I also recommend Fergusons. Where I live there is also a competitor to Fergusons called Westheimer Hardware. I got almost everything from Fergusons, but for the rainhead, I got a 10" Jaclo rain shower head from Westheimer. It's flat, looks like a disc for frisbee golf. It was about $260 as I recall. It does add up quickly though because you have to count all the valves, trims, etc. One thing I am doing for the remodel we're doing now, is getting HD gift cards from our Amex points. If the items are the same, I'm ordering them from HD. For this remodel I got all the tile from HD and some other items. I still got the shower fixtures from Fergousons though. If you have points to use, that's one way you can lessen the impact on cash flow.

Seems reasonable to me as I just finished a remodel. I had never remodeled and so I had no idea of all of the stuff that was needed that I didn't realize would be needed :-).

Once you decide on exactly what you want, you can always get apples to apples prices.

As long as you are doing a gut remodel, put in grab bars because a grab bar needs to be attached to the studs in order to be used safely. There are many that aren't institutional looking. My fixtures are oil rubbed bronze and my grab bars match so are almost a design element.

I got a Speakman shower head after reading a ton of reviews. But my actual fixtures are Phylrich. I read a load of reviews and then also followed advice of my designer.

I also went with a thermostatic valve instead of a pressure balance for my shower and I like it a lot. Opted for a pressure balance in the guest shower. I think it's a bit more expensive in terms of configuration because you need some additional parts but in the scheme of things in terms of how much a good shower costs, it's de minimus and, at least in my opinion, is a nicer shower experience.

You should be ordering through the plumber or your GC because that way the responsibility is on them to make sure they have everything they need and that everything is correct.

My thermostatic controls don't work as described by Karen Rose but maybe it's because of my system.

I have two valves - One is the three way diverter which selects which shower head or hand held shower water will come out of. I have two hand held showers and a regular shower and in California, you can only have one water fixture operating at the same time so I need the diverter.

The second valve controls the temperature but it's the first valve (described above) which both turns water on and selects where it will come out of. I have no control over water pressure but it's not really something I would ever adjust anyway as it comes out at maximum pressure legally permitted. The flow is pretty good - from my reading when I was making decisions, certain fixtures maximize the feel of the lower flow fixtures which are now required by Code in most jurisdictions.

The advantage to thermostatic is that your water temperature is set so theoretically you don't ever have to adjust. With the balance pressure you need to adjust temperature every time you turn it on because on/off and temperature are controlled by the same valve.