sure the balance of hot/cold stayed the same... he said that there is movement underway to basically take the choice out of amount of hot water coming through faucets and showers--that safety of not burning/scalding people is overriding someone's desire to have a 'HOT' shower... when I asked about replacing the valve/lever with one that would swing right/left to allow me to regulate the balance of hot/cold... he said it would be too expensive to actually change the control to that type of fixture because we would have to open up the shower wall--take out tile--replace it... so we are basically stuck with either setting the water heater to higher temp because that will bring hotter water to the mix and will be expensive choice or just learning to live with it like it is I plan to take a shower in the two upstairs showers and see if their water is hotter than the one downstairs--- he said that the master shower is probably farther from the water heaters--and it might be farther than the other downstairs shower by just a little...which would influence the water temp at the head... both water heaters are upstairs and closer to those showers... it is just very frustrating to find out that something we really did not consider all that much would become so frustrating... I don't take long showers--and I don't use the big tub at all--don't consider that I waste water compared to larger families or people who take a 15 min shower...so this irks me to no end-- our old house with its old shower had wonderful hot water and I am really going to miss it... Here is a link that might be useful: shower valve

With a tub/shower combo, I am a huge proponent of curved shower rod and curtain over glass doors. It makes for a much more comfortable shower. With that layout, it will be easier to enter and exit as well. Shower curtains can be left open to show the tile. You can use them as a decorative element of the bathroom as well and they are easy to just throw in the wash and clean from time to time making them much lower maintenance than any glass door. (Squeegeeing after every shower with glass to make it easy to clean later I still feel is a hassle). Double shower hooks make for easy hanging and removal of both a liner and curtain. For a higher end look, you can put your rod at ceiling height and make a custom curtain that extends to the floor. This is not what I personally prefer as it makes it more difficult to put up and take down and since you do not have a light in the shower would make your shower too dark.

A lot of showers are built without moisture barriers, although I think it's cutting a corner. I ripped out a 3 year old shower in my previous house that didn't have a moisture barrier and there wasn't a lick of mold (ripped it out to change the tile, not because of mold or moisture problems). I am going to guess that the wall tile is set in cement board, which is water resistant, which is why builders don't use a barrier, but not waterproof. As for the floor, using tar to waterproof the pan is routine, you should be ok. Again, I think the bigger concern is whether tile will pop loose on the floor.