I'm a little gun-shy as far as trying another brand that I'm not familiar with. When I originally researched this, I went with the Cheviot tub filler based on not finding complaints. Boy, was that stupid. Because in hindsight, I didn't find glowing reviews either. The Cheviot tub filler continues to run full force for about 6 seconds after shutting off the water and then drips for another 10 seconds, leaving a puddle of water on the floor behind the tub. The wand does the same thing. According to Cheviot, this is normal. I'll be damned if I'm setting out a bowl to catch dripping water every time I use my brand new tub. I have had good luck with Kohler, Moen, Grohe, and to a lesser extent, Hansgrohe. I intend to stick with something from those brands. There is a comparable filler by Toto that's a stretch but probably no more expensive than building the pedestal, topping it with quartz, re-doing the wainscot, painting, buying a roman deck set etc. I need to find some glowing reviews about Toto!

Wow, I am very late to this, but I feel the need to say something. I sell these tubs for a living and $2,000 is basically a steal anymore. V&A has some of the most reasonable prices, especially since it's a stone composite. Most tubs, especially ones with jets, that are sold in a showroom are far more than that. Never, ever, ever buy a tub off-line or from a bulk store. There are simple reasons for this. One is for warranty. You will want that warranty. Box stores and online will not offer you real warranties. If you buy online and it comes in scratched, the company will do nothing to help you. Neither will your local dealers. There are numerous other reasons that I won't go into. Never, ever buy a tub off of craigslist. Not only can it be a health risk to you, but it resurfacing to sell is normally done very cheap- meaning it's only going to last a few years before it's once again needing to be resurfaced. Resurfacing is not cheap. It's always best to research the style you want. Go with a respected brand and research the prices. Research why they cost that price- especially, when stone comes into play (V&A uses volcanic limestone). Research what comes with what- for instance, American Standard has a very pretty freestanding that comes with a chrome floor mounted filler for about $2,000. It's a basic acrylic, but it's fairly good quality. Buy it from a dealer, where they can get you the warranty and parts if and when needed. Always think about the worst case scenario. Research and find a dealer. Don't buy for the cheap- it will break. I have people in my store everyday wanting us to fix a cheap faucet they got online and we cannot. Do not buy a cheap tub- they are typically single layer and will not hold up. They are often rarely finished, which leads to the tub looking dull and scratched after only a few years. Always, always talk to your local showrooms about offers and the best deals. I just recently spent three days looking for a modern style slipper tub under $2,000 for a customer and found a beautiful one for $1,600 made of double layer acrylic. Also, most freestanding tub fillers run about $1,000 for simple and good reasons- their design is not anything like a deck mount and they are expensive to make and occasionally difficult to install. Also, places like Quality Bath sites charge you lists prices that are typically higher than the price a showroom will offer you... This post was edited by EmilyDesign11 on Tue, Feb 3, 15 at 14:15

I went with the lower quote in my last house to install a pedestal tub. It had a very slight leak and this guy eventually refunded my money and gave up trying to fix it. He said he thought it was because of slight movement when getting in/out of the tub was the cause. I ended up having it reinstalled by a very large plumbing company and it was 1K, they put some type of concrete like base under it to prevent any movement and they guaranteed the work. If your builder is going to do the work for 1K and guarantee it I would go with it. Less hassle and no issues if any warranty issues later. At the most you would save a few hundred, however you could be giving up a warranty and it would just not be worth it.

I think it is possible you just have to carefully plan ahead and the rough-in needs to be measured out and completed prior to the floor being poured (sort of the same when you have a tiled floor - the rough-in is done at the subfloor stage and the fixture install is completed after the tiling and grouting is complete). Consult with your bathroom faucet supplier as well as other plumbers. Tell them how thick the concrete will be and what the sub-surface is.