I just went through this exact thing. Three wall aclove, 60x32. My order of preference was 1) integral tile flange 2)factory installed and 3) field installed. Obviously the integral will have no chance of seperating or leaking since it's integrated intot he tub. The only difference between the factory applied and field applied is that the factory one is done in a controlled environment. From talking to Kohler, they use the same 3M double sided adhesive tape. In terms of the skirt, integral skirt will have no chance of coming lose later on. Seperate acrylic skirt may come lose I might think. I have no idea. There would also be a seam which could collect crud. I decided for looks that I would tile the front. So after all is said and done, I only found a limited number of tubs that have an integral flange and didn't have a skirt. I ended up getting the Kohler Hourglass (K-1219). I believe the other manufacturers that had options were Alcove Ficus and Mirolin Azzura Amalfi. I haven't installed it yet.

No, that's right side up. I have a similar Hansgrohe valve - mine is thermostatic although (annoyingly) the temperature settings aren't labelled on the escutcheon plate. The large control at the bottom controls temperature - move left for colder, right for hotter. The smaller top lever on mine is a volume control and diverter in one. Upward is off; left and right send water to the tub spout and shower respectively, with the water volume increasing until the control is sideways 90 degrees from top. It rotates 360 degrees in either direction; the bottom half is for combining both tub and shower outlets in any proportion (useful if you have a handshower attached to the tub spout as I plan to do, so you can use the regular showerhead and the handheld simultaneously). Behind the trim plate is Hangrohe's excellent universal box that allows easy access to the valve from the front which makes repairs, modifications, or style changes easy. I never knew about those drop ear adapters, and thought the choice of tub spout plumbing had to be decided based on which spout you planned to install. I'd seen inexpensive tub spouts that have a second outlet on them for attaching a handshower, with a diverter control on the spout: and the ones I've seen require a long threaded pipe like the one the original poster had installed, so that's what I specified. But if I ever wanted to change it to, say, this Kohler Souris waterfall spout I'd need to take a hacksaw to the pipe because the Kohler spout uses the set screw attachment method and can't have a long pipe extending from the wall. It would be nice to be able to change between tub spouts easily if I so choose. Speaking of which, would it be easy (or at least possible) to change my existing long threaded pipe to a drop ear adapter after the installation has been completed, without removing the 12"x12" wall tiles or anything else?

What your contractors have proposed is wrong and is a structural building code violation most everywhere. Why? Because once a joist is notched to such a degree as is shown in the original photos, the joist must be replaced. Circa83 correctly observed that the original 2x8 is now only a 2x2 because so much depth has been removed from the member. Building codes normally only allow a notch of 1/6th the depth of the joist to be removed, before the joist needs to be replaced. If we consider that these are 'true' 2x8 joists, then one can only remove about 1 5/16ths of an inch in any notch, even less than that with 'nominal' lumber. And NO NOTCHES can be made in the middle 3rd of any joist's span at any time! -------------------------- Cabot and Rowe's diagram from that post on Monday July 20th is a code compliant way to repair the joists. Sistering the joists from your (Circa83) most recent diagrams in the manner shown is illegal and a code violation, and really does nothing to help repair the damaged joist. Considering your joists also appear to be 24" on center, this latest proposal is quite preposterous to say the least. Sistering only works as long as you install a new, full length joist or joists alongside the damaged joists, and only as long as the new joists are run as full length joists bearing on both ends on the foundation walls or beams to bear the floor loads. What is shown in the latest diagrams is ridiculous...and no fix at all. That said, you 'might' get an architect or engineer to design some type of repair of a damaged joist like yours by sistering partial 2x8s ON BOTH SIDES of the damaged joist(s) without the new members extending all the way to the foundation walls, but such a repair would need to be engineered. What has been proposed to Circa83 in the lastest diagram will simply not work. Either repair the damaged joists following Cabot and Rowe's diagram from July 20, OR run 1 or 2 full length new joists on either side of the damaged one, OR call an architect or an engineer to design a 'partial' fix...and then GET RID of the 'contractors' who have proposed this latest abomination since they have no clue what they are doing! Luck!

I will attempt to give you specific advice that may or may not be helpful, but will at least be non-accusatory. The biggest hurdle you are facing right now is time. The 'time is of the essence nature of your project' is going to add a premium to your project and will eliminate many of your best bets. The best thing that you can do financially and for job quality is to reset the clock on the job. This may cost you a few thousand dollars in loan transaction fees and simply undoing the physical preparations you made but at this point you need to change the way you are thinking. You are creating hurdles that may not really be hurdles. You need to ignore every penny you have spent and every action you have taken so far. All that money and effort is gone and it isn't coming back. Try to remove those things from the equation, you need to look for the thing that will give you the best result at the best price with acceptable sacrifices on your part. In other words look only at the effort you will have to make, the money you will have to spend and the quality you will get for it in the future. Next, you need to get plans drawn. Whether you want a design build firm to draw them versus an independent architect versus a designer (draftsman) really depends on options available in your area and what you are looking for. If you want something original designed and are open to suggestions and ideas about functionality, aesthetics and budget, then an independent architect or a design/build firm are both viable options. There have been many discussions about the broad differences between the two, but honestly it depends on the quality of either in your area. There are many areas with very strong and original design build firms, while in other areas those firms may be nothing more than builders trying to make more profit. The same holds true for architects, some areas have helpful, original, and cost effective architects and some areas have overpriced unoriginal architects designing what they want and charging you a fortune. I can't really give you advice on either. If you are not open to advice and you simply want your idea put into plans, then foregoing an independent architect or a creative design build firm and hiring a designer to turn your idea into buildable plans might be your best bet. Again, a design build firm focused on buildable projects might also work for you. Really without being in your area I can't help you. For recommendations, I prefer to start at lumber yards. Find the guys at lumber yards who are doing plan take-offs and ask them if they were building a house who would they hire. You can get recommendations on plans and contractors from them and I have always found them willing to recommend someone, having moved around a lot this has always worked well for me. Next, I try plumbing and electrical contractors. I drive around find the subs that I see working on new construction, call them up and ask them the same question. Very quickly you see a few builders who are mentioned over and over again. Of course, they are biased for people they work with but you would be surprised how fast they will recommend someone that they rarely work with who they respect. When meeting with the contractor, I personally never give a fixed budget. I often reveal a number for what I want to spend on a project but usually indicate that I can increase that figure if needed. However, this may not work all the time, budget isn't really a constraint for me, so I don't have a very hard ceiling. I usually discuss my goals for the project and what I believe those goals will cost, and offer them a chance to have budget input. There is no doubt that contractors tend to design projects to your top dollar and bid projects up to your budget. However, a contractor isn't going to waste his time putting together a bid for a project unless he knows your budget is feasible. So in reality you have find a way to assure the contractor that the project is within your budget and you are ready to act on a good proposal. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions.