Affordable Bathroom Updates

Kohler

Bathroom renovations have surpassed kitchen makeovers as the most popular home-remodeling project, according to a 2010 poll of contractors that was conducted by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Unfortunately, if you’re renovating a bathroom to increase the resale value of your home, you’ll get less bang for your buck than you would have 3 years ago.

According to Remodeling magazine, the average 2010 price for a midrange bathroom remodeling project nationwide increased by about 3.9 percent to $16,634. But the return on that investment—the resale value—slipped to $10,668. That’s a drop of about 6 percent since 2008. Ouch.

Fortunately, thanks to a proliferation of toilets, showerheads and faucets that meet stricter water-conservation standards, you can save a few dollars on your monthly water bill. You’ll also find that manufacturers have borrowed a page from the kitchen to add features that make sense in the bathroom as well.

MAKES WATERSENSE. Today, more faucets, toilets and showerheads than ever before carry the WaterSense label, which signifies that these fixtures meet the standards of Environmental Protection Agency’s program to promote water efficiency. The maximum flow rate to qualify for WaterSense certification is 2 gallons per minute (gpm) for showerheads and 1.5 gpm for bathroom faucets—20 percent lower than the federal maximum is for each product. For a toilet to qualify, it must max out at 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf), which would beat the government’s ceiling of 1.6 gpf by 20 percent.

There now are nearly twice as many WaterSense-rated products—about 2,000 toilets, showerheads and faucets—as there were in 2008. What’s better, there is no price premium for products that meet WaterSense standards compared with others that are of the same construction, design and materials. And you can find them at all price levels.

EPA estimates that in 2009 alone, Americans saved more than 36 billion gallons of water by using WaterSense-certified items. That “saved billions” claim might sound familiar: The government’s Energy Star program claims that it saves billions of dollars in energy costs. WaterSense has been called the plumbing version of Energy Star, but there’s a big difference between the two programs.

By requiring third-party testing by independent organizations that are registered with EPA, WaterSense avoids the kind of controversy that has dogged Energy Star, which has manufacturers test their own products and report the findings. In 2008, Energy Star took a credibility hit when manufacturers were exposed for conducting improper tests or even no tests at all.

But showerhead manufacturers are balking at further restrictions on their products. Department of Energy has proposed that each shower outlet that delivers water to the bather—individual body jets, hand showers and showerheads—counts toward the maximum total flow of 2.5 gpm that’s allowable under federal law. Manufacturers argue that the 2.5-gpm rate should apply to each water source. A ruling was expected last December but had not been issued as of press time.

THRONE ROOM. Toilets remain by far the main source of water use in the home. EPA says toilets account for nearly 30 percent of residential indoor-water consumption. Even though water rates vary from region to region, if your toilet uses less water, you’ll save on your water bill. Prices now start at about $200 for a toilet that meets the WaterSense standard. Three years ago, you would have had to pay $300 for such a model.

Manufacturers aren’t focused on just the amount of water that their toilets flush down the drain but also how they flush it—and how well that they clean the bowl. Two different types of toilets that meet WaterSense standards and appear to clean the bowl better than other models do have become more common: dual-flush and pressure-assist toilets.

Dual-flush toilets have two buttons that are on the tank top or wall—as opposed to the single handle that’s on the front of conventional toilets—and give users the choice of using either a 1.6-gpf flush (for solid waste) or a 0.8-gpf flush (for liquid waste). Because the latter function is performed more frequently on a daily basis, being able to select a half-flush saves water and a few dollars on your water bill.

MORE THAN PRETTY. The newest bathroom fixtures might save you a few bucks on your water bill, but remodeling a bathroom doesn’t automatically translate into a higher home price when it comes time for you to sell.

Moen

Compared with today’s standard 1.6-gpf toilet, a dual-flush toilet can save you 4 gallons of water a day, assuming that you use twice-daily solid flushing and five-times-a-day liquid flushing, according to D&R International, which is an environmental and energy consulting firm. That adds up to 1,460 gallons each year. (Nearly half of U.S. households still slosh along with toilets that have flush rates of 3.5-to-5 gpf, according to a D&R International survey.) Dual-flush toilets begin at around $375.

Pressure-assist toilets have a sealed compartment that’s inside the tank. The compartment contains air that becomes pressurized when supply water enters the compartment. That pressure boost means that you’ll use less water during a flush than you would use on typical toilets to clear the bowl, because the water is forced more quickly out of the tank into the toilet bowl.

Although it’s efficient, the sound of previous 1.6-gpf models that use pressure assist might annoy some people. (When the toilet is flushed, the pressurized air forces the water into the bowl with a sudden, audible whoosh; think toned-down airplane toilet.)

Models that were introduced in the past 2 years use 1.0 gpf and are noticeably quieter than were the previous ones. That’s because of changes that were made to the size of the pumps and the contours of the bowl, which alter its acoustics. (The sound is something like putting a seashell to your ear.) Pressure-assist toilets that use 1.0 gpf start at around $500.

The cutting edge of toilet technology is provided by an ultrahigh-efficiency toilet. The Stealth design from Niagara Conservation turned heads with its 0.8-gpf performance on every flush when it was introduced in 2010. At $308, it’s at the lower end of the price spectrum but is at the top of the list of water-saving toilets. How does it accomplish this? The Stealth pressurizes the trapway instead of the tank, as pressure-assist toilets do, to create a suction that pulls water and waste down the drain. (The flush is also much quieter than it is on a typical pressure-assist toilet.)

Given the competitive nature of the industry, particularly where water conservation is concerned, we believe that other manufacturers likely will follow with their own ultrahigh-efficiency toilets, but manufacturers wouldn’t disclose specific plans.

TRICKLE DOWN. Besides making their products to use less water, manufacturers of bathroom fixtures also are aiming at ease of use. Features that long have made kitchen chores easier for consumers are making their way to the bathroom.

For instance, at least three companies have introduced spray-pause buttons (widespread on kitchen faucets) in handheld showerheads to allow bathers to stop the flow of water without turning off the tap. That’s handy, say, if you need to reach for a washcloth and don’t want a faceful of spray. Look for more companies to offer this feature, which is available on models that start at $50.

You’ll also now see faucets that have pull-out sprayheads in the bathroom, and this development makes sense. A pull-out sprayhead makes hair-washing easier, for instance. At least four companies have models that have this feature, starting at about $100

When it comes to cleaning the fixtures, you now will find ceramic sinks and toilets that have dirt-repelling glazes that are composed of nanoparticles. We’ve seen before-and-after examples of this, and they work. This feature adds about $50 to the price, but it might be particularly helpful if your home has mineral-rich hard water, which can cause stains.

ACCESS GRANTED. The growing demand for aging-in-place bathroom solutions—an approach that allows older residents to stay in their homes later in life—has triggered developments in the design of accessible bathtubs. Accessible bathtubs are high-walled (more than 3 feet) bathtubs that are designed for bathers to easily enter and exit the bathtub.

Three years ago, only two manufacturers marketed accessible bathtubs to consumers, and they were both walk-in models, in which the bather entered through a hinged door. Now, at least six manufacturers make accessible bathtubs, and there is a new style—a rising-wall bathtub, in which the bather enters and exits by pushing down or pulling up the side panel of the bathtub.

Rising-wall entry is beneficial, particularly for wheelchair users and their caregivers, who don’t have to negotiate the tight 3-to-8-inch threshold of typical walk-in bathtubs. Rising-wall bathtubs, in which the entire tub is about 2 feet off the ground, can be entered from a sitting position. Nicole Allis of Kohler likens the motion to getting into bed.

The good news is that because accessible bathtubs have virtually the same size that standard bathtubs have, accessible models can fit into bathrooms without having to reconfigure the room, although plumbing modifications might be necessary. But the prices of these models aren’t as, well, accessible as they are for typical bathtubs. You can expect to spend at least $2,200 for an accessible bathtub and at least $3,500 for a full-size model that can fit the same space as a standard bathtub.

Unlike on standard bathtubs, the bather must sit in the bathtub as it fills and drains. Because larger models hold up to 80 gallons of water, that could take time and make for a chilly experience. But at least two manufacturers tout different approaches that speed up draining the water. Safety Tubs has several models that start around $4,000 that use pump-assisted drainage, which the manufacturer says works up to eight times faster than do conventional draining systems, because the drain water is being pumped instead of relying strictly on gravity, Kohler’s raised-wall Elevance tub ($8,775) has two manual drains to speed up draining.

Such developments are welcome, indeed, because if you find yourself sitting in chilly water long after your nice, warm bath is over, that is “draining” in a whole different way.

Leslie Clagett is the former editor-in-chief of Kitchens & Baths magazine. She has written about home design for 20 years.