I'm very confused by something my friend who is helping me with my reno told me, and he is unreachable (visiting family out of town) right now.

He told me to order the "rough in" for my shower, b/c when he gets back from vacation in 2 weeks he will need that right away. I mentioned that i hadn't looked at showerheads yet. He said something like, "we don't need the stuff on the outside".

Sorry to be so ignorant, but don't I need to pick a brand in order to buy a rough in?

Or is there a universal rough in that works with any shower?

This is a shower stall only - there will be a normal showerhead on an arm coming out of the wall, and a handheld shower on a bar.

I'd like to have the type of diverter that allows water to come out of both heads at the same time.

Thanks!

Yes, you'll need to pick a brand and the valve but not the shower head or the stuff that appears on the wall.

For example, Moen produces a family of shower products that all use the same valve(s).

The rough-in would include the valve, but not the shower head or bar or cover plate or handles.

I suppose you could do it without the valve, leaving space where it would go. But it would be simpler if you already have it in place. And tell the guy installing it what is going on the wall in terms of tiling and such so he can get the depth correct.

For example, if I love the look of a Moen thermostatic single lever trim kit, I would make sure all the stuff behind the wall comes from Moen and works with that shower faucet handle.

BUT, I could order my showerhead from anywhere? e.g. if I don't like the look of the matching Moen showerhead, I could get Grohe... right?

Actually, I'm pretty excited if this is the case, b/c I like certain showerheads, but not the handles that go with them, and other handheld showerheads, and yet other faucets.

Probably will be mixing Moen, Grohe, and California Faucets all in chrome in the same bathroom!