I think 1st thing to do is figure out how you are getting the old tub out of the house. If it's cast iron it will be very heavy, can't do anything until it's out & changed.

Used faucetdirect for my last job, loved the prices, the help line andthe timing.
This time, because the thing I wanted was out of stock there, I ordered a new shower system from efaucets for my current remodel at 2:30 central time yesterday. Paid the $12 for next day air. It got here (2000 miles away) by 5 today. As they say, your milage may vary, but I have been thrilled. Prices far below the showrooms for the same items.
The quality of tiles at Home Depot and Lowes is fine, just fewer choices and none of the trendy high-end looks. You can do well with their tile.
Right now my Home Depot has a sale on the American Standard Cadet III toilet, which has had good reviews here.

I used FaucetsDirect and they were wonderful. Everything came on time and sooner than I expected. All their sales reps were helpful and super friendly. They even match prices!

In terms of saving money, can you do any of the demo yourself? I did my own bathroom demo and the only difficult part was hauling containers of waste (mortar and cement) down the stairs. It was messy work, but not difficult.

I have heard (from plumbers and my father who does a lot of DIY plumbing) that faucets from big box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, etc) are often inferior to those you find from the main lines at plumbing stores. Maybe you could check out a plumbing store and price compare the different brands (consider Moen, Kohler, and Delta too) to see if you can find an affordable faucet. Then consider purchasing online to save some additional money.

Do some price comparisons on vanities. You may find that the custom is just what you want and worth the price. Or you may find a cheaper vanity elsewhere that suits your needs.

My strong recommendation would be to spend some time researching at stores and online to find out exactly which products fit into your budget and desires. Then price compare online and in stores to find the best deals. Try to find any of the work you can do yourself to save on labor costs. I did almost all of my own labor (except setting the tub and drain and shower valve) and probably saved at least 50% of what it would have cost me to pay someone else to do the work. It's often slower to DIY, but with thorough research and some patience, it's worth it.

I knew my fellow forum peeps would come to the rescue. The cast iron tub will be taken out by the builder as he is demolishing the entire bathroom.I am happy to hear the tile from Lowe's will be fine and Faucets Direct has good reviews. Now I just have to purchase the tub, tile, toilet, faucets, lighting, towel bars, toilet paper holder and glass shower door. Scary, huh???? I can't wait to be finished. Also since this is our only bathroom w/a shower/tub I don't know what I am going to do for 1 week? Any one have any perference over vanity styles to hold the most supplies. I don't have a closeet in my small bath. My house is basically country in a ranch. I like the look of light oak.

Thanks much,

suebotinCT

I'm just starting a master bath addition so I feel your pain about all of the choices and wanting to get the best bang for your buck! It's hard to know where to start sometimes as there is SO much out there to see and learn.

As far as vanities go, go custom if you can. Our local custom cabinet maker makes use of every squre inch of vanity, including under the sink. He makes drawers that fit AROUND the plumbing pipes underneath the sink. You don't have to have the standard doors under with the pipes in the way and storage that's not fully utilized. The drawers are easily to take out of the vanity if you need to reach the pipes for anything. I'm having the bottom drawer made very deep so you can store the tall items you would have normaly stored in that doored cabinet. I've always hated the useless space under the sink and looking at pipes everytime I opened the cabinet.

And, the price from the local guy was about the same as a HD vanity, but the quality is miles better.

I know exactly what you are going through. It is overwhelming at first! You are already well on your way if you have your tile picked out.

A week, did he tell you? Just a caution, our bathroom remodel was supposed to take 1.5 - 2 weeks but ended up taking a month. This is how it usually works in our house, so we were not surprised. Since you mention chiclet tile (ha, I'd never heard it called that but I know just what you mean) you might have an older house too, so be prepared for unexpected things to arise. I would love to see your chiclet tile, by the way; maybe you can post before and after pics at some point. :) My mom took one look at our demo (huge mess as they always are) and decided her mint green tile was OK to stay after all. It is no small thing to rip out tile, so if you want to save money and if your tile and the underlying structure are in good condition, you might consider leaving it in and working around it. Sorry, that was a wet blanket thing to say :) -- don't feel the least bit guilty about demo-ing it all if you can't stand it, even if it's in good shape. I am one of those people who thinks old bathrooms are charming, so take me with a grain of salt. (We put back the same kind of floor tile that we took out because we hated to lose it.)

Our tile and fixtures came from Lowe's and HD; the vanity was a special order through the website. I did get our faucets and matching accessories from a local kitchen/bath showroom, because our sink was drilled for an 8-in faucet spread and there wasn't much selection of those at the big box stores. Our other bathroom has Moen faucets that are still in excellent condition after 12 yrs, so I went with Moen again. The showroom was able to match Faucet Direct's prices for the most part. I'm very happy with the faucets and with everything else too. Our toilet is Am Standard, I think the Champion, and it works great.

Good luck and enjoy the new bathroom!

I really wish I was there to do this for you.

Fixtures, vanity and stool aside, there is a lot which must be discussed - important stuff.

The new tile in the bathtub enclosure must be laid with waterproofing in mind. There are several ways to go about this; please ask your guy how he intends to do it and report back to us. This is probably the most critical part of your job.

Ventillation is next. You'll need to have a proper fan installed (with enough flow) and discharge through the roof. All the stuff you read here about doing this properly applies.

Other folks can tell you about fixtures and the like - at any given price point, most are just fine. For the time being, let's not talk about the stuff we can see and discuss the stuff beneath all of that.

You'll be fine.

It is a little overwhelming to start. You have the functionality aspect of planning the bathroom and then the fixtures/look aspect. I definitely find it less exciting to research the functionality options but that usually ends up being where I wished I spent more time.

For the functional - some of the things I think I remember is making a decision - do you want your vanity standard at I think 30 inches (this is our hall bath) our taller at 34 1/2 (our masterbath), or even taller at 36". The 34 1/2 is definitely more comfortable for me than when I use the 30" tall vanity in the hall. Someone else made the point of working around the pipes with the drawer so you can gain more storage. I wasn't able to get that in the cabinet line and every time I see the false drawers I think of what can't be stored there. You may also want to think, where else can you get more storage. In one case - had a niche build in the wall and added a glass shelf - this it the side wall that is next to the vanity.

With the fan - someone mentioned making sure it vents properly thru the roof. In addition to that, you may want to see if a skylight is possible and how much it would cost. I wasn't a big skylight person (worried it would leak), but now I love having the extra light in the bathroom and extra ventilation.

Not sure if you decided on a grab bar for the shower. Also if you are going with a shower niche (they have the plastic molds that can be tiled into the shower - I think that is easier for contractors to work with, but it is defined sizes)

For the fixtures - I used faucetdirect with no problem and did a lot of online shopping. Where I had problems was with the valves and drains and I am not sure if that was because I didn't utilize the sales people enough or that you had to be familiar with my setup specifically to know which product. In one case, the drain wasn't quite right even though it was recommended to go with the tub. The contractor made it work. In another, luckily my contractor told me to order the pop-up drain for the sink. That's another one that doesn't necessarily match for me online. Since my faucet controls were in the wall, I needed the popup drain in the sink. With the valves, in a custom shower, I didn't do my homework on the 1/2 inch versus 3/4 inch and that I needed a transfer valve to switch between the handheld and the main shower.

Last thing - I think the tile from HD or Lowes is fine. Tile can get pricey and that is where I wish I had found something that looked nice but was less expensive. If you do want to splurge on something - maybe look into the Benjamin Moore Bath and Spa line paint. It is made for bathrooms and has a matte finish.

We used the Rialto tile from Lowe's in our bathrooms. It comes in 5 colors and 4x4, 6x6 and 12x12 sizes. It was about $2/sf 5 years ago. They are through-body porcelain (same color all the way through which is helpful if it ever chips) and look a lot like natural stone. They were as nice as similar porcelain tile we saw at AZ Tile for 5 times the price. I wouldn't hesitate to use tile from Lowe's.

If you want to add some flare to your bathroom you must try to find a great wall decals to personalize your bathroom. The stote below has a great bathroom selection.

Here is a link that might be useful: Couture deco

I know that hometodreamhome.com offers deals on their showroom display products. I have heard that the prices are very cheap for nice quality. you have to email or catch themn on chat to ask about these products.

I love all the ideas that keep coming; please keep them coming!!! I need to make some decisions asap. I don't know what to do. The only thing I am certain of is the tile. I am looking at a toilet from Kohler that says it has an insulated tank. My present toilet tank sweats so badly in the summer/fall that I have to put a toilet underneath it. Has anyone heard of this toilet? I think it is Memoirs. I definitely need a toilet that doesn't sweat.

Thank you again,
suebot in CT

I definitely need a toilet that doesn't sweat.

Sue, what you need is removal of moisture in the bathroom; please plan to install a proper fan and vent through the roof.

Once you do this, your toilet sweating problems will be resolved.

I'm not much help on the functional aspects, but on decorative, I've got you covered! :)
Tile: HD and Lowe's are fine, but check out Floor and Decor outlets of America to see if one is in your town. Their prices beat HD and Lowe's 1/2 the time for higher quality stuff.
Lights: HD and Lowe's are fine again, but also check out CSN lighting. They have some awesome deals on last years designs (who cares, right?) for up to 80% off
Faucets: faucets direct is good. I've also used ebay and overstock.com with success

Vanity: by all means go with a custom vanity if you have someone willing to build it for that price! I agree you should consider going higher than the builder-grade 30" most use. You said you liked light oak...just FYI - many people consider golden oak to be dated since so many builders put in in houses in the 1990's . You can still get a light oak look by going with more of a gunstock stain. Or just ignore me and do what you want. :)