Cindaintx - thanks. We are so excited about the topo map vanity! :-) We are building a log house in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. We decided to put a log vanity in each of the bathrooms - some of the log furniture companies sell them. They're well made, and are decently priced. If you choose to get their wood slab top, they will cover it with a liquid glass coating, which is durable, waterproof, good for a bathroom environment. Dh and I love the outdoors, and tying the outdoors to the inside makes sense for a log house. So - we decided to get a topo map of our area, with the mountain we live near featured prominently on the map. Mytopo.com has topos of many outdoor areas, and you can choose sizes, etc. Our log vanity supplier, JHE Log Furniture Store, has agreed to put our topo map (from My Topo) under the liquid glass - like decopauge (sp?). Of course, the sink and faucet will take up some of the space, but since it's a 48 inch vanity, there will still be a fair amount of map showing on the wood vanity top. I thought of this myself, so I am eager to see how it turns out! Since DH and I both hike, this is going to be a fun feature of that bathroom. Of course, the same thing - embedded topo - could also be done on a tabletop, etc...Do you hike? We have been brainstorming about other ways to bring the trails, the wildlife, etc. into our home. We're having fun with this!

I got rid of the tub in my master bath when I remodeled last year and put a nice shower into the footprint. I LOVE it! As others have said, as long as you have a tub in one bathroom I really don't think it will hurt resale. And, something to keep in mind is that as the huge cohort of baby boomers ages, many will prefer showers as a better, safer bathing alternative. It's a lot easier to get into a shower than a bathtub for someone with mobility or medical issues. I know when my inlaws were house shopping one priority was a shower-only bathroom for my FIL, who had a history of not only stroke/balance trouble but bad knees. He needed to be able to step right in, and a lot of other folks are going to be thinking along those lines as all of us perma-young boomers age :). I say go for it. Ann

Well it'd be a big deal to me. I use my tub every day. If I check into a hotel -I ask for a room with a tub. That's how important it is to me. Then again, if it's a pretty free standing thing that wouldn't cut if for me. Has to be safe. I'd have a problem with a free-standing. Having said that-the house we bought didn't have a tub in the master, just a tiny shower, and we still bought it. (Then we remodeled, which is a whole another long story. No, it wasn't smart financial decision) We do have a big shower in master bath too now,. i use it as well, but on some days I'm really restricted to the tub. We built it all in a way so it's most safe to use for me. Frankly I cared less about future buyers. So you might stumble upon somebody like me, Or you might not. Or who knows. Now, absolutely no tub anywhere in the house..that'd be a problem. Maybe not for all, but for many. There are times when a tub can come very handy.

Smaller windows above the water line,and a big shower. I have a 4 1/2 x 10 shower and I thought it was ridiculous (and to some it is) but I really like having my own area. .We have shower heads on each end with a rain head in the middle. If anything were to happen, it easily would accomodate a shower chair or an extra person if need be. We are in Florida so temperature and being chilly isnt a concern. I wouldnt dissuade you from building a big shower. You have to weigh whats important to you. I had the same size shower as you have in my last home, the larger shower is a game changer.