I'm planning for a Greek tub though like you haven't quite got the rim figured out for our alcove. My contractor is confident when he explains how he will use kerdi, a waterproofing material around the rim but I'm not quite understanding him. I will be talking to him tomorrow and if I get a better understanding, I will let you know. In the mean time, please post anything you decide - I am really feeling a bit uncertain. Just figured out today that the tub spout needs to be 9 inches for wall mount - I want Hansgrohe for the "themostatic" option. Seems plenty of 6 inch spouts but only one 9 inch that I have found so far. I'm trying to get a confirmation with my plumbing guy now. But wanted to let you know that you should be careful that your tub spout won't be too short.

For a 36" x 60" tub, if you were to pick granite tiles that cost $10 a square foot and the installation also cost you $10 a square foot, and you had a 12" deck all around the tub, the tub deck would cost you approximately $700 (I didn't even subtract for the tiles in the "open space" of the tub). That same surround, done as a slab, you'd be lucky to find granite for $50 a square foot. That'd make the slab cost $1750. Then, they're be the charge for polishing the edge. A bathtub rim is easily as big as 4 or 5 kitchen sinks, and a undermount charge for a kitchen sink usually runs $200-$300. Say they only charge you $600 for polishing the rim and mounting the tub properly. That brings the total for the slab up to $2350, vs. $700. In the scheme of things overall, not a significant difference in price when you factor it in over the years of enjoyment you'd get from it, but it's enough $$ in the short run to make you think twice about if it's what you really want. I'd personally go for the undermount. It's a much neater cleaner streamlined look that'd be worth it to me.

Hi, we recently installed the Tea for Two whirlpool bath in our kids' bathroom, and we use it as a shower as well. We love it. It's the 5.5' model, alcove installation, left hand drain. I was originally concerned that it would be too hard for them to get into -- they are not little kids -- (three girls, ages 17, 13 and 12 when it was installed last year) but so far they have no complaints about having to climb into the tub to shower. I love it too for the occassional bath, as our master bath has only a shower. Here is a picture of it. It has subway tile on the walls and the apron of the tub, and a minimal deck. Our contracter initially put in a more gigantic deck, and I made him tear it out because it overwhelmed our somewhat small bathroom. It has a marble shelf at one end and niches at both ends to hold the girls' many bottles of products. I'm so glad we built in that much storage. Instead of a shower curtain, we went with a partial frameless glass door, because I thought it would give you more of a feeling of openness when you took a bath. We bought it through Expo, back in Nov. 2006 (it was not installed til last spring though because construction took so long). The price at the time was more reasonable, although I notice they keep going up in price. I don't find the whirlpool too noisy at all. It's probably quieter than other whirlpool tubs, and also more gentle, which suprised us at first. I love how deep and roomy it is. Hope this helps. Here is a link that might be useful: The rest of Hmsweethm's kidsbath

I bought a Kohler cast iron undermount sink from a large on-line e-tailer. I think it weighed 150 lbs. It was shipped on a pallet that the shipper for whatever reason decided to stand on end. That or some other shipping incident chipped and cracked the finish in three places. I was really pissed as you can imagine. The color was a special order. So I called the e-tailer and they were VERY professional. I send some pictures and they ordered a new sink for me. That one arrived without damage. They did not want the old sink back. It sat on our floor for months. They must have gotten the shipper to pay for it, or insurance, or just ate the costs. But to ship something like that back is a waste of money. It can't be used anyway or repaired like new. It is a write off. I had a hard time getting rid of it. But it taught me where I will ALWAYS buy my on-line bath/kitchen stuff. Not sure if I can mention the name but it ends in 'direct.'