We have three Caroma dual flush .8g/1.6g toilets in our home - a 1-piece Caravelle toilet and two 2-piece Caravelle/Sydney toilets (all about 10-13 years old). We purchased them when there were very few dual flush toilets available in the American market. The newer Caroma models now use even less water per full flush (1.28g). I love our Caroma toilets! The dramatic drop in household water consumption was immediately obvious. The 4 -in trap is so much larger than the 2-1/2" standard traps, so the toilets never, ever clog (not even the previous toilet on our ground floor that was previously extremely clog-prone). They hardly every require double flushing, either. We received a significant water conservation rebate (I think $85 each?) from our water authority after we purchased the toilets, too, which helped to offset the somewhat higher price of the toilets. Combined with the water savings (So Cal high water cost), they have been winners for us. The one caveat is that except for the water intake mechanism, replacement parts are not available at big box home centers like you'd find for typical American brands. However, the Caroma website does have an authorized distributor locator, plus there is a very good online retailer in Indiana (plumbingmall.com) that stocks and ships Caroma parts. I recently ordered replacement parts for our two-piece Caromas - all gaskets and seals, as well as the plastic push buttons and seats which had yellowed from constant exposure to UV light coming from the skylights. I didn't need to replace the actual flushing mechanisms, just the seals & gaskets, which degrade over time. Plumbingmall.com was very helpful putting my order together, since our Caroma models are older and in some cases use different parts than the currently sold models with the same names. I was wisely advised to replace all the original gaskets, seals/bolts, and the offset toilet flange collar before reinstalling the two (10+ yr old) toilets (they sat "dry" during lengthy DIY remodels, which can cause leaks if reinstalled in that state). I replaced the intake valves with standard Fluidmaster products from Home Depot. I will mention another thing about the Caroma toilet - because the bowl water level is very low in the narrow part of the bowl - a large part of the bowl surface is out of the water. Flushing does wash down the entire bowl, but depending on where/how the person sits on the seat and other solid waste factors, sometimes the bowl interior will need a quick "brush & swish" after use if slight streak marks remain (flushing again may or may not remove the streak). Personally, I don't have an issue with with a quick brushing after flushing, but one of my household members (the "streakiest" one) won't bother to brush & swish (argh). Streaks that dry do require somewhat more brushing effort to remove later. Sorry if that's TMI, but it may be a big issue to the person who most often cleans the toilets.

donnix.....to answer your questions, a paralam beam is a composite or laminated beam used in a load bearing configuration. If the toilet wall is built over a beam you have a problem as the drain for the toilet comes up in the wall through the sill plate... the beam would interfere with the placement of the drain line. Secondly, the wall hung toilet provides more room in front of the toilet for the code required clear space to meet ADA. The tank is in the wall, only the toilet itself is hung on the wall. The barrier free shower means there is no ledge to step over. The shower floor is in the same plane as the rest of the bathroom floor. This allows someone in a wheelchair or someone who can't lift their legs "barrier free" access to the shower. A 4" ledge into a shower doesn't sound like much... but trust me, having just recently suffered a stress fracture of the femoral neck in my left leg trying to lift my foot over a 4" ledge is not doable.

What about utilizing the space between the house and the garage. Gotta be cheaper as it already has a roof and will get better exterior privacy with the "bay window style patio doors" coming off both master suites. If a three car garage is still desired, another bay is cheap to add. Much cheaper then all new space on the left.

John, For many years TOTO was a leader on making their trap size 2-3/8" which was bigger than all other traps in the market, today I believe most companies use that trap size. Unfortunately I am not familiar with the brands you've mentioned but I think if you'll read reviews about those brands you'll be able to tell which one would be the best choice. And if one of those brands offer a trap size at 2-3/8" or larger it would be worth considering - I felt like I'm shooting my leg on my days as a plumber when I recommended TOTO, clients who took my advise and installed them had fewer clogs then everybody else ;)