Thanks for the advice. I will have a stainless steel sink and a stainless steel Grohe faucet. My counter does hang over into the family room by the pool table. We have bar stools there. It's just enough for two, but truthfully, we only use them when we play. I'll have to take more pictures, but the near end of my kitchen starts with a pantry and laundry room, then a door, and then a counter to the right and breakfast nook to the left. You can see it down the hall through where the fireplace is. Beyond that is what you see in the first picture. Man, I really need to do something with that garbage can. I told my DH that and he said, yeah, like people don't think we make garbage. So understanding. The templating went great. I could tell the guy was impressed with my questions, and he was eager to please. He was careful, and has done templates in many homes including his bossed beautiful home that I had seen the day before. He said he has templated homes on the beach in Naples to mobile homes. Each he does with care. I was impressed. Now if I can just convince the DH that we "need" a soap dispenser and Never MT. Again, any cheap recommendations to go with the Grohe faucet in stainless steel?

Being I have a small U shapped kitchen, I think I need to balance the color and swirls more than if it was going into a large kitchen or on an island. If there is a way to balance the swirls I will probably do it. I am buying the countertop by square foot. The slab is at the fabricator and not being brought in by a different yard. The fabricator told me I could have any parts I want, and could be their to decide before they cut. pbrisjar, I went to 6 different fabricators, all told me the same thing - They would cut out in one piece and then cut at the sink for transport. I don't think everyone would tell me the countertop would be cut at the sink, if it's not someting they normally do. If they had problems, they would have been out of business a long time ago. (All the places I've been to have been in business for 10+ years, most of them close to or more than 20). I have looked at kitchen remodels in my condo building, all have the same kitchen layout as me, and they all have a seam at the sink. So far no one has had a problem. Thanks for your concern though. Gail

"I am trying to figure out if fabricators need to allow extra for each piece for fitting, etc." That's the purpose of the template. An exact size facsimile of the desired countertop is created with luan strips, plastic strips, or a computer GPS. Now, the decorative edging chosen will impact whether a 60x 24" section of cabinet top with 3 exposed sides will need to be cut to 63", or 64" in length, or 25.5" or 26" in width. All of those variables are chosen and signed off during the template so that when the fabricator goes back to the shop, he has everything he needs and not have to do anything but cut something that fits.

-Don't let him assume you want standard overhang. Know how much overhang you want - figure that in with your knobs/pulls and how it will look with your chosen edge. Also, I chose less overhang where my fridge met the counter. -Would you have any seams, if so where? If over the dishwasher, will they provide a support bracket? Also, do you have any overhang (eating area) that will need a support bracket? -Do they want your physical sink, faucet, cooktop (if applicable) to use when doing the CAD drawings at the shop? What are the cut out dimensions of those? This post was edited by sreedesq on Tue, Sep 17, 13 at 8:46