“Grohe seems a little more expensive, it’s a German brand apparently. Never heard of them either.”
Very reputable brand. Home builders here would put it on their flyers - oh, look, Grohe! 
On par or better than Kohler. Cartridges are very easy to change without special tools (unlike Moen - ugh!).
Well, we are back embarking on hall bath and deck this year. Did the landscaping last year. I actually hate calling folks for quotes. There are so many contractors that are highly rated and recommmended that I have a hard time deciding who to call to get started. First one came today though so here we go!
I have a stainless steel Vigo farmhouse style sink. It’s great. No complaints. It came bundles with a faucet that I like, but the handle is a bit loose. I don’t think Vigo made the faucet. Reviewers say they will replace it for free, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Moen, American Standard and Delta are just fine. Since this house is for yourself, don’t bother with fancy brands. They all go out of style at the same time.
Do you walk around with the Yves St Laurent purse? Or luggage?
Just avoid the Chinese stuff that’s all plastic, they fail quicker. Basically pick it up and feel whether real metal/heavy
There’s another issue with the fancy brands…getting replacement parts. The fancier, including Koehler only found at fancy plumbing supply houses, will have to be sourced and special ordered.
No way, only Coach for me. 
A lot of Kohler stuff is made in China.
Good point about replacement parts.
Had a customer that insisted on a fancy German Grohe kitchen faucet. It came with a defective part but it took us a full day to figure out what was wrong with it. Had to call the number and wait 5 days for small part to get mailed out. It was free of course but 5 days behind schedule trying to get the kitchen functioning.
Grohe parts are sold on Amazon. Had no issues getting a cartridge for our 19 yr old faucet and replacing it with the help of a YouTube video. We also have same age American Standard faucets in the “new” master bath. Also had no issues getting parts for them from Amazon (one little thingy that covers the screw on the handle top was missing).
Anyone had experience tightening the shower water control? My shower handle goes from 9 on the clock to about 5 on the clock, works great; my mother’s goes from 3 on the clock back through 12 to 6 and it goes on & off as it circles. Can I take off the handle and fix a part or do I need to replace something? I don’t want to take it apart and stress her unless i have all the likely parts.
Update on our project. The master bath has been demo’ed and we can count several accomplishments.
Kitchen: TeddWood cabinets selected, venatino marble slabs selected, all appliances ordered except the range hood (Thermador range top with blue knobs, Kitchen Aid double oven, dishwasher, refrigerator; Sharp Microwave Drawer, Electrolux washer and dryer). Graphite for W/D, stainless for all others. Backsplash will be Walker Zanger Cafe line subway tile in blue. Perimeter cabinets, shaker with a bead, will be white with a glaze. Island, simple raised panel, will be alder in a light finish. The top section of the perimeter cabinets will be glass. This will mimic the door to the laundry that will be some type of French door with frosted glass. Blanco under mount sink. The big new highlight will be the window. The single sink window will be replaced with a large triple window, with black interior grids. The range hood will likely be custom with stainless trimmed with blackened stainless or something similar. We are also considering an Alder range hood, but I think I prefer stainless. Next decisions: lighting and hardware.
I’ve requested lots of electrical outlets and am placing three inside cupboards. Well, one is inside the pantry. Two are in dish cupboards. I detest cold plates and coffee cups and will eventually find a way to put warmers in cupboards.
I love the “bridge” look faucets but do not want a separate spray nozzle. So, we are searching for a bridge with a pull down spray. Does anyone have a favorite?
The master bath: cabinets will be a fairly light cherry with the open spa-like section to hold rolled towels. This is open to the bedroom where the furniture is shaker cherry. After a major tile search, we are waiting on prices for three types of light colored stone for the floor. We also have found a handmade subway tile with a gray name, but the variation in color brings forth green and blue. We are looking at similar, non-matchy pieces in a mosaic and a glass tile. The two sinks are separate but need to match. Once we have the tile and stone prices we will figure out what goes where!
We are adding a water closet — and plan to tile one wall in there, either the long side you will see when opening the door or the behind the toilet. The WC door will also be frosted glass just to keep the WC from being a prison cell. Space has been taken from the closet to make a larger shower. We are adding a second closet in the sitting room.
PENDING decision: it seems a built in tub will likely be $1000 more than a typical apron tub. This is for a 3-side alcove. Proflo has an apron tub that is deeper than others. We are putting a 5’ tub in a 6’ space and will have a marble shelf/seat at the back. I’m leaning toward saving money on the tub. The next thought is HOW to incorporate more white so the tub is not the one screaming white item in the room. The counters will be the same Ventatino marble as the kitchen. We will also have a white shutter as the window treatment near the tub. The contractor has suggested a white grout. Any thoughts?
The bathroom and walk-in closet will have heated floors.
We have also considered a heated towel bar (like those in Europe). The only place would be the back of the tub. I’m not sure about the code on this. With heated floors we really shouldn’t need heated towels. Leaving this out probably saves another $1000.
The walk in closet has the attic access and that throws off placement for lights. The contractor and I are both planning on track lighting in the closet. I think this gives our designer the willies. I’m at the age where I can’t tell Navy from black so a spotlight will be a good idea!
I think we have selected the bathroom lighting. There will be two smallish chandeliers, one over the bathtub and the other near the entrance to the bathroom. There will be fixtures over each sink with portrait orientation mirror cabinets. I very specifically want one light switch for evening, so when I am ready to go to bed, I don’t need to encounter a blast of light.
The contractor has been very clean. It is difficult to remember where I have placed things removed from the master bath and closet. Having a mostly empty nest helps. DH is using one bedroom’s closet while I use another. The real problem will begin next week when DD returns from college and we are using “her” bathroom!
Toss any thoughts my way!
Sounds like an amazing project! I looked up those Tedd Wood cabinets, those look really great. Which door did you pick?
One of the things we use our microwave for the most is to heat up plates before we eat. One minute for two plates warms them up very nicely.
Did you consider a free-standing soaking tub? Or a larger apron tub? We are considering this one:
The curve provides some extra space for soaking, and it can be filled deeper than a regular tub.
Today’s gripe - refrigerators!
The standard cabinet opening for a fridge is 72" high. Most refrigerators are around 69-70" high, leaving a 2 to 3" gap over the top of the cabinet.
They do make refrigerators that are almost 72" high that would nicely fill all the space in the cabinet.
The problem?
To get those extra 2 to 3" of refrigerator almost doubles the price. Are you kidding me?!?
And do I really need a TV built into my fridge?
@Mom22039 - I vote no on the heated towel rack. I have never met one that worked as intended. Instead, use the spare circuit for installing a towel heating “chamber” in the cabinet and/or teeny fridge for your skin products. With a heated floor, your bathroom temperature will be a bit too high for storing makeup and face creams (if you use them). And I vote with both hands and feet for NO to white grout unless it is the impermeable kind like epoxy.
NRE - use some trim for that gap above the fridge. And no, no one needs a TV in the fridge. Also, avoid LG and Samsung appliances.
https://www.build.com/kohler-k-20201-la/s1313990?uid=3120305“With a heated floor, your bathroom temperature will be a bit too high for storing makeup and face creams (if you use them).”
Say what??? I have radiant heat in my bathrooms and my makeup hasn’t been affected at all. Granted, it is set at 68 and I only turn it up to 78 about 1/2 hour before I get in the tub - and I turn it down after I am finished. Heat is off completely in warm weather.
I’m a no on white grout. I also chose tile with very, very teeny grout lines. Grout is putty colored.
This is the soaking (alcove) tub I bought. I wasn’t going to replace tub as ours was fine, IMO, but H insisted (and he doesn’t even take baths. I am very glad I did as I think I would have been unhappy with everything else being new but the tub after completion.
https://www.build.com/kohler-k-20201-la/s1313990?uid=3120305
I LOVE my heated towel rack! [I wish I had a heated floor in the bathroom] There is NOTHING like wrapping yourself up in a warm towel after getting out of the shower.
I only paid about 300 for mine 3 years ago. It is not as big as the expensive ones but does the job for me.
mine is like this- $369
https://www.build.com/warmlyyours-tw-f10bs-hw/s734713?&intcmp=recs~item_page.rr1~AdvancedMerchandisingStrategy~WarmlyYours~warmlyyourstwf10bshw
Emily - so if you can’t see it with an naked eye, it is all good, right! 
I studied this stuff at the molecular level. Storing certain components at temperatures higher than 68 degrees leads to increased degradation. Plus, bacteria loves moist warmth. It might not matter much if you go through a tube of lipstick in a month, but any longer, and you could be exposing yourself to stuff that is not good for you in the long run. Anyone considering a bath remodel should consider adding a temperature-controlled cooler for cosmetics and medicine. I am. It is one of those very practical “luxury features.”
I would not purchase my plumbing fixtures on Wayfair. Some of their products don’t comply with our state code (granted we have difficult codes here). Look to see how long the manufacturer has been in business too. One very high quality USA made brand is Wolverine Brass. Grohe is in my kitchen and Kohler is in all of my bathrooms. We own a plumbing company if that gives me any credibility :). I also would not purchase fixtures at a big box store. They are less expensive but it’s not because your plumber is greedy - it’s because the parts are cheaper but the outside looks the same.
I used to have baseboard heat in the bathroom so there has always been a heat source (and I expect everyone has some kind of heating in their bathrooms) - so, I can’t see why putting in radiant heating would make a difference in regards to one’s make-up.
I’m still healthy and alive after keeping my make-up in a bathroom for decades, so I’ll not be fretting over keeping my make up exactly where it is now.
Thank you all for the thoughtful ideas. I’m pretty set on a steel or cast iron tub so that removes some other attractive options! @menloparkmom DH is afraid I’ll be hanging my undies on that rack!