That looks ridiculous and is a tripping hazard. I wonder if it would pass code. Can you post a picture down low to see the height differences.

Why, if the old floor were taken down to its substrate would it not be level with the adjoining area?

Great job on the flooring match!

"I wonder if it would pass code" And what code exactly would you be referring to?

its a shame there was confusion, but heres the facts....from the picture....the floor looks great. and you saved some money.

the other good thing is your guy is still willing to work with you, offering solutions.

ripping out the old wood and expecting to save enough of it to put back in is kind of a pipe dream...the time its gonna take to take any usable pieces and denial them and not break the tongue, its better to just buy brand new.

by only removing the parquet you would only save a little bit of height like your guy mentioned...look back at your bid and see if removing the parquet included the plywood beneath...im assuming prior to all this the parquet and whiteoak were flush?

Thank you! Here is a photo that captures the height difference. My thoughts exactly. The kitchen was here first. Then (maybe the 70's) they put on an addition adjoining the kitchen. That's why the cold air return is where it is. At that time they matched the height exactly. I'll post a before picture to show how good a height match it is. This was taken recently during the painting job.

This photo shows how well they managed the height difference and also shows what a crappy place it was to put such a radical transition. His fix (and my new proposal) is to extend the new floor a couple of feet to the other side of the peninsula at the point the curve ends going all the way to the wall where the door is.

I just got off the phone with the floor guy with my proposal and he keeps stressing about all that work for just 1/4" and still having a height difference. While talking to him, it occurred to me, that maybe the FR area (14.5' x 16') could just be topped with a new floor to match the kitchen area. The floor is in great shape and it refinished just beautifully. Didn't seem logical to top a perfectly good floor, but now I realize he should have suggested it originally, being the professional. Hate to do it, but it would eliminate a lot of labor, be so much simpler and the new floor should match almost perfectly. He's going to call me tomorrow with the price.

Now I see the raise in floor at the back of the first photo.

""I wonder if it would pass code" And what code exactly would you be referring to?"

"I wonder if it would pass code" - for tripping hazards. Similar to requirements for sidewalk cracks (as little as 1/4" some locales), requirements for more than 1 step, threshold height limits, stair riser height variance, etc.

This is a wide expanse of floor material, now having no transitional cue for a change in height, such as a change in floor color or material. It reads as one floor.

Not only uncomfortable to walk on but a trip hazard, especially for young, old or visitors unfamiliar with the home.

Bad design. Codified for residential? Dunno.

Maybe you have a plan there to straighten the floor out! Also have him show you how you'd only gain 1/4".

This post was edited by snookums2 on Sun, Oct 19, 14 at 18:23

Op, I'm curious about your statement that the "finishing touch" of your remodel was to install the new flooring in the kitchen. Was the flooring in the kitchen installed after the cabinets? Didn't you lose 3/4 of an inch of your cabinet height? What did he do where the dishwasher is located? Are you able to move the dishwasher in and out freely?

IMO, you (and he) would have been MUCH better off if he had just done the flooring the way you had originally intended. His money-saving effort is now coming back to bite you in the arse and you are going to have to spend more than he saved you to fix it! I have to wonder if his effort at saving YOU money was more of an effort to make his job easier by not having to do the tear out.

Is the parquet flooring thinner than the 3/4 inch wood you got to replace it? Why not pick out a flooring material that is the same height as the original parquet and have no transition at all? I agree with gregmills that the floor looks great looking down on it, but seeing it from the side, that 3/4 inch transition looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

I'd want to make sure there would be no problems in the future with the height of the kitchen floor if left as it is before committing to redoing the rest of the area to match it.

It looks great as it is. Live with it.

The cost savings were unimportant because now your floor is not safe. People will trip and maybe someone will get hurt. I find it sad that your installer did not take that into account. IMHO he messed up by not tearing out the parquet and now you have a mess on your hands. I know you agreed to it, but he should have known better and not suggested it in the first place. It needs to be fixed and it will cost you money. I would choose a different installer for whatever you decide to fix the problem.

Yes, it looks great, but living with it will be awkward and potentially hazardous to guests as well as me, especially as I "age in place". I remember my Dad and stepmother had a large hardwood entryway with fluffy throw rugs at each doorway to LR, den and kitchen. As they became more frail, we cringed at the thought of them falling on them (even though over the years they "lived with it") and my stepmother was such a clean freak she wouldn't hear about removing them. This transition brought that to mind. I'm guessing that in a commercial setting this would be a liability issue.

If my kitchen renovation had been more planned and organized this whole situation might have been avoided. It started with me wanting to "just" add granite counter tops. Ha! Cabinets weren't level. Ended up getting new cabinets, the floor wasn't level (this is the very old part of the house), so the installer had to build up the cabinets as he went around. Stove and dishwasher were also built up to be level with the cabinets. The new floor fits underneath very well. The counter top ended up being a tad higher than previously (a tall person would have liked it) and I did get used to it. I'm starting to recall that when I got floor estimates I said I wanted to replace both floors, but he suggested tearing up the old parquet, lay new matching hardwood and refinish the FR area to match. Then he comes in to start the job and I got the impression that he really didn't want to tear up the parquet, using the "it'll save you $575" inducement. I did agree, but I had forgotten about wanting to replace the FR area as well, and didn't have time to visualize the reality, nor did he explain it very well to me. He's been doing this for 30 years and I'm confused as to why he didn't just say at that point (or suggest) why not just lay new hardwood as well in the FR area--that the heights would match and there wouldn't be a middle of the room steep transition.

It kills me that I'm now faced with the added cost of doing it the way it should have been done in the first place. I really wish it was a case of just learning to live with it, but I know I can't. The steep transition in the doorway from the kitchen is a different story. It's a narrow doorway, the hardwood colors are different and the boards run opposite. You just walk in and out. Easy to see, simple, no problem, not unusual in older homes.

Thank you for your support and understanding, Acadiafun. I think you put it in a nutshell. I also think you're right that I should have someone do the "new job." I'm going to make some calls today to get more estimates. It will be interesting to see how they compare with what he'll offer (cost as well as when he can do it).

"I know you agreed to it, but he should have known better and not suggested it in the first place.

True that! I hear over and over again from the pros on GW that people should hire pros because the average Homeowner "doesn't know what they don't know." We hire professionals for their expertise and advice about how a job should be done, as well as for their construction skills. This "cost saving" option caused the customer to trip and is now costing her even more money to fix. Whether or not it "looks great" (and that is certainly debatable) doesn't really matter if it creates a tripping hazard.

At a savings of $575 a tripping hazard was created. Your floor guy saved himself a lot of work by talking you into that.

Worth it?

Yep, pretty expensive $575! Well, it looks like it's going to be corrected like this: The floor guy said he would lay a new hardwood floor on the (just refinished) FR floor which will match the kitchen floor. He said he had to run the new floor in the opposite direction because you can't put a new floor over an old in the same direction. It should look okay and all the same level. He said he'd try for the first week of November, but I'm not holding my breath. I just want it done!

I am hoping that the correction is good and this just becomes a memory for you. :) But- just in case I would get an estimate from a reputable flooring contractor just to be on the safe side. I am glad you are able to resolve this but I would not want the original contractor to step foot in my house again. You know the old saying "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me....."

Are you going to remove and reinstall the baseboards in the LR, too? Kind of a drag that the floors now need to run in opposite directions, but I would prefer that over the alternative of the tripping hazard. You seem like a very patient and easy-going person. :-)

Eesh what a nightmare! How is he going to rectify that extra 3/4" or whatever with the bottom of your peninsula? It's going to look like your floors are creeping up your cabinets, no? This would just drive me nuts.

Also, you might take into consideration how this is going to affect your door trim and the threshold/door.

On the other hand, I hear perpendicular floor boards are all the rage right now...

Personally, I'd have him rip out the new floor and parquet and do it the right way. Might mean he's got to replace the subfloor in the kitchen so everything is level. You pay materials, he eats the labor. He shouldn't have advised this in the first place - especially if it doesn't meet code.

OK this will be my final comment on this thread. I hope this gets resolved to your satisfaction. The contractor gave you what you agreed upon. You now have buyer's remorse. This guy is willing to work with you to make you happy. Consider yourself lucky that you employed someone willing to resolve this with you and not just walk away.

I think what she really has is contractor remorse.

I hope you end up with a safe floor. One trip causing a trip to the hospital could be $$$$$$$$$. You need to be safe in your kitchen. Best wishes for good results.

I'd remove whichever floor would easiest allow the boards to be running in the same direction.

Instead of flooring over the LR, I'd take out what's there, build the substrate up as neccessary to meet the kitchen floor and then install the new flooring in the correct direction. I think you are getting sucked in again! Stop with the half arsed plans. He really hates demo & prep! Sheesh.

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.