Holly I don't know what I said that made you think my primary concern is budget. It is not. Our budget is more than enough for an ICF home with or without basement. However I don't know if building a basement is worth the extra expense or adds any value to our use of the home. We've toured several icf houses that are glorified mcmansion in the area 4000 sq ft monstrosities on basements. I've seen icf basements with traditional construction above and I didn't like them. I love the deep window sills, quietness, energy efficiency, safety ( and the list goes on and on) of an icf home. Traditional stick built is not something we would explore. We have discussed SIPs but ultimately i think we feel most comfortable with the experienced ICF builder. He has over 25 years experience with ICF. He now only builds ICF homes. We toured many of his homes all were well within our budget. But we haven't made the final decision yet. I mentioned the cost because it is a factor. ONE factor not the only or most important factor. I'm not sure if paying x dollars for a glorified storage unit makes any sense. That x would likely come at the cost of tree transplants, koi pond etc. All things we could do in the year or 2nd year after the build, but I would prefer doing now. I also was questioning how the choices impacted the livability and durability of the home. My point in this thread was to understand why people choose one over the other. I've found the answers pretty helpful. I'm not quite understanding the implication building on slab indicates disinterest in quality or interest only in cheapest building process. There is some debate that basements are not a "green" choice. Slab on grade is often used in passive solar homes for the thermal mass of the slab. We want high end finishes in a Eco friendly home. Here is where I'm throwing away money and will never have good resale. Then again we threw that out the window the moment we decided to build a more contemporary bi generational home :) Not every housing choice is about "smart money". Some decisions are a balance between wants, needs, livability and ultimately budget. Per others suggestions we had architect make some changes. It looks like our portion of the house would now be 1920 sq ft on slab with the new utility room and a few other changes to accommodate that room. The inlaw apt stayed at 788 sq ft. Right sized for us. But small by many people's standards. If the home is on basement it would be 1715 as we took out the utility room and didn't need to rework any rooms. Sorry if my original post gave the wrong impression that I was looking for the cheapest option.

This article says that although they have some of the same properties, and are both manufactured using a "sintering" process, sintered stone and porcelain are different.

Here is a thought....since the layout and electrical isn't changing in your vision, could you use the builder basic boxes and get custom doors made for the cupboards? Would that work at all? I hear you about spotty granite (ugh). If you are planning to remove whatever they put in, is there a formica or laminate option? I think I'd choose the least option from a price point of view and then if you can use it again elsewhere in the house, formica is relatively easy to take out and cut to size etc - and more DIY than if it is a stone of some sort. But I think you'd want your flooring to run under the cabinets, so if they install and you want to change the flooring out, you'll be tearing all of it out. Do you have specific cabinets in mind? Have you talked to that company for a price quote? I think I'd start there and that will give you a good idea of price difference between what the builder wants and the other quote. Counters - well that can be quite a price range so you'd better get a quote on that too. I guess you really need to do some comparison shopping for what you want to get good ideas for pricing. It might be worth booking an appointment with a kitchen designer who can help you sort through the options available from the builder and other options available. You don't want to spend money twice if you can avoid it so I think some professional help (not some paid salesperson from the builder) might be a good idea to give you some feedback and options. Look at some posts on Houzz from "The Cooks kitchen". She has some really good kitchen ideas and is willing to share her knowledge generously. The layout you've shown above from the builder doesn't look bad at all, but maybe a professional can find a way to make the most of the choices available to you and limit some expenses and waste if possible.

I have had white Statuario marble on my kitchen island for 10 years. My island is quite large and the marble is a statement piece and what people notice when they walk in. It definitely has some stains, but nothing that doesn't blend with the movement in the stone, And it most definitely has etches. But honestly, it adds to the character of the stone and I don't think people even notice when they walk into my kitchen. I don't have any chips or cracks - and I was worried about that because at the time I had young kids and counter stools that they loved to spin and hit the marble with. It withstood all that. Would I do it again - absolutely if I were looking for the same style of kitchen. I am in the process of renovating our kitchen in our new house and am struggling with what to use. My designer is pushing me towards Quartz and there really are lovely Quartz options - but having had marble, they all look like "copies" to me. I am terrified with all the Quartzite stories on this site. So I may very well do marble again. Stay tuned.