Has Anyone Had an island 14 ft or longer and used only one slab?
amykath
11 years ago
We are planning our new home build. In the kitchen I wanted to use marble and the island would be 4 ft by 14 ft. Does anyone know if that is possible from one slab or will I need to have a seam?
I have attached my inspiration kitchen. I am not in love with everything about it, but do love the layout.
Thanks in advance!
Amy
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Comments (21)
PROSalmon Falls Cabinetry
11 years agoamykath
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Has anyone had 'second thoughts' about building?
Comments (17)We actually did both things you mentioned: built a house and remodeled an existing home. The decision to build turned out to be a good one, not only because the house turned out very well but also because we now live on a lake, so our home is an incredible sanctuary for us. I will say, however, that our new 2500 sq ft house with some "bells and whistles" (i.e. beautiful wood flooring, multiple showroom bathrooms, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and 72 different species of plants in the landscape) is a lot more work than our previous house. My DW scoffs at idea of how various things were supposed to be "low maintenance." It takes the two of us four hours just to superficially clean this beast. Even though the process of building the home went well and brought the two of us closer as a result of the new-found respect we had for each other, it was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting (even though we had a contractor build it for us). And both of us were in our 40s. It would have been less stressful if I hadn't been the GC, but the additional cost would have been an even bigger stressor. Fortunately, our old house was only twenty minutes away - we didn't have to uproot ourselves from the community, learn a whole new city, re-establish ourselves, etc. I can't imagine what that would have been like. Remodeling, on the other hand, was a very unpleasant experience and caused a lot of arguments between us. You would think with our previous building experience that it would have gone smoothly, but remodeling is a whole different animal. You are constrained by the often dysfunctional floor plan of the original builder and are continually at the effect of shoddy materials, poor planning, or just outright stupidity. You have to put up with things you don't like because the cost of changing them, like a horribly colored fireplace, is prohibitive. And it is harder to control costs because you don't know what lies behind the next piece of crumbling floor board... or unyielding clipboard of the local county bureaucrat. We were mandated to put in sidewalks/gutters, widen the road, and put in $13K of landscaping just to bring the property in line with local statues. This was after a county planning meeting where we were told (prior to buying the property) that code compliance costs would be "minimal". In the end, I think the most important thing is to discover what is the essential, core experience you want to have in your retirement years. Is it new experiences, intimate time with each other and/or family, spiritual growth, or a unique combination of things? Once you find this "touchstone," it should be easier to decide if building a house really fits in with what is most important to you....See MoreHas anyone's child ever had a Herbst appliance?
Comments (24)My 13 year old granddaughter will be wearing one of these Herbst appliances very soon, but it's not intended to correct an overbite or underbite. She had been experiencing headaches for about the past two years, and for over a year her jaw has been making a loud clicking sound as she opens and closes her mouth causing her pain each time. She was finally taken to a dentist who then referred her to an orthodontist. They thought it may be TMJ, so the doctor ordered an MRI of her jaw area. It was not TMJ. The right side of her jaw isn't even connected, and the clicking noises are coming from left side of her jaw . The orthodontist said he has never seen a case so sever as this in a child before...only saw cases like this with adults who have been in a traumatic auto accident, or who have had a forceful blow to their face. Her mom doesn't recall any such things ever happening as she was growing up. But I do remember when she had a root canal and cap done at the age of 3 or 4 years old. I distinctly recall how she cried in pain for hours afterwards and I couldn't find a way to comfort her. I even drove her back to the dental office where it was performed that same day and they insisted nothing was wrong with her. The orthodontist who just recently requested the MRI be done, said she has a smaller mouth than most others. I have a gut feeling, and from after talking with others about this, that there's a possibility that when they did the root canal procedure it may have partially dislocated her jaw and that her jaw never went back into the normal position as she was growing all these years. The Orthodontist does not guarantee that wearing the Herbst will even solve her problems in the end, which is heart wrenching to even think of. It's even more heartbreaking to know the pain she is going to have to endure wearing this appliance. But worse, if it doesn't work, they said surgery is the next option. I've heard that with surgery nerves will be cut and loss of feeling in the chin area occurs causing the person to always drool. That would be so traumatic for any teenager to have to deal with. This is so difficult to even imagine what might happen in the long run. I just pray that wearing the Herbst will completely correct her condition. Please, if there is anyone else who has had this similar condition, please let me know how your results were with wearing this appliance....See MoreHas anyone had concrete underpinning done?
Comments (5)Thank you for your replies. I, too (having been born and bred in New York), thought that all homes in the USA were had either basements or concrete slabs, but that's not true. In warmer states (Texas, California), a lot of "California Bungalows" and similar were built the same way as mine. In fact, two were recently featured on TV over there - one on "This Old House" ("the Austin project"), and another on "Monster House" (where they built the Hawaiian-themed backyard with all the surfboard stuff). As I'd only ever had homes over here built on slabs (no basements here), I've never had to deal with this type of construction before, although it's reasonably common, especially among older homes built prior to 1960 or so. One problem which later emerged was that the same type of footings were used, regardless of soil-type. We're on clay, and it's particularly reactive (just as in TOH's Austin house) to cycles of wet and drought. The problem here is that there's not much "wet" anymore to help expand the clay particles, so they shrink further and further. It is becoming a very common problem in the area in which I live. Couple that with the old "northern hemisphere" (non-drought-tolerant) trees planted along the streets by town councils of old, and it's even worse (the trees send roots out under the footings and suck even more moisture from the soil). Is is explained in more detail here, for anyone interested: http://www.greenweb.com.au/archicentre/html/diy_cracking_checklist.html And thanks again for your replies. Here is a link that might be useful: Why houses settle and crack...See MoreHas anyone out there had Cambria Quartz for several years?
Comments (11)I have a quartz top as well. I am a very messy cook. Not issues with spills even oils. Easy clean up with soap and water. I don't use any harsh chemicals either. I do keep a silicone mat under my toaster oven because I read that it is better to be safe than sorry. When I do put something in the crock pot, I usually put it on a pizza stone on top of my stove ( old habit from when I had laminate tops ). As far as resin pooling. That is often part of the pattern. If it is something bigger or a bit obnoxious, they may be able to cut around it. Always ask to see your slabs with the template mapped out on it so there is no surprise. Of course if you can see the slabs in person, that is helpful - what might bother some people might not bother you... There was a discussion once about Brittanica - shown here in a full slab There were complaints about white and grey spots throughout the design when the full tops were put in - shown here in a close up ( arrows only show a few ) That is a part of the design! Good luck!...See More
ginny20
11 years agofirstmmo
11 years agobeekeeperswife
11 years agoginny20
11 years agoamykath
11 years agoUser
11 years ago
ILoveRed
11 years agoamykath
11 years agoginny20
11 years agoUser
3 years ago
Shareen Barrett
3 years ago
PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
3 years agoamykath
3 years agoWow! It has been a long time! We had two pieces on our island. They met in the middle of the island at the sink. Here are some photos.
gw · More Info
gw · More Info
gw · More Info
I have since moved or would take a close up of the seam. I never noticed it and it never bothered me at all. You could barely notice it unless you were really looking.ILoveRed
3 years agojuttanohra2
2 years agoamykath
2 years agoLaurie Hennessey
6 months ago
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amykathOriginal Author