No, you were right first time on the Mariposa with 66". We were talking about changing the walls by flipping the relevant studs so give a little more room, or moving the whole wall out a couple of inches which we could do.... for a price. I think the problem is we are doing too much at once - kitchen, bathroom, a ton of painting and stuff in other rooms, painting the whole outside of the house, about to have a baby, deal with a pool for the first time and just moved in. I am probably not on top of the details in the way I should be. There are just 10 million decisions that have to be made all at once. Really struggling with tile decisions too. I am trying to stay as on top of it as I can but it's hard to catch all these details. Do you have any comments on the size of the vanity? We need to decide between a 60" or 72" vanity. For reference this is a big house - the master bath is surprisingly small for the sie of the home. The other two bathrooms both have double sinks.... and both will be bigger than the master bath sinks, no matter what we do. The guest bathroom has a 92" vanity (which is a bit big TBH, we need 2 of everything we share because we can't reach the other side), and the small bathroom has a 77" vanity. We've been looking at these 3 mainly: These are 72": and this one is 60":

We hired a GC to remodel our kitchen, powder, laundry and two baths. His workers do the plumbing, electrical, drywall and tile work, he doesn't sub it out, so that is a cost savings. We talked about the vanity this morning and he said the tile on the side would go on thinset, not the full-on thick mortar like the floor or the wall (it doesn't have to "float"). My problem is we were originally going to put the 4" backsplash where the vanity and tub meet but now might have to do a full tile piece due to the overall tile design. The granite countertop has been cut already, not installed though, and I'm not convinced the tile could fit in the lip between the granite and side of the vanity. Plus, different stone tile sizes have different thicknesses, I will have to make sure it fits underneath. You're right, there are a lot of little things to think of.

For a jetted tub used as a shower, it has to have an integral tile flange. That allows the wall cladding to overhang and any water that hits the wall to not go behind your walls. There aren't that many in that size that are inexpensive. It will need a specialized drain, and, if you want to spend any time in the tub, a supplemental heater so the water doesn't cool off so fast. Since it's a tub/shower, the wall cladding will need to be redone to be waterproof into the tub. It's possible, if the build is recent, and it was done with the proper vapor barrier behind it, that only one row of the tile would need to be pulled in order to replace the tub. But, I wouldn't count on that. I'd count on having to replace all of the wall cladding in the alcove. That can be as cheap as a plastic surround for around $100 or cheap tile with the proper vapor barrier for probably $150 or so. The first is the easiest and the least chance of leaking. The second will read as more upscale, but you have to be sure your contractor understands about the vapor barrier and correct materials to use to tile this (NOT mastic.) And since you have that torn out, it would be foolish to try to keep your current control valves for the bath unless they are also very new. New safety standards are in place for anti scald mechanisms. So, you will need a new shower/bath faucet and valve. Then you will need the electrical line run from the panel to the location for the whirlpool pump and supplemental heater. That location is usually opposite the drain side of the tub. You will need to be able to site an access panel that is removable to be able to get to the electrical innards here. That can be from an adjacent room, or from a hidden panel on the tub itself. All in all, you might be able to get all of the needed materials for 2-3K if you shop the box stores carefully and find some bargains. The danger to that is that if you are inexperienced, you don't know if you're buying quality or crap. They sell both. And that's one reason that it would be simpler to let the pro pick the products after you tell him the features that you want. Then you've got to pay the contractor labor to install all of that. The electrician's price will depend on how difficult it will be to access the panel and run the wire to the location. For that, it's a really good thing you are on a crawlspace! That makes it cheaper for both the electrician and the plumber. On the whole, I'd expect your project to cost between 5-7K, depending on location, and if you have no DIY skills to bring to the table and have to hire professionals for the whole job. And be sure that you hire someone that is licensed and insured to be in your home, and will pull the proper permits to get the job inspected with your code office. Some handyman guy isn't licensed to do electrical of that nature, and while he might be able to do the demo and get the tub in place and glue on the plastic surround, it's unlikely that he'll have the right insurance to deal with a large job like that, and thus probably wont' want to pull permits and be inspected. They are usually limited to smaller jobs like simple fixture replacements like a faucet or light. Which this isn't. Just remember, you are doing a project that combines electricity and water. You really have to know what you're doing here! A small General Contractor should be able to do the complete job, and also carry the needed papers. And he should have no problem with the code guys coming in to inspect his work either. If he does, then he's not the right person for the job.

The Purist line is very pretty indeed! I understand your dilemma, but surely you have more than just the one other choice (the AS faucet)? I've never had a hand shower till two years ago when we remodeled. I have a Bain Ultra tub and a Jado faucet set with handheld. OMGosh! How did I live this long without a handheld :) It's great for ALL the reasons above but it also comes in handy as theapy for sore shoulders or upper back (where my air tub doesn't reach). I'm still finding new uses for it. I promise, you won't be disappointed or feel like you made a wrong decision :) Monica