Georgia clay is evil stuff. I've been working my slowly-growing garden area for six years now, adding a (roughly) 6x10 section every year using raised beds and compost from the previous year. I have a large compost bin (that I originally built out of landscaping timbers - which I don't recommend because they rot) that I process everything in - kitchen scraps, yard cuttings, ash from the fireplace - everything that's not meat. In late winter I dig the clay and rotten rock out down to about about a foot below ground level and set it aside. I then build a wall up about a foot (out of stone - which I do recommend because it doesn't rot), then move all the mature compost I have to the new bed where I mix it in with the demon clay that I set aside. *whew* I've got a nice garden going and I just might be done (finally... maybe) - but it has been expensive and tedious. If you don't really enjoy the labor, don't do the way I have! Don't even get me going on planting a tree! Digging out an appropriately-sized hole for a tree is more like mining than gardening. You need a jackhammer, not a mattock. It is heavy, hard work - and I'm (frankly) tired of reading about Georgia gardeners who have an easy go of it. The way I see it: if you want to garden in this area of Georgia, you'll either need to do a lot of work or buy a house from somebody who already did it. But phrases like "turn the soil" seriously misrepresent what's going on. Seriously. To the point of being fraudulent. Georgia gardeners need to invent a word to use instead of "till". "Tilling" doesn't involve explosives and jackhammers. When striking the earth with a mattock creates a whiff of dust and a few bits of hard-pan-shrapnel: you are NOT "tilling".

None of the things you mention are covered by a home warranty unless the damage is due to sudden catastrophic failure. Yes, if you have a sudden windstorm that damages the garage door, that would be covered. No it's an ongoing issue that was mentioned as a problem in the inspection report. No to asbestos removal at all under most warranties. It's excluded. If the leak under the sink was sudden and overnight, then possibly it might cover getting a plumber out to repair it, but after the $500 deductible, but the plumber's fee is probably less than that. If the leak has done enough damage, and it was sudden, then your homeowner's insurance would probably cover that. But, neither the warranty nor your homeowners will cover damage from a leak that's been ongoing. That's neglect to not have addressed it. The granite issue won't be covered by anyone, including the company that did the work because the home ownership has changed hands. The usual one year warranty on workmanship is only to the original owner. And sealing granite is a simple DIY job. The tile and sink issue just means it's time to plan a kitchen redo. It's NOT a risk of ingestion. Or, it shouldn't be, because you shouldn't prepare food on counters or in your sink. You should always use a cutting board or colander. Brown water in pipes just means you probably have rusted galvanized pipes and it's probably time to replace them. No warranty or insurance will cover that either. Part of owning a home is maintaining that home. It sounds as though this home has some age to it and was poorly maintained. It also sounds as though you are a first time homeowner with little DIY ability. The only way that you can remain having little DIY ability is to pay for contractors to come and fix the problems. That quickly gets expensive for all kinds of minor issues. You've got several issues though that should only be handled by professionals, and you should begin to budget to handle those issues immediately or several of them could become disastrously worse!

Molding is always a key to achieving a more custom look. Multiple piece stacked crown as well as light rail molding. Even modern kitchens with slab doors can look more custom if you choose the appropriate finishing touch. All cabinets look better with proper lighting. Under cabinet lighting as well as the proper amount of recessed lighting, semi-flush lighting and pendants. That will show off your cabinets to their best, no matter what brand they are. Proper installation. A good installer can take 5K worth of cabinets and make them look like 50K worth, and a hack installer can butcher 50K worth of cabinets to look like cheap crap with a poor install. Not saying that this is beyond the realm of a DIYer if they have good finish carpentry skills, but yes, it IS beyond 95% of most DIYers. Having the proper "surroundings". Putting in a gorgeous new kitchen in a home that doesn't match it stylistically or with the same level of detail just makes it look wrong. If you live in a center hall Colonial and want Tuscan Old world cabinets with gazillions of grape corbels and onlays, it will only look transplanted from Mars, not an integral part of the home itself. Also, if the rest of the house is standard 8' ceilings, with minimal builder grade moldings and popcorn ceilings, unless the kitchen is the start of redoing the whole house to a higher level, you don't want to be putting in super premium cherry cabinets with elaborate stacked moldings and an exotic granite and a pro style range. It's not appropriate to the level of the rest of the home. It works vice versa too. If you live in an expensive neighborhood of custom homes where SubZero's and Wolf's are everywhere, putting in a Maytag range and off the shelf cabinets from Home Depot won't cut it either. The most successful kitchen remodels give you a "wow" without a "WOW!" factor. Bad quality materials and installation are more apparent than are good quality materials used in a more subtle manner appropriate to the home. You want the room to look current, without being a slave to current fashion, as that will quickly date it.

After so long of going back and forth between granite and soapstone, we finally decided on Alberene Church Hill soapstone. We saw several honed granite slabs (almost went with Jet / Virginia Mist) but ultimately fell in love with the matte, almost cement look of the soapstone. We like the gray look and believe it gives our kitchen the rustic farmhouse look we were going for. We do not oil or wax the counters. There is a little veining throughout, but the slab we picked had a nice big vein on the end, which we loved. The soapy texture of the stone is amazing, and everyone feels the need to constantly run their hands across it. Everyone asks what the countertop is, because it is not something you see in a lot of houses. It is definitely not for everyone though. We did so much research before committing to this stone, and were aware of the scratches, chips, dents, darkening, and patina that would ultimately come along over time. Believe me, they do come, but it goes with the look. Grease marks also show, but are easily removed with dawn detergent and a microfiber sponge. It has been quite some time since we installed them. We are thrilled with our decision and do not regret a thing. Good luck with yours!