It sounds like your contractor is confusing the code for a kitchen to apply to a bathroom. Code here requires one receptacle in the bathroom, but it must be located within 36" of the outside edge of each lavatory basin. You can put it on the side of the cabinet, but not more than 12" below the top of the basin. You could install a receptacle on the side of each of your towers.

. . . but GFI of course.

Thank you all! Just to make sure I’m understanding: the rule cited above (210.52(D)) applies with respect to the outside of each basin (rather than both sides of each basin), correct? So the picture I attached would work, with electricity at each end of the vanity (which would be within 3’ of the outside edge of each basin) and no required outlet in between the vanities?

We plan to include electrical outlets inside those towers.

Well, that was going to be my first suggestion. An outlet inside the towers is a great idea ... out of sight, yet still useful.

A thought on the towers: Since they will be near water, you'd be smart to "bump them up" just a bit ... to prevent splashes from migrating over to the towers. Yeah, yeah, I know, you have space, and you're not going to be splash-y ... no one ever plans for this, yet water damage exists.

Here are two bathroom countertop towers ... note that the one on the right is slightly "raised" and is better protected. I think 1" of countertop would've been enough, but the idea is solid.

We do not want to have outlets at vanity level between the sinks since that would impact our mirror options

Outlets can be placed IN a mirror, but I agree it's not ideal in terms of aesthetics.

What about a pop-up outlet? You see them advertised for kitchens, but I don't see why they couldn't be placed in bathrooms -- this is just one example of styles available.

Other thoughts:

- I like that you've included windows for the toilet/shower, but the door is only 30" wide. A little larger would future-proof you in case of a disability /walker. This toilet /shower would still be a challenge though.

- I'd like to see a shelf over the toilet /or a shallow freestanding item across from the toilet for holding toilet paper ... and perhaps medical needs as you age. Needing "various stuff" at the toilet is quite common among senior citizens.

- Is the shower head on a 4" wall? I think you need a little deeper wall here.

- Where do you see yourself hanging towels by the shower? I don't see an obvious answer.

- Pocket doors are great for doors that are left open most of the time: pantries, laundry rooms. They're not so good for bathrooms, which are opened /closed multiple times a day. Pocket doors do break (not if, but when), and when they break, they're difficult and expensive to fix. They're also more difficult to open /close, especially for senior citizens.

So many helpful thoughts, Mrs Pete! Thank you for taking the time to share.

Adding onto my clarifying question above: my interpretation of the rule posted above is that it WILL allow us to place outlets on the ends of the vanity and will not require us to have any outlets between the sinks. The next question relates to my desire to place the outlets inside the vanity top towers (behind cabinet doors). My contractor thinks the 3’ rule requires at least one outlet (within 3’ of the outside of each sink basin) that is out in the OPEN as opposed to being behind the cabinet door of our countertop tower. The rule itself looks fairly vague to me (it references “partitions,” and I was hopeful the towers could qualify as “partitions”). Anyone able to shed any light on this question?

Haha, Mrs. Pete, the tower on the left is mine! It sits level on the counter and there has been no real problem with the tower, but I am the only one using the bathroom and am careful. Well, when I say no problem, that is wrong; when it was new, I noticed some staining (just a hairline) on the bottom of the doors. Apparently, the cabinet maker did not sufficiently finish the bottom of the doors (duh), so he took them out, shaved off a tiny bit from the bottom of the doors and added finish. No problems since.

The rough-in is probably finished by now, but for future visitors to this problem, the correct answer is ask your permit inspector (well, in absence of your electriician failing to know or unwilling to ask). Especially receptacles in cabinets and drawers are usually up to a local interpretation. It would be good, however to arm yourself with knowledge, as posing the question "What is allowed per NEC X with regards to placing a Y here and Z . . ." gives very little room for miscommunication and surprises when inspection occurs.

For a homeowner to gain that knowledge, I have not found this website to have resident electricians. If you go to DIYChatroom or MikeHolt's forums, there are licensed electricians from U.S., Canada, and down under who actively comment on code issues and interpretations (ContractorTalk is for pros only and homeowners will be booted to the mentioned forums). Reference the code your location follows and a provide similar amount of good background information as was presented by the OP in this thread.

Consider adding an outlet next to the toilet that'll allow you to add a heated washlet seat.