Tips for Choosing a Toilet in a Residential Project

When thinking of a residential project, toilets aren’t the first aspect that comes to mind. Your mind immediately goes to the French windows in the living room, the silky marble floors, or the decor of your room.

Sadly, toilets are way down on the priority list! But they are critical to our daily lives. So ironic, isn’t it?!

Other than being responsible for our health and a savior for the environment, a toilet also acts as the best place to browse through Facebook or Instagram, reply to emails, or just catch up on global news. A bit strange, but that’s how most people seem to start their day!

If it’s time for a bathroom revamp, you’ve come to the right place. Residential architects live for designing spaces and bringing them to life with elements. From lavish to space-saving and high-tech to simple, there’s a toilet for every bathroom.

And that’s what you’re going to find out, the A, B, C’s of choosing a toilet for your home.

What’s the gossip in the World of Toilets?

Even though toilets have remained primarily the same in recent decades, there have been some upgrades to the technology. In addition to the aesthetics and comfort, there are several choices of toilets in the market that now incorporate water jets and seat heating.

Advancements in technology might even make the toilets jump forward to being a smart toilet! But that’s decades away from now.

Types of Toilets

Knowing your bathroom requires a new toilet is the first step. Now the next question is which one? At this juncture, a residential architect could lend their expertise and save you the trouble of going in the wrong direction and probably some money!

Close-coupled Toilets

These are the most common type of toilets. They exhibit a cistern that rests at the back of the toilet bowl. One of the advantages of close-coupled toilets is that the pipework is concealed so it appears neat.

If your priority is cost-efficiency, then close-coupled toilets could be the best choice for your bathroom. A bonus is that these are convenient to maintain and clean. They are also characterized by less water consumption and a simple installation.

Wall-hung Toilets

Wall-hung toilets give off a contemporary look. The cistern is concealed inside the wall and there’s no apparent pipework. Wall-hung toilets require a wall frame for construction, which makes them a better-suited option for new bathrooms rather than retrofitting old ones.

Cloakroom Toilets

Cloakroom toilets act as space-savers and are quite useful when it comes to small washrooms. Their design can either be close-coupled or wall-hung. These are designed in a way that utilizes less space, but it could be achieved with different features.

High-and-Low Level Cistern Toilets

These give a historic appearance to traditional washrooms. In this style, the cistern is visible and wall-mounted. The flush is generally a pulley or lever design. The pan stands on the floor and the two elements are joined by the flush pipe.

These toilets are ideal for washrooms with high ceilings but can also be utilized in low-ceiling washrooms with a shorter flush pipe.

Back-to-Wall Toilets

These are floor-standing toilets. Many residential architects might suggest this option for a modern look in bathrooms. In back-to-wall toilets, the cistern is concealed behind the pan in the unit itself or the wall. There’s no visible pipework so the cleaning is mess-free.

Washlet

A washlet is an electronic bidet system that comes as a part of cleansing toilet seats. Developed by the Japanese toilet company Toto, the washlet is their registered trademark. The current models exhibit a sensor that prevents spraying water when the toilet isn’t being used by a person.

The nozzle is designed in a way that doesn’t allow the water to splash back into the toilet. This promotes the washlet’s antibacterial function.

Urinals

Urinals are sanitary plumbing fixtures that are utilized just for urination. These are often provided in public washrooms for male users. However, that doesn’t mean that urinals can’t be installed in homes.

A bit unconventional, but urinals could be highly efficient in an all-boys hostel or if you’re the proud parents of young boys.

Public urinals exhibit a flushing system that washes the urine from the bowl to prevent foul odor. It can be triggered through methods such as manual handle, door-regulated flush, timed flush, or automatic flush.

Flush Technology

Most toilets today are water-saving models in comparison to the older ones. There are three options when it comes to flush technology.

Single Flush

These toilets deliver a constant flush with every use. This type offers the widest range of designs and colors.

Dual Flush

These have a two-stage mechanism that offers a light flush or full flush for liquid and solid waste respectively.

Touchless Flush

These toilets work on a battery-powered sensor that initiates flush. Since there’s little to no physical contact, the chance of spreading germs might be less.

Key Factors

In addition to the primary tips, there are a few other considerations that you could look at when selecting the toilet for your bathroom.

Finishes

Depending on the style and design of the bathroom, it is possible to select between satin or matte finishes. The decision is yours on how you want the aesthetics of your washroom to appear.

Durability

A toilet must have a prolonged service life as it’s going to be one of the most used objects in your home. As such, it needs to be hard-wearing and built with resistant materials to ensure a long-life cycle. Hence, for practical purposes, it would be sensible to prioritize quality over appearance.

Colors

Although white is the most preferred color for toilets, there’s a range of subtle colors that could bring out the features of your washroom owing to the design scheme and aesthetics.

Efficiency

There are so many choices available in the market that it can get a bit daunting when it comes to selecting a toilet for your washroom. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll compromise on the efficiency.

The final decision should investigate aspects such as: what type of hydraulic motor does the toilet have to drove the water? How long does the toilet take to flush? Does the toilet get cleaned internally at each flush to eliminate bacteria?

Bowl Shape

When choosing a toilet, you can go for bowls that are round-front, elongated, or compact-elongated. Round-front toilets take up less space and are a decent choice if the washrooms are small. Elongated toilets exhibit deeper seating and are widely used. Compact-elongated toilets offer decent comfort while taking less space.

Toilet Traps

Toilets can either have an exposed or concealed trap configuration. In simple terms, it’s based on aesthetics. Exposed-trap toilets could be a decent choice for washrooms with a classic style, while concealed-trap toilets might give a better look in contemporary and modern washrooms.

Seat Height

Toilets with a standard height have a seat that is about 17 to 18 inches from the floor while chair-height toilets are taller at about 19 to 20 inches from the floor. Chair-height toilets are more efficient for the elderly or those with mobility issues.

Several custom-height toilets are also available in the market that can mount on the wall and be set at heights ranging from 15 to 28 inches from the floor.

Features to look out for!

Check for the size of the traps that take out the waste from the bowl. For more efficiency, select traps that are big to avoid blockages. Generally, the traps might be P-shaped or S-shaped.

Look for a toilet with a dual flush. In this case, only the water necessary will be utilized each time the toilet is flushed.

Keep an eye on the material of the toilet seat. It needs to be comfortable for each member of the family. One critical feature is that it must be anti-slip.

Not all toilets come with attached seats. So, bear this thought in mind while you’re budgeting.

Additionally, come to think of the future, you might want your toilet to age in place. It could be beneficial if your parents decide to move in or someone in the family becomes infirm. And when it comes to members of your family, you might want to think how many washrooms would be required.

A nuclear family could comfortably manage with two washrooms, but if you’re family is growing you might want your kids to have their individual washrooms. Maybe your friends decide to you for the weekend, it would be nice if they had a separate guest washroom away from the chaos of your home.

In these situations, it’s best to plan a bit and think how the number of washrooms in your home relate to the size of your family.

The End

Now that you’ve read up on some interesting and critical information about toilets, it might get slightly easier for you to select the best option for your washroom. And with some assistance from a residential architect, you could get the perfect washroom. After all, your day deserves a start as convenient as possible.