We bumped the window out like moccasin suggested. Now I have plenty of room for potted plants behind the sink. And it also cuts down on water being splashed onto the window. My husband has huge hands and he likes to shake the water off of them at the sink. I was afraid that if I had the window installed counter height that he'd be forever shaking the water onto the glass. But with the window being bumped out 8" this rarely happens. I do like the look of a sink bumped forward, but if it doesn't offer more space behind the sink then I don't see the big advantage except for looks. I wonder if a bumped out sink will go out of style and look dated any time soon. Certainly nothing that would stop me from doing it if I loved it . . . but if you are concerned about resale then something to consider I suppose.

Yes, it’s loud. I’m not saying you shouldn’t love it or that it’s hard to clean, and I, too, get many compliments. Want to know what it sounds like? Take a small plate to a showroom that has a piece and slide it across. We have the leather at our lake house and polished at home, and I like both, the leather because it’s unique, the shiny because it’s so beautiful in my newly remodeled kitchen. My mother-in-law, who is 94, comes to the lake with us and slides EVERYTHING across the leathered granite surface, and by the end of the day my nerves are frazzle.d. Just know what you’re buying and be okay with it. Both are wonderful choices, as far as I’m concerned.

Timely topic, as I'm right in middle of granite installation now w/HD. I paid back in early Feb, but had delays with new cabinets till now. HD still honored the promo pricing I had at the time of purchase ("D" level granite for "C" level price, plus free undermount sink.) I thought their price was good...I did some research and it seemed in line competitively with what others were quoting....not ridiculously low or high. Someone who works at HD once said they often negotiate really good prices from fabricators since they represent so much volume to a local shop...and if you catch them during a promo, they can offer some pretty decent values, even with their middleman markup. Not saying their price is always best, but wouldn't count them out right off the bat. They definitely let me choose slabs - in fact, they stressed that I must do so to make sure I got what I wanted. Local fabricator they subcontract to has been in business 20 years and granite yard is one of the largest in the nation. Doesn't mean my experience still may not go horribly wrong, but I feel I've covered bases as much as reasonably possible without over-obsessing any more than I already have. (And according to my husband, I'm a big time over-obsesser!) HD does have the 1 yr labor and 15-year stain-resistant guarantee. As someone here mentioned, can't say how well they'll honor guarantee if a problem arises - and I have polished black granite, so I already know I may have specific problems related to that color - but the kitchen/granite places I've checked offer no guarantee at all. So it's something. Chose slab yesterday...install should be within 8-10 days. my fingers are crossed that all goes well. (Tip: one thing I did as soon as I found out who they sub-contracted to was to Google that business's name along with "complaints" in search box, as well as check BBB to make sure there were no red flags. I think the #1 risk with HD all comes down to who they choose do to the work.) Hope this helped someone...

I commented earlier, and I have both carrara and soapstone. I love both of them. In your situation with RA and the need to periodically stop to put hot things down on the counters, I'd go with the soapstone. I do this all of the time, and it is not at all affected by the heat. Soapstone is very definitely the opposite look of the carrara because it is dark. But it is a natural stone that has a lovely silky feeling to it and is zero maintenance. Contrary to what is mentioned above, it will darken even if it is not oiled. If you can re-vision in your mind what you can see in your kitchen I think soapstone may be a no-brainer for you in your situation where function absolutely has to take precedence over form.