Hi, We have one Jaccuzi whirlpool tub which we bought from Lowes for about $US 1,500 maybe 5 years ago. One thing to watch out for is noise. Our cheap tub looks the business BUT when you turn the pump on it is noisy. In the end we hardly ever use it. Also note you need to flush out all the recirulation tubing perhaps one a week because you cannot clean there easily. If you do go for a tub go for one that is not noisy, which unfortunately means expensive. You cannot tell noise untill it is installed, and instead of serenity you get Boeing 747 at takeoff. I noticed that the Kohler ones are more expensive and they are heavy and solid. Hence when the pump kicks in they are quiet. The other thing to watch out for is the reset buttons on the heaters. Usually there is a fail safe on the tub. Make sure you design you bathroom such that you can get at this and other buttons. What makes this difficult is that typically these buttons need to remain dry. Best, Mike.

I recommend against the Kohler Underscore Bubblemassage acrylic bathtub. My experience indicates Kohler has a high defect rate with these tubs. I've had *three* 60" x 36" Underscore jetted tubs sent to me in a 2-1/2 month span and ALL have been defective. The first and third tubs leaked. The first tub leaked heavily in at least six places, despite the shipping box and the tub itself appearing pristine. The third-party repair company Kohler sent could not fix all the leaks. Kohler explained this as a "rare" defect in "channels" within the tub, a flaw that cannot be caught through mere visual inspection. Apparently, the flaw also does not show up in Kohler's quality control checks at the factory. Kohler said this happens because the factory fills and drains each tub within minutes, and sometimes it takes hours for these leaks to appear. The second tub Kohler sent me was so poorly packaged that it arrived scratched and with interior stains. The distributor said that was a common occurrence with Kohler's "express ship" program, that they don't spend the time to package the tub in the typical way. The third tub also leaked, this time through a factory-installed tube connecting the body of the tub to the air jet motor. I am awaiting a Kohler-appointed repair person to come out a fix it. We hope the defect can be corrected so I don't have to pay for installation a third time. Each time I call, Kohler's representatives reassure me these defects are "rare" and they apologize for the inconvenience. Inconvenience aside -- my bathroom project has gone from a 3-week timeline to a 3-month timeline because of the delays incurred by waiting for replacement bathtubs -- the cost of ripping out and disposing of the first defective tub and reinstalling yet another defective tub has *almost doubled* my costs for this bathtub. Kohler has paid for the replacement tub and shipping, but that does not approach the personal cost of these delays. Kohler claims defects in this tub are rare, but I've had 3 delivered to my home, and my experience indicates their defect rate is 100%. Furthermore, Kohler's people, while polite and apologetic, have done NOTHING to expedite either the attempted repairs or the shipping of replacement tubs. This is what is most unacceptable: I understand that mistakes happen. No manufacturing process is perfect. But Kohler's customer service has been equally disappointing: lengthy remediation processes with no follow up, empty apologies with no expedited assistance and all costs borne by me. The tub looks beautiful, but I wish I never bought it. So much trouble.

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CUT YOUR TUB! It's not the tub you have a problem with, you have the wrong plumber. The plumbing codes only require an access panel when the tub is connected with a conventional slip joint type "Waste & Overflow" & "P-trap". In an instance, such as yours, where the finished location will be totally concealed the code requires that we use a permanent "glue-in" type waste & overflow and P-trap. (If your local code requires all metal piping we use a plain brass solder in type waste & overflow & P-trap). With careful measurements the final position of the waste & overflow can be computed. The Trim cover is removed from the overflow body and the Tub Basket is removed from the tub shoe. All the associated piping for the P-trap, tub drain and overflow riser are permanently glued in place, then the tub is set in on top of the piping. Once the tub is set in place the overflow body should be aligned with the tub overflow hole and tight against the outside of the tub wall. You then fit the overflow trim cover on the inside of the tub and the two mounting screws are passed through the overflow cover, through the tub hole, and screwed into the matching threaded holes in the overflow body housing. The screws are then tightened and as they are tightened the overflow body is drawn up tight against the tub for a water tight seal. If the waste and overflow was installed correctly once the tub is set in place the tub shoe should be positioned directly under the tub drain hole. You then apply plumbers putty or clear silicone sealer to the underside of the tub basket flange, and the tub basket is inserted down through the tub drain opening and screwed into the tub shoe. As the drain basket is tightened it draws the tub shoe up tight against the underside of the tub body again making a water tight seal. Once that is completed there are no adjustable connections under the tub, hence there is no longer any need to have an access to the tub drain pipes. [IMG]http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/LazyPup/glueinwasteoverflow.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks. My fabricator has screwed up many times on my quartzite. The island is on crooked. He had to redo the perimeter countertop because he only measured for length. He also had seams that were 1/2" wide when I had told him no seams at all, and 1/4"-3/4" gaps along the back wall. I had two matched slabs set aside, so instead of using the 2nd slab to recut the perimeter counter, he found a cheaper slab that was a different color and had a different texture. He sees nothing wrong with the slab being different. When I asked him last week about fixing the hole where they cut the drywall, he said, "We always adjust the fit that way." He has been in business a long time. He is not going to fix the hole. I never have water there, but my husband has his coffee pot there, so a spill is possible. I just need to figure out how to fix the hole on the inside of the bathroom wall before we install drywall. I know I can caulk it on the kitchen side. Pet screens...I have never heard of that. We live lakefront, so we get tiny bugs that can get through the fiberglass screens. If they are non-metal, do you know what they are made of, or which brand of windows/screens you have? Maybe I can find them. I don't know of any surplus stores, but maybe some have opened in the last few years. We have spent a lot of money on things you can't see in this remodel...beams, complete rewiring of electrical and plumbing, 2 heat/ac units, new stairs, roofs, gutted the great room and kitchen, etc. We also had new siding installed on the house, and turned a huge upstairs room into 2 bedrooms, a bunk room, and a sitting room. Now, we are about out of money, and we have 3.5 baths to remodel, new carpet for bedrooms, and need to refinish a 1400 sf hardwood oak floor. I am good at budgeting, but the $35,000.00 ceiling beam was just one repair that took a chunk out of our budget. Rather important beam so the roof wouldn't collapse!