sorry, davidro1, that's what i get for posting at 1.30 in the morning, lol. lemme try again: "but i was under the impression that some rough-in valves like the thermobalance III (and maybe an alsons one...i vaguely recall someone mentioning an alsons valve that also lets you run both heads at the same time) have an in-wall diverter that lets you use both a fixed head and handheld at the same time? if so, other than aesthetics, is there any reason to use the in-wall other than the external one? or is it personal preference, like what bh401 was saying?" that said, i was at a fixture shop today and they said 1) the little thingie IS called a diverter, more specifically, a "shower arm diverter" and 2) the hansgrohe thermobalance III does run both heads simultaneously. but i was hoping someone could tell me if there's another company that makes something similar to the thermobalance III. staceyneil, thanks, but yes, we need both heads. when i shower w/my little kids, we need the extra showerhead. the handheld on a bar would work nicely. thanks!

Since you're already making a long-term investment by renovating the entire bathroom, I'd put both a fixed "traditional" rainshower head in there, along with the handheld on the slide bar. I put both in my bathroom and really love the versatility. My youngest DS (4) sometimes uses just the handheld because it's at his height, and I use it alone sometimes when I want to do a quick rinse-off, but don't want to have to wash and dry my hair. And then, of course, there's the very utilitarian benefit of cleaing the shower stall with the handheld. But I don't think I'd like having it as my only option, nor do I think I'd really like a "combo" unit. You can get a diverter valve that lets you choose to use just the overhead shower, just the handheld, or both at the same time. It's really easy to use, and it works great. Good luck.

Moen is an affordable brand with a solid warranty. We bought these for our shower from Faucetdepot.com and are super happy with them; http://www.faucetdepot.com/prod/Moen-3838-Castleby-Four-Function-Showerhead-Chrome-17558.asp http://www.faucetdepot.com/prod/Moen-3838-Castleby-Four-Function-Showerhead-Chrome-17558.asp There are also some clips available that will secure the slide bar so it can be used as a grab bar. I bought them, but as it turned out, my contract secured it straight to a stud, so I ended up not needing them afterall but love the grab bar.

You can get separate components. My rainhead is 8" round from Jaclo. It was $258 3 years ago. You can choose whichever hand shower you like. Mine is from Delta. If you have a Fergusons near you, you can see a lot of options. They will make sure that you get the right valves and such for the fixtures you choose. I prefer a local place in my town that is like a Fergusons bc they always have the water demos working, so it's easier to see the spray in real life. But some Fergusons have that also, just not the one near me.