wowed, I agree with your response, and it's interesting to me. I would want at least sound, if not visual, separation, between a lavatory/dressing area and a bedroom. It's interesting to compare the bedroom/lavatory area/toilet and bath area layers to a palace set up: the anteroom, the throne room (no pun intended) and then private quarters. In the same way, access and function are layered. I think most users would agree this sort of layering is a good thing. Contrast this to the evolution of design of the kitchen/dining/family room area of a house. For me, sound separation of activities (eg., tv watching vs. a conversation in a dining room, or relaxing in the family room without the din of dish stacking) or visual separation (chatting with guests in the dining room while not worrying about how the busy food prep area looks) or even olfactory separation (reading a book in the family room while onions are sliced and sauteed in the kitchen). The grand, open flowing floorplan for these areas is popular, but for me, I prefer a little segregation, especially as the number of users and potential simultaneous uses goes up. Seems to me, as the average household size has shrunk and more people are living in a house of only 2 or 3 people, sure, the open floor plan can work. But for now at least, I want a little bit of separation of activities, and I like my "antiquated" floor plan, with separate kitchen, dining room, family room (tv) and living room (piano). A tv and piano in the same room would be a nuisance for us. So I guess on a more micro level, I'm looking to separate activities in the bathroom. But I agree, if in the process of pulling them apart and relocating them, I mix grooming and sleeping, well, yes, that would be a disastrous unintended consequence! responding to another post, I don't know why that link didn't work, here is the direct url: http://www.farrow-ball.com/Company/FBStyles.aspx?language=en-GB&style=5

Hello again and thanks you all for your comments. I apologize if I am confusing any of you. When I mentioned the "new faucet", I was referring to the faucet installed 6-7 years ago by my plumber when my entire bathroom was redone. Nothing has been done since that time and I'm just living with it.. I am getting no smell and the drain is very fast. Like you've stated, I've basically dried my hands and walked away but its just getting more and more annoying and wanted to see if something could be done. I guess the reason for my renewed interest to correct this is that the 6-7 year old faucet is a Kohler Devonshire brass faucet set and the handle is loose which has been even more annoying than the gurgling. I've called Kohler and they provided instructions as to how to loosen the base of the faucet and then tighten the screw but I can't get it off! I've tried vinegar to loosen but nothing works. Guessing the same plumber who created the gurgling sound when he installed this faucet also must have siliconed or permanently bonded down that faucet base! So, I figured I would try and correct two annoyances but it seems I can't fix either one. A new faucet won't necessarily fix the gurgling. I'm also thinking its S Trap vs. P trap related.

It doesn't sound like you're talking about inside a wet area (shower), but in general you want a good solid substrate for all tile installation. If the drywall is in pristine condition you probably don't need to replace it, but if it's damaged, it would probably be better to replace it rather than risk your tile installation being difficult or not staying on the wall.

Thank you David! When having this house renovated post purchase, much of the bathroom was gutted and the sink I had installed is one I bought new some years before and was waiting to use (American Standard Standard Collection Console sink with oval glass shelf.) Because the works underneath are totally exposed I bought the best chrome P-trap and fittings a local plumbing supply house had. In a month or so I'll have my plumber back to install a pump for my utility sink, and he will need to add another vent stack I believe, so I'll have him see if the sink is connected to the bath vent, and if the vent has any blockage. I'll ask him about the air admittance valve - thank you so much for that information!