Hi everyone, I've installed several Toto toilets, use them exclusively in my home and would like to offer some advice that'll address the two core complaints mentioned in this thread: the dripping sound and the flush problems. 1) The dripping sound is due to the Toto's proprietary roughin adapter and how it mates to the floor's flange. One trick I've found is to use a hot-glue gun and glue a zip-tie to the toilet's exit port so any trickling water is gracefully conducted down the zip-tie and onto the adapter. You must be sure the zip-tie is secured onto the 'front' portion of the exit hole and extends 2 inches or so beyond the hole or it won't work. 2) Toto is famous for their flushing. They use a superior 'swiggle' in the exit tube to improve the vacuum. The ONLY cause for a poorly flushing Toto is a flawed installation of the 'waxie'. The 'waxie' is the wax seal used where the adapter mates to the floor flange. If it's moved, even slightly during installation (or even during the toilet's use if the floor bolts are not secure and the toilet slightly rocks), the waxie develops pin-holes that breaks the seal (and thus the vacuum). So, if you don't experience an impressive sucking effect each time you flush, it's the seal. Just replace it. I hope this helps everyone to solve the distracting dripping sound common to Toto toilets, and explains the mystery of why some people love the flushing action of their Toto toilet, while others are forced to use a plunger.

I researched toilets extensively about 10 years ago when I had to replace one. I knew nothing about the new low flush, and they don't all work (esp. then...they were still new). As another poster recommended above, I recommend reading the Terry Love site. I picked up a lot of information there. There are also toilet ratings on flushing, done by some plumbing organization or government. I found two of those on the internet. That gives some objective information on how successfully different brands and models flush. After all my research, I ended up with a Toto. I got the Sanagloss (you MUST get the Sanagloss!). I forget which model I got, but its flushing ability was rated highly consistently everywhere I saw. It might be the Drake. It had a larger flushing valve than the normal toilet, and wider trap than normal, AND a fully glazed trap. I was apprehensive, but it works like a dream. I then got a second one just like it for my other bathroom. They have both performed without a hitch for all these years. I haven't had to replace the flush valve yet (but I should check on that). I got the soft close top. I thought it might be a wasted expense, but it turns out I love them, and they still work properly. I have small bathrooms, so I got round toilets. Most people get elongated, but round saves a couple of inches. The round shape is also easier to keep clean (think about it). At the time I bought mine, there were some seriously deficient low flows on the market. Some brands just took their prior engineering and lessened the water in the tank. That doesn't work. Low flow toilets require a different kind of engineering than high flow, since high flow relies on the sheer force of a lot of water pushing things through. Toto, from Japan, had been making low flow toilets for years and had its own engineering. Since then, though, other brands have changed their engineering, so it's likely that most will work fine these days. All models of a brand don't perform equally well. So look for performance from not just a brand, but also a model. For instance, Toto has several kinds of engineering in its toilets. Some work better than others. A lot goes into whether a toilet performs well. Two piece vs one piece: My research showed that two piece toilets typically perform a little better than one piece. I don't remember now why that is. It's not always true, but that's a generality. Also, it's easier to work on a two piece than a one piece. If the plumber has to replace a tank or take it outside to replace the innards, it's easier to take just a tank rather than uninstall a whole toilet. Appearance. I hope you're luckier than I was. I wasn't fond of the modern look of the Totos. I have an older, traditional house. Toto has one or two prettier models, but the research showed they didn't perform quite as well as the model I ended up getting. So I got the one that performed the best. Don't get me wrong; it looks nice. It's just too modern for my taste. Be prepared to have to decide between a style you love vs high performance.

Lori - Actually I was looking at that color today online. Long story short, I normally use Ace Royal paint but they don't carry it anymore and I don't like the new stuff. I considered heading to another place to look at color chips. I do plan on using BM paint for the bathroom but was hoping for something decent but cheaper for the bedroom but who to match the paint...? So anyhow, yeah, I'd love to see a sample of the H. Butterscotch!

Peace, I don't have much time this a.m. (Saturday is our busy day, and I don't have any rendering software at home--to keep the job and home a bit separate.) but I have to say, that's a much busier roofline than your line drawing would lead me to suspect! And, it's surprising that the gables run N-S rather than E-W. That's why advice from an experienced contractor on the scene is so much better than an anonymous internet person! But, having suggested that you think out of the box, my first suggestion to you would be to try to live within the current plan without any expansion. That's always the cheapest, and it's the best investment for resale since additions won't "pay you back" unless you plan on living there for 10 years or longer. The chimney and the stairs really eliminate much of the potential openness between the family room and the living room. But, if you eliminate that wall all the way to the chimney, and use the sunroom space, I can see turning your current kitchen into a very efficient galley style arrangement that will still be as open as possible to the living room. Keep the sink in the same location (always a LOT cheaper!) or scootch it down towards the family room a bit, and just run that run of cabinets all the way along that new wall between the patio and family room. THe range would go on that wall between the sink and a full sized glass door (single "french" door") between the kitchen and patio. Put a pantry where you show the fridge, and put the fridge on the new "mudroom" wall (and maybe laundry?). That is, make a wall extend east from the stairwell through the porch (right about where the post is in the rear shot, I'd imagine) to create the other wall of the "galley" where you create a "snack zone" with a microwave (and maybe a beverage sink?) for all of those snackers coming in from outside. The new small "mudroom" would give a place for coats and boots and flotsam to drop before it hit the kitchen. You wouldn't have to change any of your footprint, and you'd get a very efficient kitchen that would be as open to the living room as structurally possible, with minimal structural issues to be solved. No, it doesn't give you an island, or seating in a kitchen, but it will literally probably be a minimum of 50K less of a project, which if you plan on moving in less than 5 years, might make these changes be more in the realm of being able to be recouped. Like I said, Saturday is my busy day at the showroom, so I probably won't be able to check back in until Sunday to see your response to my radical rethinking. And, I'm probably making a few assumptions about you that may not be entirely correct, such as this being more of a first or second home for you (I noticed the young kids toys.) rather than a home for a mature family. If this is a home from which you will never move, then the dollar amount "invested" in remodeling is less of an issue, as you will get years of enjoyment out of creating a larger and more functional space to live in. You might post your current home's layout with a request for other input about creating the optimum kitchen from what exists and you'll get a LOT more input from some very talented forumistas with a more specific appeal to a layout challenge.