Eric, do you mind telling me where you ordered your toilet from. Lyban, two local Toto dealers I talked with about a month ago said these "II" models were so new that they didn't know how quickly they'd come in, but based on past experience, they expected it could take 4 to 5 weeks. I thought that pressed my timing, so I looked online. (I also called Toto, which confirmed to me that the toilets were definitely in stock and had started shipping in February). The best price I got was from Ira Woods; I had ordered from them before when doing my kitchen and had a perfect experience, and they always seem to be recommended by folks on the kitchen forum. Their price was best if my total order would be $750, which would get me free shipping on the toilet; I was going to order my drawer pulls from them anyway (and eventually did), so I was over that limit. When I called them to ask about availability, they called Toto and estimated three weeks. I ended up ordering it from HM Wallace (they do business online as PerformanceToilets.com) because they promised they get a weekly truckload from Toto and would therefore get the toilet within a week and UPS it to me (free) for delivery within 10 days. Their price was about $40 higher, but since they seemed like they'd get it to me fastest, I ordered from them. Well, it turned out that my toilet "missed the truck" from Toto for two weeks, and ended up taking about three weeks to arrive anyway -- so I spent a little extra compared to Ira Woods for nothing. Oh well. I will say the customer service people at HM Wallace were nice to deal with. The toilet finally arrived Friday, and will be installed this week as soon as the wall tiling is complete and grouted. If we're happy with it, I'll be ordering another for our second bathroom project, which will start as soon as this one is complete. And I'll order from Ira Woods. One last note: when I was price shopping last month, many of the online sites didn't have all the new Toto models on their web sites, but they were all able to get me pricing when I called them. So if you don't see the model you want on a particular web site, it pays to call them. And make sure you check the shipping policies -- method and cost. (Reads the fine print: some web sites which prominently display free shipping on orders over $99 or $199 say that doesn't apply to oversized items, like a toilet. But they may offer free shipping for hitting a higher cost threshold.) I was surprised something as heavy as a 115 pound one-piece toilet could be shipped UPS, but it's standard with some of the companies. Others ship toilets via a freight line. That might make a difference if you or your contractor aren't home all day waiting for a shipment. Some ship all toilets for free; others have a pretty high cost threshold for free shipping. (If you can order your faucets or shower fixtures from the same company, it'll help you get free shipping on everything.) -- Eric

I may have written something about the plunger. I don't remember the timing, but that was probably when we discovered a blocked drain pipe -- a seeping leak that had filled the 4" pipe with sludge and dirt under the house. Nothing was going to plunge that. The plumber's snake didn't do anything either. We have since used a plunger without a problem -- it gets enough push to do the trick. If you mean the Kohler Memoirs, we have that one in two bathrooms and bought both from Lowe's if I remember correctly. They both came in a single box, tank and bowl, complete, everything fit and went in fine. I would have much more confidence buying from a local store than ordering from Amazon and hoping the darned thing arrives without any cracks, breakage or missing parts. That could be a much bigger headache than a second trip to the local store -- but 4 out of 4 Kohler toilets here didn't require another trip. Go support your local store and don't forget to get a new wax seal. That's the one thing that doesn't come in the box.

How will you do inevitable maintenance in the toilet tank if it's underneath a counter?

We had a problem in this house -- most often with one son's bathroom. We kept telling him not to use so much toilet paper, flush twice if needed, etc. Not until we had family guests using the bathroom and flooding our master bathroom and causing us to have to rip out the ceiling did we discover that the original plumbing had been run in such a way that any solid waste had a junction where it could easily catch and not flow as it should. We rerouted that plumbing and I don't think we've had a back up since. We have also experienced a main drain line section that was not cemented into place on either end, resulting in dirt and sludge filling it in over time. That didn't cause toilet stoppages so much as back up in the shower on the other end. Another one that took time to discover and $$$ to fix. Another thing I have heard of but not had to deal with it construction debris in the drain lines causing problems. Sometimes it isn't the toilet and it can be hard to figure out. I would talk to some neighbors and find out if any of them are having plumbing issues and it they are satisfied with their toilets. Research online to see if there are issues reported with that toilet. Document the problem with both the builder and the the toilet manufacturer and stay on top diagnosing the problem so you don't lose any right to have them address it.