I like a laundry room that I can close off from the rest of the house. I wouldn't care for a combo room (laundry/mud/powder) I don't think but clutter really bothers me ;). With dirty, sweaty boys I do a lot of laundry and there is almost always a laundry basket with clothes to be put away in there. . . I prefer to shut the door on it rather than have to walk by it to use the restroom or hang up my coat/purse, but that is just me. That is also the reason I didn't want lockers in my hallway - I have a separate mudroom in the back hall with a door I can close in case of company. I didn't want the first view in from my garage to be of backpacks and lunch boxes ;). Instead, everyone has to take a couple of extra steps to hang up their stuff, which is no different than they do now, and I get a view from my garage entrance of my breakfast table and french doors to the outside . . . I know this wouldn't work for everyone (there were plenty of people who wanted me to change my mudroom to something you would walk through to enter the house) but I know myself well enough to know that that would drive me nuts ;). I also know this doesn't work for everyone, so think of how you live and your comfort level with clutter because both laundry rooms and mud rooms seem to attract it, at least in my house!

Angie, I don't understand how they can install a ceramic floor without a subfloor underneath (unless it is on a slab). I hope you will provide more info on this topic as the mystery is uncovered. We are using the orange Schluter product too in our shower, but still need a subfloor. If you look around on your link above you will see pictures of them applying thinset type product over a subfloor. If he is thinking of laying a thinner subfloor, ask him how thick it will be. You don't want too thin of a subfloor or it will bounce and crack. As per your original question -- if it can be done to avoid a big threshold, I would definitely go for it. Carol

There are millions of choices in porcelain tile. Get a designer's help to pull the home together if you have difficulty making decisions.

Please post a floorplan of the area, with measurements.