Some reviews of marble countertops pish posh the idea of marble not being durable, other reviews go to great lengths to explain the opposite. As with reviews online, there was GREAT varying opinions, and my mind exploded. So, I decided against marble, even though it was a key component to my "dream" kitchen design for years. I literally viewed all of quartz marble lookalikes, sometimes in large sample size, others actually installed in showrooms. Price would vary from $79-$125 per square foot installed, depending on which way the wind blew. After a while, I realized, mountain out of a molehill. Sure, there were differences, but when it comes down to it, none look exactly like marble and they mostly look incredibly similar. About half of them have circular splotches/splatter that real marble, carrera, calcutta or otherwise, NEVER have. So out those went. Then for me, I was looking for a carrera sub not calcutta or other, so out went any with brown or golden or red veining. That left me with maybe 10 with varying degrees of white and greys. Some read more grey overall, some more white, but you cannot really guarantee what your slab will look like 100%. I realized that at this point, I was overthinking. The differences were so negligable, that ultimately, I let price dictate. Despite being a materials snob (so I thought), I went to Home Depot, which was having its usual 10-20% off countertops sale, at least, our local store always seems to have a sign out front having some sale. This time, it was 20%. I ended up with the Snowy Ibiza at around $69 a square foot installed. Considering many of the others were $100 and up, and none of them I LOVE as much a real marble, I really couldn't see going any other way. It was still over $3000 on countertops, which is a huge chunk, versus $5000 or more for another quartz that once installed, with small kitchenwares and other stuff on top, makes all the ideas of veining, greys versus whites, etc, a non issue. DONE. Couldn't be happier. Snowy Ibiza has some true white areas and deeper grey ones, with all grey tones in between. It is less blended grey than others. But it also has a translucency to it that some of the other samples lacked. Some look like the veining is just slapped on top and not really throughout the stone itself. Snowy Ibiza is not like this, which I think makes it look more like real marble. Price not withstanding, I really think this is one of the better carrera subs. All and all, I highly suggest this one.

If you're tiling the walls, then option 3 is only adding the cost of a few studs. You will have the issue of a potentially leaking faucet no matter how it is mounted -- the floor, a deck, or the wall. My understanding is that the leak doesn't generally come from the pipes or the pax in the wall, but the faucet itself. If you choose a faucet with brass innards instead of plastic, you should get a very good warranty. Faucets with plastic innards usually have to be replaced after 5-7 years. You'll have more options with a deck mounted, preferably one that matches your sink and shower fixtures. One thing I highly suggest you splurge on is a hand shower. It makes cleaning the tub so much easier. They are also fabulous if you ever bath a kid or a dog in the tub.

I have a polished nickel tub filler and polished chrome for sink faucet and shower fixtures. It isn't really noticeable to me because the smallest distance between them is about 4 feet across a walkway. I would prefer chrome to brushed nickel.

Oh, I forgot to mention this about the guest bath vanity. Mine have always been 22" deep in every home I've lived in. Maybe yours is too. In the drawing, I saw the guest vanity would be much skimpier in depth, due to tight floor space between it and the tub. I believe your designer will notice this... I guess it's another case of the vision not meeting your reality. But if there's no window size problem preventing it, maybe you could select a corner-backed vanity :) It seems like no actual compromise, as I think the front could be a decent size across. I'm pretty sure the floor space would feel more comfortable!