I would advise you avoid doing business with AZ tile and Dean Jessup specifically. We had a horrible experience with them. Don't expect them to act with integrity or stand behind their product. We used a fabricator that was a personal referral from him. When we had discoloration and fingerprints that wouldn't come off of our Della Terra quartz he informed me I must have "scarred" it by cleaning with a paper towel. ( I called him within an hour of the fabricator leaving). We paid beyond stone to buff it with a cleaner at their recommendation. It mostly resolved the issue although as a result of the buffing the gloss and sheen no longer match our perimeter counters. Best we can figure out the fabricator applied turtle wax or something similar to disguise striations around the sink cutout. Which is why fingerprints couldn't be cleaned off. We still have some smudges. Bottom line rather than try to help us resolve the issue he was hostile and accusatory. He said the fabricator (a friend of his apparently) said it was fine so we must have done something. Do business with them at your own risk.

Your layout is difficult to read (too small & illegible), but here's a couple of comments Island seating...you have 5 seats lined up on only one side of the island - like ducks sitting in a row. This arrangement is not very conducive to conversation, it's more like eating at a diner counter with strangers. With this many seats, I would see if there's any way to have a seat or two on at least one of the sides. It may mean a shorter island, but if you have at least 42" of prep space on the non-Cleanup Zone side, you will have enough prep space. You need landing space for the refrigerator no more than 48" across an aisle. What would really help is if you could tell us a bit about you and your family and how you plan to use the Kitchen. Please check out the following FAQ threads (they're also in the "Read Me" thread.) Good luck! How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767033/how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-and-what-information itchen Design FAQ Threads: FAQ -- Kitchen work zones, what are they? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638270/faq-kitchen-work-zones-what-are-they FAQ -- Aisle widths, walkways, seating overhangs, work and landing space, and others http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638304/faq-aisle-widths-walkways-seating-overhangs-work-landing-space-etc FAQ -- How do I plan for storage? Types of Storage? What to Store Where? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638376/faq-how-do-i-plan-for-storage Looking for layout help? Memorize this first. http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2699918/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first

I would leave the pony wall due to there really is not that much room for seating as is. When people seated they will be out in the walkway already at bar heigth with stools. Plus, there's a lot of useful electrical sockets within the pony wall above cabinet heigth. If lose pony wall, putting electric in cabinets, will lose valuable storage depth within cabinets. What I would do now is replace the backsplash. The countertop is ok, imho. Countertop will look so much better with a brighter less pattern backsplash. Suggest moving in & seeing how well the kitchen layout feels while using for a few months at least. They may like the L shape as is. Make sure they love the cabinet color & style & they all are in great shape,too. Then & only then would I invest $$$ into new countertop. If they want to keep a Lshape kitchen all one level with more leg room then shift peninsula cabinets 12" or so closer to stove, but that's a lot of work. Plus, kitchen will get smaller, but seating would be better. Hopefully there is flooring under cabinets or enough left over. Maybe some can be taken out of closet or can find exact flooring match. Pros & cons to changing layouts is common. They may not like the layout after using. Then save up for a new layout then remove pony wall. They may want to consider getting rid of the L shape layout & get an island instead. Hope that helps. Nice of you to help your niece :)

The renter's perspective is different than a homeowner's perspective. It comes down to making a business decision, your budget, etc. As a frequent renter of beach houses, I appreciate cleanliness and I wouldn't care at all if the bar was lowered, there was a 2-bowl sink, nor if the appliances were stainless. I also wouldn't care about the stools, unless the seat covers were dirty. Sort of "campy," "beach-themed" furniture can be kind of fun in a beach rental because it's not the type of decor a person would choose for their primary home, but is sort of a fun change for a vacation. If I were looking at the house online, I'd be a little put off by carpet though, even if it looks clean in the listing, because I would assume it would be dirty by the time I checked in, from other renters. If everthing else was good though (location, number of bedrooms, price), I would probably still rent a house with carpet. But if there was another house next door with no carpet, I would rent that one. As a homeowner, I'm the complete opposite. I prefer that the bar is lowered to counter-height, a 1-bowl large sink, stainless appliances, consistent hardwood floors downstairs and carpet in the upstairs bedrooms. I also don't like furniture in my permanent home to fit a theme like "beach" or "mountain" or "lake," etc. So, two completely opposite feelings depending on if I'm a renter or it's my own home. Since you are going to use the house in the off season you sort of fit into both camps. It's a rental, but you are going to use it a lot. In your case I'd probably treat it more like your permanent house and make changes that you like rather than only doing changes to get rentals. If you incorporate a little bit of whimsical beach-themed decor, that might be a fun change of pace for you as well as renters when you visit the house, because it'll be different from your permanent home.