Transform Your Bathroom From “Blah” To Spa:
Renovate to Wellness with TOTO on Any Budget

Spring is in the air, and with it comes the desire to renew not only yourself -- but also your surroundings with a remodel or refresh, depending on your available budget. Further, if you have an eye on increasing your home’s resale value, you will want to focus your efforts on the two rooms that add the most value --the kitchen and bathroom. In the following, we will focus on the bathroom.

Your Bathroom Remodel’s Return on Investment

As reported in Remodeling Magazine’s” 2021 Cost vs. Value Report,” the average cost of a new bathroom remodel varies widely, depending on your home’s age and the amount of plumbing or electrical work required. According to Modernize.com, replacing fixtures and painting the room is much less expensive than replacing everything, but you can expect to spend between $3,000 and $10.000 on a refresh or basic remodel. Moreover, Remodeling finds that the average cost to remodel your bathroom is nearly $24,000. The good news is that you may recoup almost 60% of that cost in the increased resale value of your home. An upscale remodel will cost around $100,000, but you will recover approximately 53% of its cost in your home’s resale value.

Planning Your Luxury Remodel

As you plan your luxury remodel, consider this: you will see the most significant ROI in new tile, updated cabinets and fixtures, and brighter, more natural lighting, which will appeal to home buyers. Ease of use (or universal design features) and added touches of luxury are other factors to consider with luxury remodels that include the following:

• Adding TOTO’s Flotation Tub or steam shower in the master bath
• Installing TOTO’s NEOREST NX2 Smart Toilet
• Adding heated floors
• Installing a double sink
• Adding a shower seat
• Installing added storage

Flotation Tub with ZERO DIMENSION TECHNOLOGY for your Luxury Remodel

Following 10-years’ research on bathing’s relaxation effect, biomechanics, neuroscience, and ergonomics, TOTO discovered that a unique body posture—with the reclining body stabilized and the hips, knees, and ankles flexed—reduced the joints’ mechanical energy/load to nearly zero.

TOTO’s Flotation Tub with ZERO DIMENSION simulates zero gravity by offering bathers a weightless experience that eliminates the mechanical energy/load on their joints.

Cerebral blood flow studies show activity in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for language—is dramatically reduced.

Bathers are afloat, calm, and immersed in a meditative moment of relaxation, enhanced by special message jets producing a therapeutic flow of warm air bubbles enveloping the entire body.

A stream of warm water flows from the height-adjustable Neck Spa, an ergonomic pillow that keeps the neck and shoulders comfortably warm.

HYDROHANDS message jets create the experience of real hands messaging the lower back.

Enhance Your Luxury Spa Bath with the NEOREST NX2 Smart Toilet 

TOTO’s NEOREST Smart Toilets offer the most innovative, design-forward array of smart toilets available with integrated WASHLET personal cleansing technology. NEOREST Smart Toilets respond to consumers’ needs intuitively and luxuriously. NEOREST offers elegant designs drawn from nature, cutting-edge technology, flawless performance, and extraordinary comfort, providing an unparalleled sense of relaxation in the most comfortable and refreshingly way possible.

TOTO’s NEOREST NX2 is its most beautiful smart toilet with its most advanced cleansing technology. Its sophisticated elliptical silhouette will serve as an artistic focal point of any bath. The NEOREST NX2 offers high-tech sensor operation with automatic hands-free open/close and auto flush; integrated WASHLET personal cleansing system with warm, aerated water to cleanse, warm air dryer, heated seat, and in-bowl catalytic deodorizer; and energy- and water-saving features. 

The NEOREST NX2’s ACTILIGHT technology helps keep the bowl clean and protect the environment. It starts with a plain water PREMIST that reduces waste and grime’s ability to stick to the bowl. After each flush, it mists the bowl with EWATER+ (electrolyzed water), a powerful cleaning agent that helps keep it clean and reduces the need for harsh cleaning chemicals. Next, activated by TOTO’s integrated Clean Light, the innovative ACTILIGHT bowl glaze becomes photocatalytic, decomposing waste and washes it away with ease.

TOTO believes that the bath space should be a relaxing, restorative place where you can escape daily life’s stresses and your everyday bathroom rituals are transformed into enriching experiences. With NEOREST Smart Toilets, TOTO has brought its design, innovation, and exceptional performance philosophy to its most beautiful and welcoming expression.

Your Bathroom Refresh’s Return on Investment

Zillow’s “ROI for a Bathroom Remodel” finds that you will see a $1.71 increase in home value for every $1 you spend on a bathroom refresh or minor cosmetic changes. A refresh may include painting and refinishing cabinets, swapping out the mirror, or installing a TOTO WASHLET C5 bidet seat. 

So, even if you only have the time and budget to make minor improvements to refresh the space, focusing on the bathroom is usually a smart move.

Remodeling Trends

According to Houzz’s 2021 Bathroom Trends Survey of nearly 3,000 U.S. homeowners who were in the midst of a remodel, planning one, or just completed one found that cleanliness (68%) and reducing clutter (63%) were vital to creating a spa-like atmosphere they seek. 

Houzz’s findings may explain why modern (20%), transitional (19%), and contemporary (18%) designs -- characterized by smooth surfaces and sleek, clean-lines designs – remain homeowners leading choices when renovating their bathrooms. 

Spend 3X Higher for “Major” Renovations: Houzz also found that consumers’ median spend for bathroom projects was $8,000. Those doing a major bathroom renovation – including a shower upgrade -- spent three times more on their renovation than those undertaking a simple refresh ($15,000 vs. $5,000, respectively). The median spending for major remodels of both small and large bathrooms increased by 20% and 6%, respectively, from 2020.

Homeowners Seek Spa-Like Environment: According to Houzz, two in five homeowners report using their renovated bathroom for rest and relaxation (41%) to escape life’s daily stresses. Top features that increase the sense of relaxation include cleanliness (68%), a lack of clutter (63%), dimmable lighting (38%), toilet technology (36%), and greenery (19%). Nearly one-third of homeowners surveyed add greenery to their bathroom while renovating (32%) because plants are aesthetically pleasing (88%), create a calming environment (64%), and help purify the air (34%).

Replacing your old toilet with a high-quality WASHLET+ bidet toilet is a relatively simple refresh that adds many wellness benefits to your life. With the right technologies and features, you can live cleaner, healthier, and more simply. 

Installing a GFCI outlet within three feet of the toilet enhances the installation of a bidet seat or bidet toilet.

TOTO’s Nexus WASHLET+ Bidet Toilet One-Piece Toilet

TOTO’s elegant Nexus WASHLET+ S550e One-Piece Bidet Toilet seamlessly connects TOTO’s high-performance Nexus toilet and WASHLET+ S550e bidet seat with no visible hoses or cords. With WASHLET, Americans have shifted their daily ritual from wiping to washing. Its warm-water cleansing, warm-air dryer, and heated seat keep them clean, comfortable, and confident. 

TOTO’s Nexus WASHLET S550e+ also offers four advanced bowl cleaning technologies that work together to keep it fresh and clean: PREMIST spray; TOTO’s high-performance TORNADO FLUSH System; CEFIONTECT nano-technology glaze that seals the porcelain with an ionized barrier, making it easier to clean, and EWATER+, which ensures the cleanliness of the bowl’s surface and the interior and exterior of the WASHLET wand automatically misting them with electrolyzed water, a well-known cleaning agent, after every use, which reduces the need for harsh cleaning chemicals.

Premium features in the Bathroom: Houzz finds that three-quarters of homeowners incorporate premium features into their bathtubs (79%) and showers (74). Top premium features for bathtubs include soaking tubs (68%), space for two (19%), and silent whirlpool baths (9%). In contrast, premium shower upgrades include rainfall showerheads (55%), his and her showers (23%), body sprays 16%), and thermostatic mixing valves (13%).

Stylish Design for Living in Place

Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies reported that by 2030, the U.S. population aged 50 or over will increase from 109 million to 132 million; the number of adults aged 65-74 will nearly double from 21.7 million in 2010 to 38.6 million in 2030. 

Houzz finds that more than half of homeowners (54%) surveyed said their bathroom renovation was spurred by their household members’ unique needs, up from 48% in 2018. Aging household members are the top priority for both current (27%) and future (39%) needs. 

Nearly three-quarters of renovators (71%) report that those special needs had developed one to two years before the renovation. Roughly half are preparing for the near term, with 48% saying they expect special needs to arise for household members within the next five years. 

When designing a “living in place” or universal design bathroom, start with a wide, curb-less threshold that allows a step-free entrance or a wheelchair. Next, add multiple benches and TOTO’s stylish grab bars to support and stability. 

Adding a high-style WASHLET bidet seat or WASHLET+ bidet toilet enables older adults to take care of their peri-care needs themselves, preserving their dignity and independence. It also reduces the amount of toileting assistance provided by their family members or friends, which reduces the risk of injury. 

For older adults, installing a WASHLET bidet seat or WASHLET+ bidet toilet delays or prevents their need to enter a nursing home, helping to preserve their economic security. 

Increasing Water-Efficiency in the Bathroom

According to the EPA’s WaterSense program, the average American family of four consumes 300 gallons of water per day. Roughly 70 percent occurs in the home.

Toilets

The standard toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush, while older models can use 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. Replacing your old, inefficient toilets with a stylish high-performance WaterSense labeled TOTO toilet 1.28 or 1.0 gpf model will reduce the amount of water your family uses for toilets by 20 to 60 percent.

Faucets

An old inefficient bathroom faucet consumes two gallons of water per minute. Replacing it with an elegant, high-efficiency TOTO faucet will save approximately 700 gallons of water per year.

Showers

Showering is one of the leading ways Americans use water in the home—accounting for nearly 17 percent of residential indoor water use—for the average family of four, which adds up to almost 40 gallons per day. That's almost 1.2 trillion gallons of water used in the United States annually just for showering, or enough to supply the water needs of New York and New Jersey for a year. 

By retrofitting your shower with a beautiful TOTO WaterSense labeled showerhead (2.0 gpm, 1.75 gpm, and 1.3 gpm), you can 2,700 gallons of water per year. Since these water savings will reduce demands on water heaters, you will also save energy. The average family could save more than 330-kilowatt hours of electricity annually, or the amount it takes to power a house for 11 days. According to the EPA, on a national scale, if every home in the United States installed WaterSense labeled showerheads, we could save more than $2.9 billion in water utility bills and more than 260 billion gallons of water annually. In addition, we could avoid more than $2.5 billion in energy costs for heating water.