starpooh - I'd be honored to be in the FKB - I found a lot of inspiration there in the planning stages. Thanks for the compliments, everyone. We just can't believe how well it turned out, considering how frustrated we got at certain points when things just didn't go well and we had to improvise. I find myself just walking through the kitchen and touching things. Unfortunately this is it for the fun projects for a while, as the roof and skylights need work (note to future builders -- flat roofs aren't optimal in rainy Alabama). The bargains are just a matter of taking one's time. The range hood was bought probably 18 months ago. The fridge and range last May when Sears was closing. The sink two years ago (an $800 sink for $100!) -- nevermind that we hadn't even started the planning yet! The tile got ordered when Mosaic Tile Source had a 40% off sale last fall. Oh, and don't forget to ask for the military discount (if applicable to you) at the big box stores. We actually got another 10% off the Zodiaq just for asking -- that saved over $400. I've added a link to my blog, as it contains some posts from the "during" phase. Here is a link that might be useful: Magic City Modern

You do not need to stack two 2cm slabs on top of each other to make it look like you are using 4cm thick slabs. You only need a small amount of extra material (1-2â inches depending on edge type) to beef up just the outside edges of the counters. Laminated or mitered edges are very common here in So. Cal., where most stone and quartz is sold in 2cm size, rather than 3cm. The fabricator will put a 5/8â thick plywood subtop that is a little narrower than the finished counter size on top of the cabinet. Then the 2cm slab counter is put on top of the plywood. A narrow strip of the quartz is attached just at the edge of the counter to hide the edge of the plywood and make the whole counter look thicker. For standard 24â deep cabinets, the finished counter width with overhang is typically 25.5.â I donâÂÂt know what brand of quartz you plan to buy, but Caesarstone slabs are 56.5â wide, Hanstone is 55â wide, Silestone is 54âÂÂ, Cambria is 55.â (Some brands sell wider âÂÂjumboâ slabs if you have deeper counters.) Assuming a 55â wide slab, two 25.5â deep counters will use up 51â (plus a small amount of loss in the cutting process), leaving the few inches you need for the edge strips. You should need the same number of slabs whether you use 2cm or 3cm material. The thinner material will cost less, which should offset the increased labor cost for the laminated or mitered edge. I am going to try to attach pictures that show the different types of edges.

As a few people have noted, you are probably focused primarily on the front of the cabinet shims, while the highest spot is likely along a wall. We recently did a budget, temporary reno with very wonky floors. Our highest spot was in a back corner, unfortunately quite near the dishwasher, so we had to make sure we had enough clearance for that. While the back of the cabinet was right at 34.5 inches from the ground (to accommodate our counter choice of 1.5 inches), the front needed to be shimmed to a final countertop height of over 36.5 inches. In the lowest spot of the kitchen, the counter top is about 37.25 inches, but level with the high spot. Do I wish it were a bit lower? Yes, of course. But this was a $10k all in reno and fixing sagging floors that are otherwise fine was not in scope.

I agree that it isn't his job to re-engineer old cabinets, but it is his job to make me aware of the situation so I can hire a contractor to fix it before he installs it if that's what is required to do it so the countertops are long-lasting, and if it's not something he wants to do himself. He didn't tell me whether they were level or not when making his template for cutting. Also, unfortunately, I know very little about granite countertop installation and had no idea this was a potential issue to be aware of. The cabinet boxes are not as old as the house, but there are plenty of oddball things in the house. They were installed within the past ten years- the last owner did a layout change in the kitchen. The contractor I hired to do all of the other work in the house took a look before he left today and said he would add more shims, and that it probably should have at least had more wood added for the countertop to sit on. I really like the gentleman who owns the granite shop. It's pretty clear they are hard working and small, family owned. I'm sure he did the best with what he has available. I just wish I had known beforehand, and I would have asked our renovator/contractor to adjust the cabinets so they were level.