Wow - I remember when I was getting started researching what I needed to buy for my bathroom and being completely confused and overwhelmed! But by the end, I showed up at the plumbing supply store with a list that was surprisingly complete. :-) My situation was slightly different from yours in that I have a combined shower/tub. But I do have two showerheads - a fixed (not rain head) and a handheld on a slidebar. The shower controls can get complicated - you need to control temperature, volume of water, and which showerhead the water comes out of. Depending on the brand, these might be separate controls or one integrated control. I went with Hansgrohe which gave me a single integrated control - fewer knobs on the wall, and I think lower plumbing costs. This is what my list looked like: Toilet (includes flush lever, but might not include seat!) Tub Wall-mount sink (for me - for you, you'll need a vanity, a sink, and possibly a countertop for the vanity if it doesn't include one) P-trap (the pipe under the sink - mine was exposed so I bought a pretty one - if yours is hidden inside the vanity, your contractor will probably supply it, but check) Sink faucet (usually includes drain & thingy to operate drain) Thermostatic valve rough-in (this is the part that goes in the wall - I got a thermostatic one which lets me set the water temperature once and then always keeps the water at that temperature - it's my favorite part of the new bathroom!) Thermostatic valve trim (this is the pretty control that you see - it has to match the rough-in) Fixed showerhead Shower arm (for fixed showerhead) Hand shower Slide bar Hose for hand shower (might be included with slide bar) Wall union (this connects the hose to the wall) Tub spout Tub drain Since you have a separate tub and shower, your list will be a little different (for example, you'll also need temperature and volume control for the tub), but I hope this helps get you started.

Heres a Link: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/saving-energy-manual-j-and-manual-d Even when they do the calculations, the results are usually wrong In his posted comment, Bailes raised an interesting point: the problem of “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) Manual J calculations. Several energy experts have commented on the GIGO problem, including John Proctor, Hank Rutkowski, and Allison Bailes. Hank Rutkowski, the mechanical engineer who wrote the original Manual J document, was recently interviewed for a profile posted on the Green Building Talk Web site. The piece notes, “Rutkowski estimates that only 10% of heating and cooling equipment sizing decisions are based on some type of Manual J calculation and that less than 1% of the jobs are based on an aggressive implementation of the recommended design procedures.” Rutkowski explains the GIGO problem this way: “Manual J is a good tool if you use it aggressively. Follow the rules and it will give you a reasonable margin of safety. But the average contractor says, ‘Better safe than sorry,’ so he fudges here and there. He adds 5 to 10 degrees to the summer and winter design temperatures, calls the building ‘average’ instead of ‘tight’ and doesn't take credit for shading by interior blinds and drapes. Then when he finally comes up with a load number for sizing, he throws in an extra half-ton of AC just for the heck of it.” For a high-performance home, sizing by Manual J may still result in oversizing Several years ago, I had a conversation with building scientist Joe Lstiburek about air conditioners installed in Building America homes in Las Vegas. “HVAC designers are committed to the institutional oversizing of air conditioning equipment,” Lstiburek told me. “The average system is sized at 150% to 200% of the requirements of Manual J. They oversize because they don’t know what they will get for a building envelope, and to compensate for duct leakage and inappropriate refrigerant charge. If you size according to Manual J, there is already a fudge factor built in. But most designers then add another fudge factor.” According to Lstiburek, their experience proved the high-performance Building America homes in Las Vegas could have had HVAC systems sized at about 60% of Manual J. To be conservative, his team recommended installing systems sized at 80% of Manual J. Does oversizing matter? There are strong arguments against routine oversizing of HVAC equipment. The best argument is simple: oversized equipment usually costs more than right-sized equipment. Oversized equipment suffers from short cycling. For example, an oversized furnace brings a home up to temperature quickly, and then shuts off. A few minutes later, it comes on again, only to shut off quickly. Many homeowners find the see-saw sound of a short-cycling furnace to be annoying. When air conditioners short cycle, the units don't run long enough to achieve much dehumidification ��" at least in theory. (During the first few minutes of operation, an air conditioner cools a house. But not enough moisture has collected on the cold coil or on the pan below for any water to have actually gone down the drain. When the air conditioner turns off, all of the moisture in the pan and on the coil just re-evaporates.) The conventional wisdom may be wrong, however Increasing evidence shows that energy experts have exaggerated the negative effects of equipment oversizing, however. Studies have confirmed that oversized furnaces don't use any more energy than right-sized furnaces. Moreover, newer modulating or two-speed furnaces operate efficiently under part-load conditions, solving any possible problems from furnace oversizing. Although there are ample reasons to believe that oversized air conditioners are less effective than right-sized equipment at dehumidification, at least one field study was unable to measure any performance improvements or energy savings after replacing an existing oversized air conditioner with a new right-sized unit. The bottom line The main reason to choose right-sized equipment is to avoid paying too much money for equipment you don't need. A Manual J calculation will ensure you don't spend more than necessary for your furnace, boiler, or air conditioner. Moreover, a Manual J calculation will provide room-by-room heat loss and heat-gain information that is essential to good duct design. Without good duct design, you're running the risk of comfort complaints.

Guys, I have gotten stuck in between two systems for my final decision. Please help me out to pick the right one. I am trying to decide in between these two ; #1 - Bryant 6129135 Active Systems BRYANT HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE 13 PURON HP BRYANT HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS 286BNA048****B CNPV*4821AL*+UI 1300 1040 315(A,J)AV048090 45500 11.50 15.50 46000 8.20 29600 1 HRCU-A-CB 355 1140 also includes - Evolution touchscreen thermostat and comes with free Bryant Air purifier - one year test drive - I don't know how it works but they say they will provide 100% refund if I am not satisfied with the system within a year from the installation date #2 - Trane 5768796 Active Systems XR17 TRANE 4TWR7048A1 4TXCD063BC3 1370 1090 *UD2C080B9V4 48000 12.50 17.00 45500 9.00 30400 1 HRCU-A-CB 342 1077 Yes Not include thermostat. will use exiting HW VP IAQ includes GPS-2400 plasma air cleaner price wise the Trane is roughly $200 more expensive than the Bryant after the tax credit is deducted Both contractor will add two returns and one supply and will fix the distribution issues in my current duct work. Based on the notion I got; both contractors are very capable and have very good reputation I am more inclined to Bryant due to evolution controls. I do know Trane is very reliable and efficiency wise it is a little more efficient compared to the Bryant system. to me $200 difference in price is very negligible. I just want to make right decision. I got stuck! PLEASE HELP...

Somehow I missed this thread. Boy, can I empathize! My house is a converted church and we have 4 (FOUR) closets in 3000 sf. 3 are the size of small coat closets, one is a bit larger. And, there is only a small galley kitchen, no pantry. Yes, this does make it hard to organize!!! Though this house is roughly 3X the size of our old one, there is less than half the storage space. There is only so much stuff you can get rid of! Of course, we spent all our $$ on the house, so remodeling is not an option in the near future. I put cabinets over the toilets - big enough for hand towels and washcloths and shampoo, etc. I keep the rest of the linens under the bed (in rolling drawers.) I still have to keep the vacuum cleaner behind the sofa (and my guitar underneath)! We have a large laundry room and I'm trying to figure out how to make better use of that space. What is frustrating is that there is space that we don't really use, but I'm not clever at trying to convert this space myself. The house is all windows, too, so that really cuts down on available wall space; the third floor is an attic conversion - very steep walls and not conducive to practical storage. If I had a nickel for every time I've banged my head up there! I did buy a couple of big melamine cabinets (garage quality) to store stuff in, and that has helped a little. Glad to know that I'm not the only one with this problem! I spend a lot of time on the home decorating forum and just drool over those new houses with big pantries and huge walk-ins. Good luck and if I come up with any brilliant ideas you'll be the first to know!