Wow - I’m not even sure where to start . . . I was going to try to stay above the fray but when accused of intentionally scamming or cheating a contractor - I can't resist commenting. For starters, can you just imagine what would have transpired if I’d asked the painter and the fabricator to come together to discuss who was responsible for the granite breaking? The painter, I’m certain, would have washed his hands of the whole thing the very minute it was even suggested that the granite wasn’t properly installed. And the fabricator would have insisted that he installed it properly and dare us to prove otherwise. And once both of those parties denied any culpability, we, the homeowners, would have been left with no recourse at all. The MIA standards are ambiguous at best. They provide a guideline for installation and suggest remedies in various situations, i.e. shims to mitigate cabinets that are unlevel, etc., based upon a fabricators assessment of what's needed - which is totally subjective. There are “tolerances” for everything so that a “range” of conditions is considered acceptable, which would make it nearly impossible to "prove" an improper installation based upon them. They also speak at length about “stones of lesser soundness” due to fissures, hardness of the mineral matrix (whatever that is), etc. Our friends just installed Cosmos granite and were told to NEVER stand or sit on it due to its large mineral deposits and overall fragility, although I assume it was properly installed. Someone here on Gardenweb even posted that her granite cracked because she used her crockpot on it - was that a result of improper installation? Given the nature of stone, you simply cannot say that a properly installed granite countertop cannot be damaged “except with a sledgehammer” and there’s also no way you can say, sight unseen, that our granite broke due to improper installation. We look at it as iroll said - the painter’s crew damaged it - nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t broken when they arrived and it was broken when they left so we simply cannot be made to feel guilty for holding them responsible. We also did everything we could to make sure our painter didn't have to pay any more than was necessary. When the original invoice the fabricator sent was for $2034 and included an $848 upcharge for the exotic stone, we spent half a day arguing that we'd already paid the upcharge for that slab when we originally purchased a small piece of it. They didn't agree and were adamant that the upcharge was valid, saying they'd only charged us a premium for the small piece we used, but we finally convinced them to remove it. So in essence, I guess you could say the fabricator and the painter are sharing the cost of replacing our granite - one paying $1186 and the other $848.

I lived in Boynton Beach FL for 8 years - 1 year in Deerfield Beach. We never had a pool for a gator to wander into, but what I remember was people who lived along canals having their dogs snatched and eaten by the gators. I think you'll use that screened in area - I remember the mosquitos and love bugs making outdoor activities bothersome at certain points of the year. When picking out your new home choices, keep in mind your air conditioning preferences. In FL, unlike CA, it is very humid. You need to run your air almost year round - maybe not so much in the winter, but the humidity gets into your house and the air - even if you keep it high removes that moisture from the air. I personally love travertine floors in homes in florida, or good indestructible tile. Laminate isn't a favorite of mine because I don't like the clicky sound it makes when you walk on it with shoes. I'm sure there's some better than other ones out there, I'd just be careful of any with wood backing if you're not an air conditioning kind of person. My husband is dying to move back to Florida! I told him we had to wait until DS3 graduates as he's a big hockey guy and hockey teams are pretty scarce in Florida. So, he's greasing the skids talking DS3 into going to college in FL so we won't feel bad moving away and leaving him if he goes to school in Ohio!

This thread has been so interesting to read and I love the insight that others have shared. 1)What's your biggest frustration with the design of your home? The home we just bought will be my third in less than a year and we're not yet moved in but I'll still use this one for my responses since it's on my mind the most. (Context: DH and I got married this past January so I sold the house I owned, moved into his itty bitty place for the past several months, and are now moving into a larger house we bought together.) My biggest frustration with the house so far is that it isn't my Dream Home. I didn't walk in and instantly fall in love with everything about it, but instead looked at the school district, the location and property, and what I thought its future potential could be. I'm very impatient and don't have boatloads of money to throw at it right now so I have to wait and keep envisioning what it will someday become. Plus, it's old and I've always liked new construction. :) 2)What have you tried so far that hasn't worked for you? Convincing DH of all my "must haves"? :) Really, what I think I've done in the past is either try too hard to mimic some other style because I didn't yet have a sense of my own preferences, or occasionally buy cheap disposable type furnishings because it might have the look of the moment rather than long-lasting durability and character. I'm trying to change that by looking at Craigslist to find more sturdy items that I can still afford. 3)What's your biggest fear when it comes to designing/decorating your home? Spending money and then either hating it or changing my mind a few months later. I can be kind of fickle and like to swap colors and styles occasionally so I'm trying to move toward very neutral big ticket items that allow me to easily switch out pillows or window treatments. 4)What worries you - what are you afraid will happen if you don't do something immediately? I'm terrible about this. I worry All. The. Time. When it comes to my home I want everything to look finished and perfect and I don't think that will ever realistically happen. So in the meantime, I feel like I need to point out to any visitors that they should ignore X and Y because it's only like that for now and my vision is to _________. I guess I feel like my home is a reflection of me and my personality so if things aren't just right then I get really anxious. Plus I find that the more chaotic things become in my life - marriage, moving, selling a house, buying a house, changing jobs, preparing a rental property, and so on - the more pressure I feel to control the little things like painting the bathroom. I think I mostly answered your follow-up questions too, except I'll add that I've found myself saying the word "pretty" a LOT lately. I want to surround myself in things that are pretty. Pretty things make me happy. I smile when I look at my shower curtain of all things since it has pretty little blue birds on it. I like the pretty flowers in our bedding. I want pretty little glass pulls on the guest bath vanity. I want pretty little toss pillows in a variety of colors and patterns. I don't know... maybe that stems from living in DH's little grubby bachelor pad for most of the year. :)

I wouldn't take the feet off. It will be impossible to move to clean and service. I would call the manufacturer and see if they have a filler kit that might work to fit to the stone and go under the glass. (hope that makes sense) This one is for a gas range but I think you'll get the idea. You have to adapt it otherwise, it's going to get funky under there. Otherwise, you may have to have it made like Sophie indicated. Good luck, your kitchen is beautiful!