It depends on the layout whether transition mouldings are needed. In the above posters hardwood to tile it's at an opening with the hardwood running with the opening and looks nice without moulding, but in open areas where there are large runs butting up to the two different floorings, transition mouldings are used when the hardwood is perpindicular or even at angles one to the other. The op has large areas kitchen, dining, foyer where depending on layout, more than likely would need mouldings where the two meet when perpindicular. An alternative to transitions is running a band of hardwood matching the flooring with the tile but perpindicular to the hardwood runs. Tha takes woodworking,(milling), that some installers wouldn't make time for.

I live and build homes in Canada, Toronto to be exact so I understand the cold. But tile is colder than hardwood so the argument doesn't really hold up plus you can do radiant heating under hardwood if you really need too. You will not regret running the hardwood throughout, but IMO you will regret not replacing that old tile while you have the chance.

You are SO SO SWEET! I am totally obsessing about this stuff (especially with this home confinement!). We are getting our contract for building on Monday. I know I don’t need to have the decisions made by then, but it’s all occupying space in my head! I love the white hex above with the little bit of blue that forms a triangle. If I could find a porcelain of it, that would be ideal! That’s extraordinary! There’s a doorway, so feathering won’t work, but that’s cool! Thank you SO much for your help!

Thank you Angel. The first flood came from frozen pipes in the ceiling. They were installed too close to the foundation, we had -50C cold snap, and burst when they thawed. It was the line to the laundry room and we didn't even notice the hot water wasn't working, since we wash using cold water. We fixed that issue by moving the pipes into the heated living space, under a small bulkhead (basement ceiling). The last flood came up through the septic system. We have a 45-year-old house and an unusual (for today) septic system. A second tank holds fluids and then it gets drained (underground) into a mound back in the woods. The pump in that tank had failed but we didn't know. Then a toilet ran all day while we were working outside, and grey water came up in the laundry room and flowed out from there. The house does not have a backflow valve. Water wasn't deep - maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of water, just enough to soak the underlay/floor. Good times. At least there were no floaties, thanks to the water running all day and flushing out the lines. We now have a hydromatic pump out there, and we will be installing a wifi-enabled alarm system. Preferably one with a big flashing light! We don't have a back-up pump - hopefully the alarm system does the trick. Thanks for suggesting it, though. I'll mention that, and the battery back-up, to my husband. We definitely don't want to experience that again. We waited 6 years to reno our basement, and we've now refinished it twice in the last 7 months. Hopefully the third time's a charm.