The Delta SureDock is a shower head and handheld shower in one unit. Why don't you just install it as it's designed: high up on the wall where the standard shower head would be? Then you need only a faucet and valve, no diverter.

"he is concerned with pressure issues and that a diverter valve is necessary. I somewhat disagree with him because my proposed set up is identical to how a shower / tub filler would be set up."

The spout's built-in diverter works because if the spout is blocked off, water from the valve is forced up to the shower head. The assumption is that flow from the valve to the spout is below the valve and unrestricted. You'd be replacing the spout with something (a) higher up the wall and (b) restricted by the hose. Without a diverter, water could run to both the shower head and the handheld, and you'd have no way to stop the flow to the shower head.

Solution: buy a proper faucet + valve w/diverter + shower head + hand shower combination.

Instead of buying a kit from a box store with parts that you can’t use (tub spout) and a separate hand-held that doesn’t match, I recommend going to a real plumbing store that carries Delta and telling them what you want. There are many beautiful shower faucets and heads with separate, matching hand-held showers and proper diverters.

perhaps that might be the the only option. We go to a plumbing store the price they quoted us is crazy expensive!

thanks for all the feedback

Or you can buy a Delta shower system that contain all the parts you need (for example):

• Delta DSS-Trinsic-1401
• Delta DSS-Lahara-1701
• Delta DSS-Ashlyn-1401

Or do like I did - no wall mount head but a hand held with a 5' hose. No diverter needed. Like so..

Talk to your plumber. Get the pieces you actually need.
The selector on our showers can run either the fixed showerhead, the handheld, or both at the same time. 3 positions. That valve could be ordered in various configurations. Separate water temp/volume control valve. Both from Delta.
Shower slide grab bar is Speakman. Low flow shower heads from a number of brands in three showers, but all Delta valves and controls in our home.

Why aren't you getting your stuff through your GC or a licensed plumber.

I recently remodeled and picked out the fixtures I wanted and my GC and/or licensed plumber was responsible for purchasing all parts necessary to make them work correctly. If you supply the parts you are responsible for the end result.

In my experience purchasing through a GC or my designer was the same price or less than if I had bought my own stuff and I didn't have to worry about any blame game if stuff didn't work together properly.

"Buying cheap plastic crapp from a box store that has to be kludged and still doesn’t do what you need"

"plumber was responsible for purchasing all parts necessary to make them work correctly "

Which is why manufacturers including Delta bundle products into shower systems* that contain components from the same design collection, work together, include all required components (including those easily forgotten such as the valve), and are available on a wide variety of competitive sales sites to which customers have easy access.

* Delta DSS-Trinsic-1401, Delta DSS-Lahara-1701, Delta DSS-Ashlyn-1401

This thread is old but maybe this comment will help someone else who has decided they want a hand held. Don't listen to the naysayers. You don't need to buy a new valve with a diverter and a cover plate. The valve that you have has 4 ports. One for hot water, one for cold and a third one goes to the shower head. The fourth, down to the tub spout would normally be capped if you don't want a tub spout. (You can go in through a wall behind the shower so that you don't destroy the tile.) Instead of capping it, sweat solder a short piece of tubing that extends off to the side. Onto this tubing, solder a brass elbow with female pipe threads (just like in the wall at the shower head). Screw into this elbow a short brass nipple that will extend through the shower wall to a nice chrome attachment mounted on the wall to which you can connect the shower hose. You'll need a diamond hole saw to cut through the tile cleanly. (Then mount the hand held anywhere you want, like in the picture.) Easy peasy. Any plumber would understand these instructions. The water will normally come out the hand held (just like with a tub spout), but by pausing the hand held, water will come out the shower head. The hose is is only under pressure when the pause function is engaged and the water is running. You'll be in the shower if it breaks.--no risk of water running during your 2 week vacation. If the hose has to be replaced in 3 or 4 years, so what? The pause function on the hand held means that the hose was designed for intermittent city water pressure. It's a Delta. The hose will be of good quality. ...Now just repair the drywall in the adjoining room.