I'd never heard of a Karran sink before. I've learned so much here! I thought it might be hard to clean, since it's fiberglass, but the description on their website doesn't make it sound that way. I thought, from looking at the FKB, that you had Corian counter tops, but I guess note. What brand of laminate do you have? Is it the regular, thinner laminate. That's great they could do that. I looked at your pictures and it looks good to me. Is there some kind of edging applied where the laminate is cut for the sink? I was looking at the thicker laminates, in part, because I thought that they couldn't put an undermount sink in with the regular laminate. Obviously, that's not entirely true. Now I need to go do a Google search and find out what Counter-Seal is and how it works.

lol...i totally want carerra. i would get soapstone if i could. in my last house we remodeled and i got cobra soapstone which was great. i would recommend it to anyone and everyone. our last house was in PA. now we are in florida. i am going to get a cobra sink made and shipped down here but soapstone down here would cost us too much for counters....over $100 more a sq ft than carerra. but carerra is my #2 choice and i love how it looks. but...i cook for reals and i know "patina" is my destiny. but still...i don't know if i am prepared for "the big one!" like an 8" turmeric stain or whatever. on the plus size..the cost here is about $44 a sq ft. it's beautiful. it's natural. it doesn't contain any toxic resins or formaldehyde or radon. i can live with some wabi sabi and if we sell 20 years from now and it looks like crap, i guess we will have to replace it w/new marble to get it ready for the market. who knows! i just want to see some pics ;)

It may be that the person installing the counters is worried about a good tight fit against all the walls where counters will run. If your walls are not flat and straight, the installers can cover a pretty good sized gap with that thick strip of countertop material laid a few inches up the wall ( the older style installations). But with good modern templating, you should expect a good fit even if your walls are a little bit off, then the tile can come right down to the counter and still meet with a small caulk joint at the change of plane. Perhaps you can ask them if they're worried about uneven walls, or you can take a yardstick to them yourself to see how they look. If it were my kitchen I'd certainly want the newer style installation.

Yes, scone911, Washington has excellent laws on the books that prevent manufactured homes communities owners from the predatory behaviors you're talking about. Our lot rent here was recently raised for the first time in ten years, from $245/mo. to $280. Rent covers water (well) and septic. I should say that we're out from the city and surrounded by farms, and it's a very small park, just 38 homes. The former owners live here in their MH, and the wife is still the manager. They are super laid back people; the park rules haven't been changed since 2002, lol. But in WA, you can't change park rules without a meeting at least six months in advance of the change. And if the land is ever sold for another use, they have to give you notice a full year in advance. WA also has a fund so if you do have to move and are low income, they give you $7,000 to help with the move. That wouldn't cover it all, but would help. But I agree with every single thing you said! I look forward to ranting on your new thread ! ;-) By the way, my best friend is writing her dissertation on employee owned businesses. I bet you'd really like it. I should also mention that today's manufactured homes are constructed very well. Regular wall board, studs, and subfloors, no different from a site built home. But back to our regularly scheduled programming...no, I wasn't there on the KF back in the day, but I've read some threads from that era, yikes! It definitely has mellowed since then. Formica is an excellent company that makes products that can stand up to families with children and last for decades! I never knew there was anything else until I was in my 20's, haha! A granite slab would cost more than I paid for this house, lol, and while it can be beautiful, I'd probably ruin it by setting a hot pan on it, cutting into it while slicing an onion, forgetting that I have a cutting board, or never getting around to sealing it... While I do cook pretty much every day, it is very simple stuff...I enjoy cooking, but I'm no gourmet. I don't need a chef's kitchen or a show kitchen; I need a working kitchen! My kitchen does follow Marcolo's infamous ice, water, stone, fire, but the "stone" is sorely lacking...there is very little counter space. So for me, the footprint will not change, but I'm knocking out that china hutch and replacing it with a counter height island/table. IKEA base cabs (drawers!) with a butcher block counter top. Counter height, comfortable stools with backs to replace the table. Wendy makes an excellent point. Just as we don't want to be judged for our small, NOT six figure kitchens, we should not judge someone else's remodel based on pictures that look just fine to us. Believe me, there are millions of people in Zambia, where I just lived for a year, that would find all of our kitchens to be opulent! Formica counters--are you kidding? They're doing their kitchen prep on the cement or dirt floor! Wendy, I do like the way your corner sink is facing two nice big windows! I'm feeling like a hermit here. Joy and I have moved into our house, but my friends (the hoarder) haven't moved out yet. She doesn't allow any curtains to be open, ever. OK, here's the built-in cabinet. You can see the LR to the right, and the K to the left. Please remember this isn't my stuff! It's the hoard, lol! A straight-on shot of the kitchen. You can see, from L to R, ice, water, stone, fire. Notice the location of the range. It can't be opened all the way because it bangs into the cabinet under the sink. Also note lack of counter space. Even when it gets cleaned up, it's still very little. This is shows the back side of the china cabinet and the "eat in" portion of the kitchen. My friends use lots of bookcase like structures to hold all their stuff. The bump out here houses the furnace. I'm hoping to go to a mini split heat/air system, and then I can knock out that bump-out and get some more counter space. I'm eliminating all the uppers because I can't reach them. This is a house where you have to picture the possibilities! :-)