Hi, I am not a granite expert - but I am a Civil Engineer. Here is my response based on the little I know about granite: 1 The granite fabricator can likely do whatever you can draw - but that does not mean it will not crack. $1000 seems reasonable to me. 2. You likely may need to seam this perpendicular to the 98-7/8" dimension. Unless you have some incredible support system the 20" overhand is likely going to crack. I have seen many homes where the cracking is visible (albeit small) where there are strong supports and the overhang is 12". With seam as noted above and loosely anchored supporting plywood atop 5" pony wall - the granite slab will rotate at seam and not hopefully not crack. The seam may need silicone caulk as it will open/close somewhat. 3. Your proposed overhang atop a 5 inch pony wall seems very unrealistic and sure to crack (if single slab). I would recommend that you work with your granite fabricator to work out support/seam/overhang issues/geometry. Further, try to get some guarantee/warranty against cracking (maybe for 2 years), as this will give you some indication on the sturdiness of the fabricator support/installation design. A great forum site for technical granite issues is stoneadvice.com, as it is frequented by granite fabricators that specialize in such matters as you may be asking; however, your lifeline in this matter is likely going to still be your granite fabricator. The above represent my 'opinions' - not expert advice. Good luck!

This is obviously just my personal opinion; but I when using a contrasting wood for the island, I prefer the same countertop material as the perimeter on it. If you were to use the same color wood; then I'd say use a contrasting counter material. Shaker style is simple (which I love) and I love the look of a light counter (BR)on a light perimeter. I think the chocolate stained island will look beautiful with the Bianco Romano as well.

Chris- The granite that is installed is dramatic which is why weren't not so much of a fan. We picked Giallo Ornamental because we thought it was sorta boring, which would work well in our house as we already have a lot going on. Here is what I sent them that I think convinced them: Most people posted that they think it is Giallo. Regardless of what it is, they don't allow us to pick out slabs there. While it is new construction, we don't have a lot of options on things; Because of that, you kinda expect to get what you see sample wise. They showed us three different samples of Giallo, all which were grayish brown in color, little movement (although we'd be fine w/ some movement), and no blacks, golds, or reds. The main reason I didn't want Santa Cecilia or one like it was due to the red dots (which my granite has TONS of) and the black; They told my Giallo has NO red dots in it. I do not like either color as I'm more of a pastel girl myself. Thankfully its getting fixed. It will be a week or so though before it happens and when it does i'll post the pictures of my hopefully boring grayish brown granite :) :)

xoxosmon- I would say by the remarks in your last post, that you have some serious "red flags" that, if left to their own ends, will probably become "problems"... It's not at all unresonable for your expectations to be high, BUT - since it sounds like your Fabricator has little experience, I would be very....very careful. Check out some of their most recent...well.. OK, within the last 6 months - work...... Having only 6 months exerience doing Granite slab work, having a serious communication problem, is a bit disconserting.... hearing repeatedly from the owner that everything is "going to be OK"... brings back memories of Kevin Bacon's character in "Animal House".... "All is Well, Remain Calm... All is Well" (while everyone around him was in a stampede...) The last thing you want to be in, (figuratively) is the other famous scene Kevin Bacon was in - the "Thank you sir, may I have ANOTHER?" spanking sequence - which YOU may be the "spank-ee" I'm afraid - if you continue down your present course. Here's some FREE Professional Advice: In MY Opinion, you need to (at least) seriously talk to a few other competent fabricators that can communicate with you IN ENGLISH.. and... UNDERSTAND with demonstrable results, that they KNOW not only what YOU want, but also, WHAT THEY ARE DOING... Not a slam against non-english speaking people.... It's just that most mistakes in Fabrication are made because of either poor communication or a lack thereof...The detail was important to YOU... but not communicated well enough up the chain, so the same detail was NOT important to THEM... See what I mean? seen it waaaaay too many times sorry for the negative vibe, but I get called in to look at stuff that was done wrong - mainly - because of the things you are listing - this a problem that - right now - is preventable... It's better to do this right - ONCE - the first time, then have to do it over AND see you get charged for an inspection fee ($1500 to $3000 + expenses) to tell you what I just wrote... (just want to help you stay happy and save your money for other things) hope that helps kevin Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry www.azschoolofrock.com