Two more things to add.
So glad I started this! I have been following but haven’t had time to quote/cut/paste/reply as I wanted to.
Lots of good ideas I hadn’t considered, also some good feedback that a lot of what we have planned is on the right track. And a couple things we deleted 
Hope you’ll forgive me if I make a list instead of replying to your particular post or failing to giving you specific credit for your ideas
Let’s see…'lectrical.
Lights: I had a religious moment at the Depot this week when I realized there are 4" LED recessed lights that are not only dimmable, but you can control the color temperature of the light. And, you can do this from either a wall-mounted panel, or an app on your freaking phone. Or you can tell Alexa to do it. I am still not sure I’m mentally prepared to process that. I’m not saying I’m doing it, at $60 per light x 6 lights…but I’m not saying I’m not, either. If I do, I’ll have separately controlled lights in the shower ceiling and the bathroom proper. No matter what, I am pretty sure I’ll do lots of recessed LED lights even if they’re not the fancy ones.
Wife wants a giant mirror, and lots of light above it. So she gets a 3’ wide mirror, and a 5- or 6-globe light vanity mirror above in addition.
I’m wiring to the right of the sink for a wall-mounted hair dryer, hotel-style, which takes up a space but also alleviates worrying about where to plug it in.
Regular old receptacle to the left of the sink, and a dimmer switch for the vanity light. I love the idea just a few posts ago to put a receptacle right behind a shelf for charging shavers etc. We’re nor sure which cabinet we’re using yet, but a proximal outlet for chargers will be included.
And you bidet people have me convinced. I added a bidet seat on the budget spreadsheet and I’ll wire a recep for it as well.
Heat…my wife is always cold, so she requested heated floors. I don’t think I’ll do tile, since that would be one thing I’ve no experience with and don’t want a crap tile job. I am pretty impressed with the vinyl laminate material, and there are good heating solutions to go under those. Also, I’m going to add a small wall-mounted heater between the commode and vanity to keep the room warm even at night when the furnace isn’t running.
Skylight. Man, I really do want one, and it’s only about 2-3’ to the roof. One of the ducted skylights would be awesome and I had brought it up, but the fact is we just don’t spend much daylight time in there. It’s not ‘on’ or ‘off’ my mental version of the list, though.
Grab bars:
Came up so many times, and I’m glad it did. I probably will not actually install them yet, but I will absolutely be installing blocking and taking note of the location for the future. I can also see where they definitely would have been handy a few times in the past, but when the day or event comes that they are necessary, they can be put up in no time, and be sturdier than if they were anchored in wallboard.
Eh, I won’t bore you guys with every little detail. Just realized this post could get awfully long 
This project, as I said in the OP, is major project #2, and before major project #1 begins, there are a few project #0.1, #0.3, etc. that need to be completely closed out. This will probably start demo in the late summer/early fall.
Thanks for the ideas!
Ok, shoot, last thing…as Spiderman indicated, I’m tall and stuff. So the other requirement is a frameless glass door tall enough for me to step in to (won’t be a glass surround(!!), since the shower is walled on 3 sides) with a glass bulkhead panel above. AND an overhead rain shower, and hand-held shower tall enough for me to get my head under without bending over. The logistics of meeting that requirement, while also allowing my wife to access the head without pulling it down by the hose, have yet to be worked out.
It has everything to do with the mineral content of your local water.
Hey man, I’ll be surprised if we get started on our reno any sooner, so if you want to update this thread down the road, I at least will still be reading it with interest.
I recently had my bathroom redone. The best thing I added was a high spec mirror. It’s heated, so it doesn’t steam up. It has adjustable LED lighting. It has hidden USB ports for charging devices.
But get this… the whole thing is a Bluetooth speaker. Which I’ve connected to an Amazon Echo Input.
So I can walk into my bathroom and ask my bathroom mirror to play a radio station, Spotify playlist, tell me what the weather’s like, or even adjust my heating.
What a time to be alive.
I love this ceiling heater. It works best installed on its own dedicated circuit breaker. I hired an electrician to install one in front of the shower door. It’s on a timer.
I always hated getting chilled stepping out of a warm shower. This little heater provides a much appreciated draft of hot air right in front of the shower door. Without needlessly heating the entire room.
Easy install, surface mount, no ducting needed.
I’ll turn it on 10 mins before showering. The timer ensures that it doesn’t accidentally get left on.
The other small bathroom extravagance is a shower stall with pulsing water jets. Feels so good after coming back from the gym or doing strenuous work around the house.
Budget priced at under $300. You can easily spend $800 on a fancy one.
Here’s the dream version that’s so decadently expensive. I’m sure at this price it feels wonderful.
I badly need a link to your specific model :eek:
Definitely! Maybe before I start ripping it up, I’ll post an ‘before’ picture and what actually ended up on the final list-o-luxuries.
They make heated towel racks that can be tied to a thermostat or timer and they can produce enough heat to provide comfort heating for a bathroom. (They make ones that can the sole heat source for a bathroom but I don’t know if I would want that unless I was replacing baseboard) That’s my idea of luxury.
I’ll post more when I’m not at work (plumbing supply house) but here’s a couple thoughts.
Spend money wisely. Anything buried under tile should be the best you can get. Shower valves, shower floor, tub etc. the cost of repair is just too staggeringly high to cheap out there.
Wall mounted toilet with Grohe or Toto carrier and Toto bowl will run about 650-700 so not nearly as bad as previously.
Www.onyxtop.com makes amazingly nice sold bases and tops.
Grohe Smart Control is the best option for up to three outlets in a shower. Thermostatic control with separate volume controls in one neat trimset.
Mountain Products makes some sweet rain heads at a non eye watering price.
If Grohe is too pricey look at American Standard or Danze. Stay away from the home centers.
Zero lip showers look cool but are a nightmare if your pipes are not completely new and copper. There’s no safety net if there’s a clog.
Alternatively, Infinity Drains makes excellent hi flo drains that pretty much disappear.
Adding an outlet for a heated or bidet seat is easy now and saves tons down the road.
M
Dealing with that small space has to be a pain, so I’ll just talk in general.
Things that I’ve really enjoyed in a bathroom include:
That is sooooo Star Trek. Except I don’t think they had that even in Star Trek. Living in the future indeed!
Well, yeah, but if you use a wheelchair or walker or have some other issue it might be worth the risk. YMMV and everyone’s situation is different, of course.
You can get a low rise shower base with an ada compliant ramp built in.
Also wanted to add radiant floor heat is easy to add and will transform your once cold and worthless life.
…adding more.
There’s “aging in place” and there’s “fully ADA wheelchair accessible “. It’s up to you how far you want to go. Grab bars are a must have in any bath. Lever handles are easy as well. If you need wheelchair access then you will also be upgrading you drain piping to allow for that in which case just tile the floor back to a trench drain and be done with it.
Heeeeey, MikeG, my new bestest buddy! 
I thought the wall-mounts were more expensive than that. If that’s all they cost, I’ll consider it if we think we’re going to be under budget. Thing is if I’m wrong either way, I’ll either have a hole in the floor I don’t need, or no way to drain the standard toilet I can afford :eek:
I would have to change some framing for one, but that’s not a load-bearing wall so I don’t think I’d have to get an engineer to submit it. The codes people I’ve worked with so far have been pretty cool.
We are 90% probably using Onyx for the shower pan and surround. Considering the size, we are leaning heavily towards a pedestal sink just because we have so little room. Figured it would look bigger without a vanity. I know a vanity adds storage space, but I honestly don’t think I could tell you what’s under there right now. Extra TP (maybe??) annnnnnnnnd…some dusty things.
I have come across LOTS of plumbing fixtures from box stores made by manufacturers I’ve never heard of, and I would never buy. Home Depot carries Moen, which is supposed to be reputable…but I also know that some quality brands sometimes make lower-end stuff for the boxes. Is that the case?
I hope clogs won’t be a problem. Right now that shower drains through cast iron pipe, which I’ll replace with PVC, and it’s a 6’ run right to the main stack. You said copper though, so I might have misunderstood what you meant.
Seating! Forgot about that. I can’t remember the figures exactly (and they could change), but if we do it as planned we’ll end up with about a 34x40" shower. No room for a permanent seat, but I did some looking and there are lots of fold-up/down options. I’m not as interested in that right now, but then again I don’t shave my legs regularly. I forgot to run it by someone who does yet, though, so we’ll see. 
Yeah, the way that thing is set up, there is absolutely no ADA, and minimal aging in place. I’m not even sure that tearing everything out, including the wall that separates it from the bedroom for more room, AND re-locating all the fixtures would allow for that.
Someone up-thread mentioned doing a vanity, and having the countertop go across the space and having it narrow above the toilet. Did cross my mind and came up in the planning conversation, but is a no-go right now. We’ll see if a year after we’re done we end up wanting more counter space and get one anyway!
CRAP! A dog ate my post. 
Fortunately, I have gotten in the habit of copying now and then as I type, just in case. Unfortunately, I didn’t save the last half.
Well, maybe I’ll try again tomorrow.
Aw, I can’t but that. I don’t have any pounds.
Buy stainless steel grab bars. The heavy gauge ones.
The cheap ones will rust and may even break if you try to catch yourself from falling. It’s not worth saving 15 bucks on a cheap grab bar that may get someone injured.
We bought these for my mom. Securely anchored in the wall studs.
Double walled stainless steel, rated for 500 lbs.
Complies with ADA specifications.