For resale, you are better off with a shower over tub. I would do the bath in a simple white tile with a classic black and white tile floor. Paint the walls a light blue or green. You could add shelve on the closet wall next to the sink for more storage.

Have you thought of a square tiled roman bath with shower, and instead of curtain, use a fixed glass panel (where the curtain is hanging in pic 2)? Keep everything light and white. Take off two or three columns of tiles and replace with a feature, that you could carry over to a double sink vanity with draws. Draws are far more useful than cupboards, you can actually see what you have without leaning inside the cupboard or bending down.

We have no plans to sell. We are empty nesters, love out house always looking for ways to make improvements

I had a bathroom similar to this one in my old house. I ripped out the old tub/shower surround, and put in a jacuzzi-tub with shower, and tiled the wall around it with blue-bubble look tile. (Being a professional ceramicist, I created a tile centerpiece of a dolphin leaping out of the water for the back of the tub wall; perhaps you can find something similar!) I then attacked the vanity and all wood trim, painting it all first with a 'crackle' underlayer then a pale blue overlayer, which made it look like old blue driftwood. Then I went with low-gloss pale beige-with-blue-lines ceramic tile (it isn't as hard to lay as you might think!) ; this small of a bathroom doesn't take much and a cheap (less than $100) tile cutter did the job for the angles. I used sanded grout between the tiles for not only a sure grip bit a 'beachy' look. I loved it - and so did my buyer, 5 years later!

Oh, I painted the remaining drywall a pale blue, too.

That sounds awesome! This will be a DIY project , and my husbands dad already has a tile saw we can use!

So I'm wondering if I don't put in a tub again and just do a shower, could I still do the beachy theme suggested or change to something different? We are on a very limited budget. Not sure what's cheapest.

I don't see why you couldn't do a shower - altho' here at my 'new' (100 year old farm) house, I had just a shower, and I ripped it out last summer and put in another shower/ jacuzzi tub, I hated it so much. Still working on it and another 'beach' theme - I'm designing my own tile floor - or I'd put pics up. Remember too - anything you rip out you'll have to replace with either drywall or tile (+backerboard). Since we did all of our own work the 1st time, it took awhile but I got what I wanted for a LOT less than hiring someone. Just go slowly, think about what you want every step, and look for ways to do things less expensively (tile, grout, tubes of caulk on sale, etc).

I have a friend who is adding on a bath, and she and her DH couldn't decide between a shower or a bath - then they found a shower with a built-in molded seat. There are all sorts of things available... take your time and look around for something you think you can not only live with, but love!

I need the DIY version that can be finished in a weekend. This is our only bathroom. When we do the floor should we use a cement type board over the plywood floor base? Should we use vinyl floor tiles or a ceramic tile?

Many ceramic tiles and mortar do not need the backerboard any more; they merely require a clean, smooth and solid (not damaged) underfloor. Issues might be moisture (as in a basement floor) or strength, as in a very old plywood or damaged underfloor. I do not like vinyl floors in a bath; they (as you have already stated) peel and I don't care for their texture underfoot. You can use vinyl, of course - there are lots of pretty patterns and colors that can tie a room together - but it is not as durable, nor is it as pretty as ceramic. I scraped, cleaned and sanded our plywood underfloor, then really cleaned it again, and let it dry. The mortar will fill in small divots, but the underfloor should be fairly smooth and flat, no dips, slants, or wells.

We only had one bathroom too; so I feel your pain about a one-day deal. You can tread LIGHTLY on them several (5-6) hours after mortaring (especially if you have the little spacers stuck in the mortar between the tiles to maintain proper and even separation) if you must; it didn't hurt my floor at all. You might want to skip the showers until after the grout sets, though. I mortared in the early AM, and waited until the next early AM to grout, and used the room sparingly between times. At least you don't have to worry about kids running in and out!