Couple things to consider. First, how flat are your ceilings? Second, how would the layout look to the ceiling? I went to the ceiling in my kids bath. One of the things I ran into was an out of level ceiling. The whole room was plaster that got ripped out. If you've ever had the pleasure of re-sheetrocking 50 year old framing you quickly figure out that plumb and square might as well have been Mandarin Chinese words to the framers. Although extremely sturdy, the framers knew the flaws would be hidden by the plaster. Sheetrock exposes all those flaws. What it amounts to is extra installation time as each cut is specific to each spot. You can't just lop off 2" from every tile, cut 20 of them, then go back to installing. If you take your time, and plan carefully this is easily handled. Along that same line, is planning well beforehand your layout. I'd prefer a full tile at the tub line, but only if it doesn't leave a sliver of tile at the ceiling. If you have a sliver, you'd be better to make equal cuts at the bottom and top courses so things look balanced. You can also "fudge" the grout lines slightly if need be. I would take accurate measurements at several locations around the tub, up to the ceiling and do a dry fitting. Put some tape down on the floor to represent the wall space, then layout your tiles with the spacer you chosen. You'll immediately see how everything will fit. Ultimately, if it looks ugly leave the tile short of the ceiling.

Your kitchen designer sounds like a person who does not see all roads leading to home meaning there are many different ways to achieve the same goal... Most semi custom cabinet companies that are limited to be more Henry Ford like in production do not offer the 12" high cabinets in each 3" width from 9" to 36" or wider. They tend to offer them for the sizes used over the appliances which use them the most. So 30, 33, and 36" would be commonly needed. Your kitchen plan normally has a lot of other widths used that are not those sizes. The companies that have the stacked cabinets pre made are generally 42" or higher. I have 5 cabinets lines I offer. 3 of the 5 do not have stacked cabinets in the book.... One of the 3 has 12" high cabinets starting 12" wide but does not have a corner cabinet less then 30" high.... They happen to offer custom cabinets on a quote by quote basis which is why I like them. But you should see my point... Your kitchen designer should have explained better the reason why they did not offer you what you were looking for. It is either they feel a 27" under a 12" with a 3" crown over that is not a good use of space or.... they do not have a company they can do it at all or for the price they are planning to present to you.... That discussion would have been much more meaning full.... I can for example use a stacked cabinet that is 42" having 2 open compartments, with Showplace and shrink it 3" if you want the molding as most would... I can also with them as was suggested above just build the door with a glass panel in the top section of it. They are # 4 out of my 5 as 5 being the highest price in general.... 18" is the general rule of thumb for recommended clearance to the countertop. 15" is considered as low as you should go and 21" is pushing the upper side of reasonability for most projects... The codes as noted above are concerned with being able to set fire to combustible wood cabinets having appliances that generate heat under them... You should be able to do what you are looking for. You just have to decide what look you like, crown or no crown, and find who can offer it to you at a price you can afford...

Where you went wrong was allowing the client to dictate grout joint size. No grout joint is allowed to be less than 1/16" TCNA standard. Did you find 1/32" spacers? The tile itself will tell you what the smallest allowable joint would be. Minimum 3 times size variance. "they are not all the exact same size and thickness" Sounds like the tiles were saying return me for a better quality tile before you started. That should have been pointed out and options discussed prior. Start over but stick to your guns. Research industry standards. Show the client the details in writing. They will be located in your copy of the TCNA handbook. Also explain the shadows from lippage that will surely be visible with this material. Yes you are in a pickle. Hope all works out. NOTE cement board is not waterproof and it appears you have only applied Redgaurd in the corners. Bigger pickle!

Oh boy. This is where things get ugly. We have to 'split' the blame into small measurable units. Here we go. The homeowner picked the tile (was it rectified? Square edged or eased edge?) and the grout (I'm assuming you picked the COLOUR and not the quality?). You picked the FINISHES. OK. The 'look' is on you. The GC chose NOT to QUOTE for the subfloor work (preparation should be $2-$4/sf x 2200sf = $4400 - $8800 for this job). Which means you did NOT pay for subfloor work. A wonky subfloor = wonky tiled flooring. As cruel as this sounds, you got what you paid for. $0 paid subfloor prep = $0 owing for subfloor prep offered. Next point: The GC picked the STRUCTURAL MATERIALS. That's on HIM. His choice of 'thinset' (LFT requires a different technique) was wrong. That one's on him. His installers did NOT use the proper spacing requirements. Again, the GC OWNS the work his subcontractors produce. Again, this is on him. At this point, this requires a redo. And I mean complete gut and removal, repurchase (if the grout has not gone down you might be able to salvage ++ of these tiles....*might) and reinstall. The GC owes you: Replacement tiles for the one's that cannot be salvaged Proper thinset/mortar materials PROPER TILE SETTERS not just 'some guys' who use a trowel!!! His workers = his headache! Proper leveling system and staggered 1/3 off-set tile setting Quote for subfloor preparation What you owe the GC: 1. Payment for subfloor preparation (budget for $2 - $4/sf...just to be safe) You did not pay for subfloor prep. Sadly, both of you owe this to one another. The GC needs to FINISH his quote and you need to PAY the price for subfloor prep once the final bill (labour + materials) come in. As someone in the flooring industry, I have seen enough flooring mistakes to last a lifetime. This is an expensive lesson that the GC MUST LEARN. Don't feel 'bad' about this. Obviously he's skated by on flooring up to this point. He thought he could do it again...but he thought wrong. Now he pays the price for not knowing something he ought to have known. What you owe yourself: A critique of the overall work of the GC. You need to ask yourself if your GC messed up on such a massive job, is there anything else they messed up on? I do not wish to scare you, but a bad flooring job could be the indicator for other problems with this build. Please make sure you move cautiously with any of the other work that has been done or is supposed to be done in the future. Obvious places to look: Plumbing and Electrical. These require expensive professionals (in a hot Canadian market a Red Seal Plumber or Electrician bills $180/hr = more per hour than a Family Physician = $122/hr). A PROFESSIONAL tile setter is one of the other BIG EXPENSES on a build. They are so expensive that many GCs (yours included) will try to save money by using 'guys who swish a trowel'. If your GC cheaped out on tiling, what else did he cheap out on?