The answer could be "Yes". It could be "No" or it could be "maybe...it depends". The trick with this is that new hardwood does not like sitting over top of OLD finishes...like polyurethane. And new hardwood needs FLAT. So the chances are VERY high that you need to SAND DOWN your old hardwoods (to remove the finish AND to flatten any obvious areas of concern). That should cost you $2/sf. Now the fun part...getting patch down where it is needed. It is possible but old hardwoods don't normally like to have concrete patch put down on them. They can. But they aren't fond of it. The cement patch often cracks and disintegrates as those old floors move. You will still need patch = $1/sf (on the LOW end). The other fun thing is: you probably have to install the floors perpendicular to the old floors....which will be AGAINST the installation instructions/warranty (most hardwoods must be installed perpendicular to the joists...which would be your OLD hardwoods...but the NEW one's would be perpendicular to THOSE = parallel to your joists = against all "Best Practices"). The way around this = DIAGONAL (lay it at a 45deg. angle). This should increase your WASTE into the 15% range = 15% more expensive than anticipated. So if you add up all the "trouble" you will go to, you will be paying about the same or MORE to do this. Of course you could throw down some plywood over top the old hardwood = go ahead as a normal install. But that puts you too high---so your ONE option to do this "cheaply" is not on your list. Go ahead and remove those old hardwoods (I'm assuming they are so OLD that they cannot be sanded and refinished). Lay new plywood and then install the new hardwood. The cost to do this properly should add $2-$3/sf (labour and plywood included). If you do this the "cheater" way, it should cost you $2-$6/sf (that includes the diagonal install with extra waste) and lose you your warranty. After all that money for the hardwood and install, that would be a sad state of affairs.

Engineered or not...the problem is with the floor prep. New builds HATE to use the 'good stuff'. The builders want as much profit as possible = super cheap building materials and "guys" to install. They do NOT like working with 'flooring professionals'. Why? Because they cost MORE then 'dude with hammer'. So...new build = no floor prep. This is SUPER COMMON and can void your hardwood warranty in a heart beat. As CT points out, you need to find out the installation requirements and request, in WRITING, the details of the installation from the GC. It is up to the BUILDER to PROVE that every "i" was dotted and every "t" crossed. If not, the BUILDER holds the warranty that they just VOIDED. And just for fun...the very FIRST thing you will be asked = what is the indoor air temperature and HUMIDITY??? Things get noisy as they dry out. Humidity in your home is EXTREMELY important. Because things are getting worse (noisier) I suspect the humidity is NOT being maintained. Check your HVAC system to see where you have your humidity set at (if you have a humidistat you should be able to change the humidity at the push of a button - just like temperature). If you do not have a humidity stat, then you can go out and purchase a cheap hygrometer at any home improvement store. Should be about $30. The installation and subfloor prep (or lack thereof) is the builder's responsibility and s/he must be able to PROVE site conditions where met. This trumps EVERYTHING. The living conditions RIGHT NOW are the homeowner's responsibility which can void any warranty if the right conditions aren't met. That's why you need to know what YOUR HOME is doing to the flooring. If it is too dry/too humid you will need to correct that ASAP. So that no one can point a finger at you, the homeowner.

Just keep going with the natural finish. Having slightly darker trim (in the same tones) should be fine. You have enough of the deeper coloured wood to allow the trim to stay darker...it is a way to tie things together. If you wish to change out the trim, you will need to look at changing out ALL the wood tones in the home...ouch! The trim+wood cabinets will allow each one to remain as-is without looking out of place. In design, the INSTANT you 'duplicate' something (colour, pattern, material, shape, etc) you create a 'design element'. Which is what will happen if you leave the darker trim alone. It will duplicate the darker colours of the wood cabinetry throughout the house = Tah Dah! Design Element! Congratulations.

All wood has the ability to creak. It is the PREPARATION (levelling subfloor = extra cost = extra line added to the bill of sale) that allows the wood to sit FLAT. That's item number one. No, if you did not PAY for it, you do not 'expect' it to be given to you for free. Sigh...sucks but that's the way this cookie crumbles. To be clear, a concrete subfloor levelling job CAN COST $3-$5/sf to be done PROPERLY and would add 2 days or more to a job. Did that happen in your situation? Now onto the installation instructions: the INSTALLER (dude on his knees) did an INAPPROPRAITE installation technique. Any/all warranty is now void due to 'installation error' as it is called in the business. So...Here's where you are. You have a wood floor that was improperly installed. The question becomes, WHO did YOU PAY to have it installed? Did the FLOORING COMPANY include the price of installation with your purchase (ie. you used THEIR DUDE)? Or did you HIRE YOUR OWN installer (you purchase wood from company A and then had it installed by company B)? And JUST FOR sheeps and giggles, what is the HUMIDITY in your house right now? And do you have the ability to CONTROL the humidity with a push of a button (on your HVAC system)?