Well, phooey. I taped it out in the bathroom with blue tape last night and it looked like it would fit, but with too many nos, I'm back to the drawing board. Interesting thought, Vix. Right now we don't actually have a toilet room, so much as a separate toilet "area" (there's no door, and the closet takes up too much room to add a door), but it's on my agenda to create one. In our house, it's very necessary. I generally use that bathroom to try to FIND privacy, only to have 3 people (and sometimes the dog) follow me into the bathroom. I'm looking forward to having a door that locks and a fan so that I don't have two little people handing me the TP and asking whether I'm doing number 1 or 2 (oh, and the 1 year old likes to flush while I'm ON the pot; so I've got my own special cold water washlet), while DH decides that he absolutely has to shave and brush his teeth at that exact moment. Now if I take a hike to the guest bath on the other side of the house, all three just follow me AGAIN. Sometimes when I have insisted on locking the door in the guest bath (no way to do that with our LOUVERED -- why??? -- pocket door in the master), my one year old plopped down prostrate outside the door and cried until I open the door. For my W/C, I want to put in a LOUD fan; no whisper quiet for me. Maybe I'll even add a radio. :) The way I'm seeing it, I can either get rid of the long vanity altogether and live with a fairly small vanity, plus a tub and shower, I can skip the tub and live with the kids' bathroom on the third level as the only room with a tub, or we can bump out that weird corner jog, which would give us an additional 49'' X 27'' space -- enough to fit a 5X3 tub, 5X3 shower and keep the two vanities. But that sounds very expensive and will require carefully removing and replacing the siding to match the existing. DH's response to all this was "why do we need a tub?"

Ah, it helps to know that nothing can really be moved and it's a simple choice between options #1 and #2. In that case, "as is" I'd recommend option #2. It has no floor-to-ceiling glass panel, so in addition to saving a bit of cash there it'll be a more "open" bathroom with fewer barriers at eye level. You also have better access to the tub in terms of cleaning, wiping it down, etc. Think about traffic patterns and stepping in and out of the shower. Some people prefer to enter and exit the shower and be near a sink. Some people prefer the drying off area just outside the shower to not be in a traffic pattern footpath. Option #1 has the shower entry near the second vanity. Option #2 has the shower entry in the middle of the traffic pattern. I'll toss out one other simple variation; use Option #1, but swap the shower and tub locations. That will put the shower on the back wall with the shower entry/exit near a sink, but deep into the bathroom. You can have a towel rack on the wall right next to the shower entry. You can have the supply/control valve on that same wall just inside the shower. It also rids you of the need for the floor-to-ceiling glass panel, saving $$. And it gives you a more visually open plan. And it affords easy access to the tub for wiping down and cleaning. Best of luck with your bathroom.

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.

Three months later...Research has shown me that a pony wall with tile on one side and glass on the top of the pony wall is not very stable since I will not have a tub against the pony wall to stabilize it. I know the pony wall can be bolted to the concrete and one side wall. Some have put a metal rod or pipe in the pony wall. I have read that sometimes the grout starts cracking on the pony wall...maybe due to wall movement or the wrong grout? I originally wanted a pony wall to make the bathroom lighter since it does not have a window. Now, I am thinking about having a full height wall because the pony wall has a view of the toilet. Now, I am worrying about having enough light.