Where do you plan to put the cold water tap and what do you need it for? You'd need a fabricator to cut into the quartz and likely a plumber to install the tap and hook it up to the water line. The sink is a much bigger deal but you can ask the fabricator about that - I personally wouldn't bother with either.

The lighting is much simpler - an electrician can help with that.

I confess to not understanding what you mean by your terminology. I know what it technically means, but I'm not sure if by how you're using the terms that you mean what I think you mean. However, a water supply line is is easy for the most part if the location that you want it is on a wall and the line can be run down from the attic or up from a basement. The drain that is needed to serve it is a heck of a lot harder. If you are on slab, it can sometimes be impossible.

You need a plumber to inspect your particulars in person to have any real idea of possibility or cost.

I want to do the tap because we drink a lot of water and our built-in fridge doesn't have a water dispenser. How it normally works is you have a tap that gets installed beside your normal kitchen sink tap. Underneath the sink in the cabinet, you have a water filter and a cold water unit. Or at least that is how they explained it at the appliance store.

Sorry for the lack of clarity in my first post!

The reason I wanted to look into changing the sink is because I really struggle to wash big pots, cookie sheets, etc. with the double sink.

I understand your issues now - I sympathize with your desire for a single sink but removing the existing sink may be very difficult depending on how the sink is attached - this is where you need to talk to a fabricator. Also you'll need a new sink that's the same size or larger than your current sink and most likely the countertop will need to be cut.

Adding a new cold water tap is simpler but will require cutting a hole in your counter unless you have a soap dispenser or side spray that you're willing to replace. A simpler option is to get a Brita pitcher with a filter and keep it in your fridge or just drink unfiltered cold water from the sink tap.

tammyw:

I always dislike the calls to drill holes in existing tops. It is easy enough to do, but difficult to justify my minimum charge. To reduce risk, I always insist the woman of the house tell me in person where the hole goes. Sexist? Maybe, but when I'm betting a $2,000.00 countertop that I might make $200.00, I've got to stack the odds in my favor as much as possible. The bit is full of industrial grade diamonds and you only get so many holes per bit. Now you know why getting the hole drilled costs so much.

Replacing the sink isn't too big of a deal, depending on how fussy you want to be about your reveals and how the existing sink is mounted. The less sink opening alteration and polishing, the less expensive the job. Measure your opening and compare it to the specifications of the sinks you shop for and don't forget the corner radii.

Installing under cabinet lighting after the fact isn't too difficult either.

Ah, a chilled filter faucet. Easy enough to add at the sink if the cabinet below has the room. You could do a custom stainless sink to be sure it's large enough for a larger cutout, but it'd be prohibitively expensive. Plus, cutting stone on site is just about the nastiest messiest abrasivest thing you can do to your house. It'd be easier to pull the granite and buy new just so that woldn't happen in your home.

Thanks for all the helpful replies! It sounds like we should just live with the sink (heck I've always had a double sink, I can do it), and that the cold water tap and under cabinet lights are doable. That's great! Feeling encouraged!

You could consider a filter that doesn't need a separate faucet. I believe that 3M makes one. I know that Everpure does. It's one of the things I am looking forward to changing when we renovate - I really dislike our separate faucet.

sherri58 - I assume that means that everything that comes out of the kitchen sink tap would be filtered? But one of the big things I really wanted was for it to also be cold, which would mean I'd have to have a separate one.

We currently have a fridge that has water and ice in the door, so I've become spoiled with easy access ice and cold water!

why do you dislike yours so much?

"Plus, cutting stone on site is just about the nastiest messiest abrasivest thing you can do to your house. It'd be easier to pull the granite and buy new just so that woldn't happen in your home."

I hate it when hollysprings makes disagree, but cutting on site isn't that bad if you take some precautions and use the right tools.

"abrasivest"- love it.

Tammy, it doesn't matter which filter you get, it will connect only to the cold water line. The ones that do not require a separate faucet have a higher flow rate, and also greater capacity (even though the filter itself is the same size - at least that is the case with the Everpure). My sink is on the island and I think the extra faucet is just one more thing to clean and one more thing that gets in my way. Having the filtered cold in my regular tap also means I can fill the water tank on my coffee machine faster, and I don't have to worry about trying to co-ordinate faucets either!
Hope this helps.

Sherri58 - I am intrigued. So we would add a filter to the existing tap, but not the "cold water" feature? I don't find water coming from our tap to be super cold, which is why I was wondering about the separate cold water thing. But it's starting to sound more complex than I'd like. We might just want to keep an ice bucket on the counter to minimize the in and out of freezer ALL.DAY.LONG. I'm just not sure I'm up for this task!

This was the kind of thing I was thinking:
http://www.aquahealthsystems.com/coldwaterchillers.html

This post was edited by tammyw on Sun, May 11, 14 at 20:06

If that is a drop-in stainless sink, it may come out without too much fuss. Then you would need to find a single sink that would fit the cutout. Recutting stone is messy at best.

Either way, you can drill a hole in the sink to add a faucet. I did that. You would need a drill bit capable of going through stainless.

It is an under mount sink!

The linked video shows how easy it is to drill through a countertop, unfortunately it doesn't show the tool with the dust collector because that would block the action. There is virtually no dust when the tool is used with the attachment.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rotozip