Donna, Thank you for sharing your experience. Here it is, May, and I am just now starting to read the posts on this forum, but wanted to tell you how beautiful your bathroom is. I hope that you are enjoying it and that the stresses of the remodeling have dissipated. In the middle of January, I was in the midst of my bathroom re-do too, and mine is still in the early stages. We had to fire the contractor as he made many mistakes, ruined materials because he didn't follow the directions clearly printed (as in, you must seal crackle tile before you grout it.) I have a Porcher Ardennes tub, same as yours, but mine is still sitting on the floor in the hallway! I do have hopes that we will be getting started again next week with a different contractor! I especially appreciate your candor, and the candor of the other people who posted, about the importance of not getting swept up in all the products that seems so wonderful but are probably not necessary. The bathroom is not yet done and I am already planning the kitchen. Have been spending time on the kitchen forum where I am reading about BlueStar ranges and fireclay sinks, and of course granite and marble. Taking a detour here to the bathroom forum and finding your post was like entering a temple and hearing words of wisdom when I most needed to hear them! Thanks again, and enjoy your bathroom and kitchen. PS We're not out of the woods but looks like the market is turning around. . . .

This old thread got revisited. @dani_m08 to answer the question about extra probe, I believe I ordered an extra one when I bought the set up. The probe wire is just setting in the junction box I think but honestly I cant remember. When I laid out the underfloor heating and the probe, I just ran another probe near the first probe, and it was then sealed into the floor self leveling compound as per instructions. then the end was just threaded into the wall like the one that would be live, and not connected, but just laying there in the box. Regarding the tile layout. I just decided to run it this way, after getting instructions on the 90Degree way, IIRC. The herringbone that I love is from my childhood and the side walks in my neighborhood that all ran at 45Degree. so that to me is herringbone. I know you posted on @sochi thread about her amazing bathroom and a wall mounted faucet. I would totally do it if I had the right sink for it. In my case I had made my sink out of soapstone and an integrated backsplash. The pictures of this bathroom reveal are no longer available because of the use of photo bucket, when it was Gardenweb. I did not keep my account with photo bucket. I'll add some of the reveal pictures so you can see the sink and floor. Regarding the sink there is no ledge for water to drip from my hands when using the faucet. The water drips right into the sink. In my other bathroom with a deck mounted faucet I am always wiping up drips and it is a nuisance. I much prefer the setup for this sink. Below: I love the flush finish from the faucet to the bottom of the sink. nothing drips on a counter or edge of a sink. Below: looking in from the doorway. Below: Here I am finishing up the sink. the backsplash was epoxied on as a separate piece. The whole soapstone install in the room took next to nothing to buy as they were all small pieces that I epoxied together with a 3 part stone epoxy. Below: this is the counter at the tub, and is in 2 long pieces but I was able to epoxy them together at there edges to make a wide slab for the top. All the soapstone was finished with a 60 grit sandpaper to be rough and this lovely soft tone of blue/green/gray/white. I did not oil it so this color tone would remain light. Below: If I recall correctly @sochi helped me decide on this Hubberton Forge Mirror. I have 3 different metals in this room, but they are all a cool silver to black color. Below: the center of this tower shares space with the kitchen on the other side of the wall. there is also some extra space that houses some electrical wiring. this is an old simple house. this bathroom was an add on when it got move to the farm in the 30s IIRC. The plumbing was all rearrange and some of the details that were orignially there I kept but updated it, such as this tower feature. The old one went and the carpenter did a wonderful job with this one. Below: This feature was another thing I kept from the old bathroom but flipped it from the other end and had the carpenter put drawers in it. Before it was a hell hole. things got lost and the build was soooo old and creapy I didn't like using it for storage. Now it is perfect for storage.

I investigated the toilet space thing a bit before doing it. Code for toilets in an unenclosed space is 15" from centerline on each side for a total of 30" The tub side ends up at 16", but I have 22" on the vanity side, so it gives me a total of 38" so it really does not seem too crowded. I guess if I wanted to put the time and energy into it, I could have moved the toilet drain over a few inches to center it, but I didn't feel it was worth it since I was still meeting code. Measurements for space utilization are 61" vanity, 38" toilet, 38" tub for a total of 137" (or 11'5"). Definitely roomier than the boys bathroom which was built at 32" of space (and that is what I kept it at since I wanted the storage). That actually is a curved rod over the expanse. Tension rods are available in curved shapes now (which means that no one has an excuse not to upgrade to a curved rod anymore and I'll probably add one to the boys bathroom shortly). That one is made by Moen and we also have Moen double hooks on it which makes hanging curtains and liners so much easier. I actually prefer tension rods, but they need to be designed well to really hold. There's a lot of them out there that just aren't very good.

I don't think I was very clear with my question and should have mentioned we plan to move within the next 3-5 years. With that in mind I want to make upgrades in the house but not make it too personal. What would be more timeless - a gray vanity or a light maple vanity? That seems to be a crucial decision that will drive the rest of our decisions. So far the Stonecrest image posted by @kandrewspa appeals to me the most and aligns with others in my Ideabook. I would prefer tall rectangular mirrors and although I like the look of sconces if we go with the gray vanity and want to add some natural elements the vanity will be expansive enough to potentially add a few light wood floating shelves between the mirrors. I'm also considering mixing metals with brushed stainless fixtures (and door handles) and black for lighting and drawer pulls.