I hope everything works out to your satisfaction. I cringe when I see that transition. I also had flooring installed to match existing hardwood, both of which come off a higher kitchen floor. When they installed my transition thresholds, they were 1 1/4 high with no slope! When I said that was unacceptable, he said that looked the best with the "massive height difference" and ugly tile edge. No way can that be code. Meanwhile there is a perfectly acceptable reducing threshold right across from his installed by somebody else. Thank goodness you have someone who will work with you for such a big job. I just got sick of talking about it. I was able to find a 3/4 reducer, cut it to fit with a small lip over the tile. If the edge is not perfect I'll run some grout. The poly is drying on it to match floor. Installing them tomorrow.

Hi cheri127 ~ You know, that makes total sense in most rooms. I just measured and there is less than 3 inches from the cabinet to just inside the kitchen by the door frame where I think you're talking about. I'm not sure how it would look or how difficult it would be to run the flooring from the cabinet up to that point. I'm thinking the room would look like an unside down "T", a fat rectangle at the base and a very skinny line of flooring and transition strip. I'm not sure how much of the flooring would even show. hmmm...it is an option though, and might look better than any other alternative. Maybe I'll run by the flooring store again tomorrow and get this nailed down before the installer shows up. Thank you for helping me think this through!!

You've done a very good job with the situation you've been given. The hardwoods look very close to identical. The only thing I could add to this - and it is ONLY an esthetics suggestion - would be to go 1/2 step darker on the transition strips. Like sewing a seam on a shirt/dress/pants, the ideal is a perfect colour match (thread to cloth). If the match can't be done, a good seamstress will go a snick darker. At a distance it is much harder to see a darker stitch then it is to see a lighter stitch. That is the only thing you could do at this point. And to be clear, the transitions are a pretty good match. If you do anything, the transitions going 1/2 step darker than they are right now would be all I would suggest. Other than that, think of those pieces of wood as the thing that saved you $15K. It's all about how you look at a situation. You can think, "Oh, geeze. I wish I didn't have to have those things there," or you can think "Thank GOODNESS for those transition strips! They saved me $15,000!" Still the same situation - just a different way of looking at it.

Sorry Ashlie, but the MAXIMUM LENGTH of the laminate has been exceeded. Most laminates have a maximum run (wall to wall) length of 30ft. I'm going to bet my first born that the run from the LEFT door jam (find the plank that lines up with the left door jam and follow that line PAST the stair post to the back wall) to the FAR WALL (just past the pump out) is MORE than 30 linear feet. That is the single reason you have to have a transition strip (t-molding). The builder had a choice: put it at the doorway in the foyer or RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM. Zoinks! Yah. Nasty. So he did the only thing he could = put it in the most "out of the way" spot = foyer breeze way. To get rid of that t-mold = new floor. Sigh. All that money on flooring only to need a new floor before you move in. Yikes. A permanent floor (glue/nail/staple/mortar) is one way you can get a continuous run LONGER than 30 linear feet. The other is a HIGH END (ahem - super expensive) floating composite core floor that allows 50 linear feet (extremely rare with an extreme price tag). Most homeowners don't like the price tag of those types of floors so the $45 t-molding in a doorway becomes more than acceptable. On the bright side, it is a PERFECT match to the floor and is well camouflaged. I know many a professional floor installer who would be proud to call that install their work!