Thanks for all your thoughts! homeybird- we did briefly consider the wetroom idea, however, we're in Maine (brrrrrr), this room has 3 exterior walls and a poorly insulated floor, AND we need to be a little more traditional for resale. igloochic- Well, right now there IS no office. That is all part of a gigantically long master bedroom. It's stupid space in my opinion. I work at home and NEED an office, so right now my desk is set up there, open to the bedroom. I HATE it. Hate the computer lights and hum, hate seeing the piles and cords. I want my bedroom to be a calm place to escape and unwind. This house is teeny, so there is NO other place for my office to go. (Plus, we think being able to claim 3BR is a plus for resale. Target market will either be a young family or retired couple. Either way it seems like 2 normal-sized bedrooms and a small nursery or home office is a desireable combo. Honestly, there's no other place in the house where a home office could go....) weedyacres- I'll play around with that but my DH is going to be mad. We're having a heck of a bad year, renovation-wise. We started the kitchen/LR/DR renovation in April and soon discovered some very major drainage problems. We'd hoped to complete the exterior renovations this fall but the money we had to spend on the stupid drainage problems has left us utterly broke. Then DH got temporarily furloughed and I am not working either, and both cars are dying. It's baaaaad. BUT we HAVE to address this bathroom this month because it is -quite literally- making me sick. There is a huge mold problem in there. It's sealed off with painters tape right now because I was so sick from it. DH is going to have to cut a hole in the exterior wall, go in there and start gutting it until he finds the source of the mold (we suspect it is in the insulation, possibly the sheathing and studs, hope not!!). ANYWAY. It is not the best scenario to start a renovation. The kitchen's still not done either. And we're out of money. So we're leery of making too many changes. Even doing it all ourselves, having to reframe and redrywall and trim out all those extra walls is sure to add at least a grand, don't you think? Plus, our Washer & dryer are currently in the north closet...... WEll, I will draw it out and play around with it...... thanks for thinking outseide the box anyway.

thank you, all! that's a great point to be considered, writersblock. We will definitely be trying in person, but when I went looking and trying yesterday with our designer (not DH b/c he was at work), everything I sat in was just long enough for me to stretch out and be comfortable but i was thinking that's not terribly fair to DH. however, the reminder of needing to brace in order to be comfortable is a very important one! I'll have to go back with an eye toward depth. Trying out is a must, but wanted to see if there were brands I should be seeking out for length. Now I guess I'll ask if there are brands I should be seeking out for depth!

I'm trying to think of the brand that sells a mounting block similar to what your plumber is talking about. It's not coming to mind - but you would be able to put it behind the tub and never know its there (depending on the angle of the tub) The other option would be having a small wall built behind or at the end of the tub to house the valve - you could also make this a shelf feature for candles or bath products etc.

@cpartist that's very pretty. Thank you. Obviously my look is not contemporary like you're looking for but I wanted you to see it can be done. I thought about doing a ledge and then wall mount...that way i can have products candles etc... That could be quite attractive. do you find issues cleaning? anything to worry about. It's a bit tight behind my tub but it's doable. I'm glad I didn't get a clawfoot tub so no dirt under the tub. folks tried to talk me out of freestanding. but i just want that look now. i've had drop in for almost 20 years. I'm with you. My last tub was drop in and I do love the look of this one. Was talked out of a free standing in my condo and regretted it. good to know about the faucets.. There are lots of choices. i can't buy tub drilled unless comes with the faucet...is that not an issue? Yes you can. I had the choice at Signature Hardware to have it drilled or not and didn't have to pay for a cheap and poorly made faucet. i read that acrylic retains heat better than cast iron. plus cost. No cast iron holds heat more. Yes cost is an issue. It's a bit more expensive. The other problem is the cast iron tubs are more traditionally styled. My drop in tub was acrylic and it was fine. I was just curious. Here are a few that have tub drillings and no faucets with it: https://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/bathtubs/freestanding-tubs/boyce-freestanding-acrylic-tub-1.html https://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/bathtubs/freestanding-tubs/70-ashington-acrylic-freestanding-tub.html This is the one I have: https://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/bathtubs/freestanding-tubs/67-aiden-cast-iron-dual-tub-on-beveled-plinth.html