This must be a regional thing because where I live (in the San Francisco Bay Area) a bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet is considered a full bath, not a 3/4 bath. My DH is a realtor and I confirmed this with him. I do think people here expect bathrooms that will be used by kids to have bathtubs, but master bathrooms are different. Adults just don't usually take baths. Maybe it's because we don't have time. I used to enjoy baths but haven't taken one in quite awhile. In an area which is prone to droughts, a large tub is wasteful. Even if water were plentiful, it also takes a lot of energy to heat the water for a bathtub. As people become more concerned about their carbon footprints and green building practices, the large tubs that were popular in the '80s and '90s may become obsolete. I had a friend who lived in a Victorian which had one bathroom on the second (bedroom) level with a lovely claw-foot tub and no shower. Her entire family bathed in a little shower off the kitchen, which was quite a trek from their bedrooms. To me, that really illustrates our society's preference for showers. So if you prefer showers to baths, skip the tub and go for that luxury shower.

I think the tile you have selected sounds lovely. I am wrapping up a bathroom where I replaces 4x4 tiles with 12x12 tiles and I love the look. It minimizes grout lines and maximizes the focus on the tiles. I also agree that big tiles can make the space look larger by not breaking up the space quite so much. As long as the thinset properly bonds, there should be no concern of tiles falling. There are some tile experts on this site that might have suggestions on techniques and/or products. I believe your concern of cuts should be mostly resolved by a good tile setter. I would recommend specifically discussing this concern with your tile setter and asking him to share the layouts for your approval. I believe (from reading and minimal experience -- I'm not an actual expert) you want to try to avoid laying cut tiles that are smaller than half the size of the tile. I believe in most cases this should be possible, but it certainly takes some work up front to plan the layout.

There are no hard and fast rules for tile orientation. You can run them whichever way looks best to you. My daughter and my son both recently redid their bathrooms and put 12x24 tiles stacked vertically on the walls. They didn't have to decide on vertical vs horizontal for the floor because they used 24x24 squares on the floor. In my bath I have 10x13 vertical on the walls and 18x18 on the diagonal on the floor. IMO the large square tiles make their small floor spaces look bigger. Do your tiles come in squares too? Maybe you could put them on the floor. If you stay with the 12x24s on the floor placing then horizontal ( long side parallel to the tub may make your room look wider). You can still put the wall tiles whichever way you want. Here's a couple shots of my DD's tiles Good luck in your remodel.

LOL, I knew about soldered copper, but had never heard "sweat". I learned something new! Thanks. One plumber did not know they were hard copper and can't be bent. Not good... So, the connections/fittings will be soldered if copper, or they will be PEX. They will be under the concrete when lengthened. Both plumbers said that was not to code, but they didn't seem to care since no one will inspect inside the concrete. I just want the job done correctly, but it seems like it will not be to code. Thanks for your help. Now, I will know a little more about what the plumber should do. I have had 3 or 4 plumbers come here to do the work, then they change their minds I guess. They say they will call me, but I don't hear from them, and they don't respond to my calls. I found another plumber through my electrician, and he is supposed to come Tuesday. I can't believe this bathroom has been gutted since April, and nothing has been done yet. Southeastern Oklahoma used to have cold winters, but we rarely get past freezing now. Last ice storm was 2007.