One of the nice things about doing a project yourself is that you become aware of more options.  Going in, I had no idea that some shower valves have built-in shutoff for maintenance.  Huh. I want that.

Moen and American Standard both have tub/shower faucet combinations that have the features we are looking for:

• Volume and Temp control
• Shutoff built into the valve
• Replaceable trim kits with multiple style options

We went with the Moen Monticello in chrome.

Rough-in of faucet

Drains are a neglected part that nobody wants to think about. There are two choices ABS and brass.  For ease I went with ABS.  I got the Watts kit from Home Depot, mainly because it’s schedule 40 ABS and prices reasonably at $25. One downside is that the overflow drain doesn’t sit flush with the tub requiring some work to get it seated correctly. I had an option to buy a kit specially for American Standard tubs, but I didn’t like that the joints were slip joints and the ABS walls were thinner. I’ll find out if I made the right choice in about ten years.

Drain ready for tub

It’s been a while since I posted. I’m way ahead of my documentation so you’ll notice I’m switching to past tense.