Well I found the blog that answered this. A flange mount is absolutely required for an alcove shower/bath installation. Drop in mount unacceptable, etc.
That rules out the interesting 60x32 Kohler Tea-for-Two bath. That's the only Tea-for-Two I can use which would not require me to move the toilet drain (a big expense, and I worry a lot about it).
The only flange mount Tea-for-Two is the 66x36. That would require moving the closet wall just a bit, but rather large cost, and also moving the toilet drain. Both of those together would possibly add about $2000 to the project. Or maybe more.
So because Kohler for some reason** doesn't offer the one I'd need (a 60x32 flange mount) I can't use that very interesting model, which looks like you could sit either way in it. It does have the drawback that being 3 inches taller than other shower friendly tub models, it's just a tad harder to walk into, though I think I could live with that to get the cool right and left sitting positions that this tub offers.
So scratch option A, the best of all possible choices. Next are options B, Mendota 60x32 and Bellwhether 66x32. They have similar stepover height, the Bellwhether being longer and having a more twisty back with molded in lumbar support. It seems the Bellwhether is just a tad better, but probably not worth all the effort of moving the closet wall.
So by process of elimination among Kohler cast iron tubs, I end up selecting the Mendota.* For $4750.90 it's a bit pricey..that's more than twice the price of the Denver Bathtubs unit I mentioned long ago--which had been selected to be shower ready. But the major difference here is that the Kohler is actually a cast iron tub, not a plastic tub. Plus, it's top quality, not something from who knows where. OK, I'll guess (though I have seen websites claiming otherwise) that Jacuzzi is top quality also. But look at the Jacuzzi line of bathtubs...and they're all acrylic.
The downside of this rather expensive Kohler is that it only has 4 jets. A typical Jacuzzi might have more than a dozen jets. Jacuzzi is big on features. Kohler is good at making solid bathtubs that can also function as showers. For a shower, you want something with a really solid floor. That would either be stone (like $12,000 and up) or metal. I haven't seen whirlpools in stone, most stone tubs are just simple tubs, but hugely expensive because of the cost involved of tooling and shipping solid stone.
On the plus side, the Mendota does have a variable speed pump (that's very important) and heater. It has a control panel that needs to be mounted, but no remote control. (Most Kohler whirlpool models do have remote control, and you would think they could have included it at this price.)
There may be an issue of spending this kind of money for a limited functionality whirlpool, when a tub exactly like it could be had for far less.
(* To be clear, I haven't really decided, I decided after writing this. I now expect to ask builder and plumber about what it would entail and cost. Under no circumstances will I permit jackhammer to be used. But I believe the correct way to do this is to use a concrete cutting machine. If the cost seems reasonable, I might decided to do it. But as this is at least a month away, I am still in information gathering stage. I will only make the actual decision when it actually has to be made.)
Here's a discussion of moving toilet drain that shows a guy using jackhammer:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg020010533589.html
Here's another discussion giving a cost of less than $1000 for doing a bunch of things including a drain relocation, but it was for a shower not a toilet:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg062359225078.html
(**Kohler probably only offers models that it feels make sense or meet certain standards. They only offer the tile flange for the 66x36 Tea-for-Two because the 60x32 model might be too small for comfortable showering...not enough flat space in the middle. Tea-for-Two is one of their most premium models, so it should be expected to do everything well, if you buy the model suited for the job, which apparently means buying the 66x36 and nothing less if you want to use it for a shower. If see the tile flange feature, you know that model is intended for alcove and therefore showering use. This is probably not a matter where they are trying to steer you to buy a more expensive model by not providing less expensive options. Rather, they don't want to sully their reputation selling models that don't quite work out as intended.)
That rules out the interesting 60x32 Kohler Tea-for-Two bath. That's the only Tea-for-Two I can use which would not require me to move the toilet drain (a big expense, and I worry a lot about it).
The only flange mount Tea-for-Two is the 66x36. That would require moving the closet wall just a bit, but rather large cost, and also moving the toilet drain. Both of those together would possibly add about $2000 to the project. Or maybe more.
So because Kohler for some reason** doesn't offer the one I'd need (a 60x32 flange mount) I can't use that very interesting model, which looks like you could sit either way in it. It does have the drawback that being 3 inches taller than other shower friendly tub models, it's just a tad harder to walk into, though I think I could live with that to get the cool right and left sitting positions that this tub offers.
So scratch option A, the best of all possible choices. Next are options B, Mendota 60x32 and Bellwhether 66x32. They have similar stepover height, the Bellwhether being longer and having a more twisty back with molded in lumbar support. It seems the Bellwhether is just a tad better, but probably not worth all the effort of moving the closet wall.
So by process of elimination among Kohler cast iron tubs, I end up selecting the Mendota.* For $4750.90 it's a bit pricey..that's more than twice the price of the Denver Bathtubs unit I mentioned long ago--which had been selected to be shower ready. But the major difference here is that the Kohler is actually a cast iron tub, not a plastic tub. Plus, it's top quality, not something from who knows where. OK, I'll guess (though I have seen websites claiming otherwise) that Jacuzzi is top quality also. But look at the Jacuzzi line of bathtubs...and they're all acrylic.
The downside of this rather expensive Kohler is that it only has 4 jets. A typical Jacuzzi might have more than a dozen jets. Jacuzzi is big on features. Kohler is good at making solid bathtubs that can also function as showers. For a shower, you want something with a really solid floor. That would either be stone (like $12,000 and up) or metal. I haven't seen whirlpools in stone, most stone tubs are just simple tubs, but hugely expensive because of the cost involved of tooling and shipping solid stone.
On the plus side, the Mendota does have a variable speed pump (that's very important) and heater. It has a control panel that needs to be mounted, but no remote control. (Most Kohler whirlpool models do have remote control, and you would think they could have included it at this price.)
There may be an issue of spending this kind of money for a limited functionality whirlpool, when a tub exactly like it could be had for far less.
(* To be clear, I haven't really decided, I decided after writing this. I now expect to ask builder and plumber about what it would entail and cost. Under no circumstances will I permit jackhammer to be used. But I believe the correct way to do this is to use a concrete cutting machine. If the cost seems reasonable, I might decided to do it. But as this is at least a month away, I am still in information gathering stage. I will only make the actual decision when it actually has to be made.)
Here's a discussion of moving toilet drain that shows a guy using jackhammer:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg020010533589.html
Here's another discussion giving a cost of less than $1000 for doing a bunch of things including a drain relocation, but it was for a shower not a toilet:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg062359225078.html
(**Kohler probably only offers models that it feels make sense or meet certain standards. They only offer the tile flange for the 66x36 Tea-for-Two because the 60x32 model might be too small for comfortable showering...not enough flat space in the middle. Tea-for-Two is one of their most premium models, so it should be expected to do everything well, if you buy the model suited for the job, which apparently means buying the 66x36 and nothing less if you want to use it for a shower. If see the tile flange feature, you know that model is intended for alcove and therefore showering use. This is probably not a matter where they are trying to steer you to buy a more expensive model by not providing less expensive options. Rather, they don't want to sully their reputation selling models that don't quite work out as intended.)
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