Things Learned from this Bathroom Remodel (so far)

I spoke with a friend yesterday about my current bathroom remodel. He had some questions and I thought I'd share some of my answers.

Q: What's the most valuable piece of advice that I got from contractors?
A: Don't buy a bathtub that costs less than $400. We bought an American Standard Americast  steel tub for about $500. It weighs about 160 pounds (a third of the cast iron tub it replaced). We're very happy with it so far.

Q: Will I use a tile contractor for future work?
A: Maybe, but probably not. After watching the install and even doing a little tile install myself, I feel like I could do a pretty good job. Good advice on choosing tile... buy the best tile you can afford. Cheap tile doesn't cut nicely (chipped edge). Buy porcelain instead of ceramic it possible.

Q: Was the contractor happy with the work I did prior to him starting?
A: He was very complimentary on how plumb my walls were (he said he had never worked on walls that were so plumb... only 1/8" off). It made his cuts for the tile in the corners all the same which saved a lot of time. I guess it paid off having spent the extra time reframing the walls.

Q: Where did I buy my valve and trim package for the shower?
A: We bought it all at Aurora Plumbing in Seattle. The folks in the parts department have always been helpful (they removed the flow restrictor in the showerhead for me - I can control flow via the valve) and the sales staff in the showroom (Adele) was particularly helpful in guiding us to the right valves, spouts, etc. We just bought the new toilet for the hall bath from them (a Toto).