Here is my list - - Additional blocking in the framing stage to accomodate grab bars, towel bars etc. Additional blocking being the slidebar of the shower also makes it sturdier to use as a grab bar. - Kerdi board for waterproofing - Heated wires throughout the floor including the shower area - Tall niches with shelves sized to fit the costco sized bottles - Tile that is not too slippery for the floor. Also used epoxy grout to make future maintenance easier. - frameless shower doors - we did pay a couple hundred dollars extra for the really clear glass - U-groove frameless - One of the bathrooms is curbless to accomodate access issues. Has nice looking grab bars and a folding teak shower seat that is ADA rated to 400lbs. - LED cans (california code) - Elongated Toto skirted toilets with sanigloss to make the cleaning easier - the special lutron switches where the fans stay on an extra 20 mins to clear all the steam. we used them with panasonic fans which are much much quieter than what we had in the past - wall mounted heated towel rods - hooks instead of towel bars.. I just preferred the more streamlined look of hooks - plug outlets inside the vanity to charge things. - wheeled laundry basket with divers to sort laundry has a niche to be tucked in. - separate toilet stall with a door. We did not do comfort height as we are not overly tall people. Elongated toto toilets with an integrated skirt to make cleaning easier and a GFCI outlet to plug in a washlet. - paper towel holder from Moen that doubles as a grab bar in the ADA bathroom. - accomodated for daylight (skylight or a window) in both the bathrooms to help people to wake up in the morning.. I love the daylight. - radio for listening in the morning. We are big public radio fans - wall mounted lighted makeup mirror - mirror defogger to prevent the mirror from getting steamed up.. - vac pan at the floor level that connects to our central vac system to make daily cleanups a breeze. I am picky about hair on the floor - solid core doors to prevent bathroom noises from being heard outside. I often have to get ready before dawn and the shower noise wakes DH up. - recirculating pump for our tankless to avoid warm water delays. Ours is integrated into the tankless. - Hansgrohe ibox to get the thermostatic control to preset the preferred temprature - Ebbe integrated drain that has a hidden hair snare. - Handheld shower with a longer hose to make it easier to clean the walls. - rain shower on a longer arm so that you can stand away from the wall.

We are getting our 20 year old hardwoods refinished right now because they are trashed! Here are the "really" bad things we've noticed. Do not push your furniture across the floor! It will leave gouges. Buy tons of felt protective pads in all different sizes and put them on EVERYTHING. You also need to replace them frequently and keep the pads clean (if there is any grit or dirt on the pad the protective pad turns to sandpaper). Put an area rug under the sink/DW and water dispenser to catch drips (and shake and clean under rugs regulary so no dirt is trapped under them). Our kids have plasma cars and they have destroyed the floors so I would say no wheels at all on the floor. Don't push that piano! Swiffers or dust mops are great and help keeping it clean.

I just checked to see if springpad was available for all platforms and it is! I use it all the time I have it on my phone, tablets and pc all synced together. It is so easy to save something I might want to look at later or make a note about something. Check it out I bet you can find a use for it too. Super easy to use. Springpad I have used Imageshack for years and years for storing my pics online and using the codes to post them to forums etc. they make apps for apple and android which are great you can send your pics right from your phone or tablet etc to your imageshack account and lots more. I use it all the time. these are some of them check there may be more. Of course you would need an imageshack account which is free, I have had mine for years and have never had problems with it like I have with photobucket! SkyPath by Imageshack Corp that is for apple ImageshackDroid android version Skypath For Android another android option with skypath I have been using the imageshackdroid one but I will try the skypath one now to see which I like better.

Thanks Jan, and points taken. The house is not an open concept barn, it's a 1958 home with doors to every room (even the kitchen), but hardwood floors throughout and large windows. Sound really seems to carry between the two floors. The rugs we've added so far have helped. We will just keep adding more as the budget allows. I would still appreciate any advice on whether it's feasible to lay down cork underlayment as an area rug. I really need a runner for a long upstairs hallway that's 15' x 4', with a couple of jogs. Decor isn't really important in that space, just sound absorption. Cutting pieces from a roll of cork would be much easier than piecing together area rugs to cover the 3 different sections. The hallway connects all of the bedrooms, and the stairwell funnels downstairs noise straight up to the hallway and bedrooms.