I had survived the entire weekend sans countertop. Fortunately, the sunny weather and chores kept me otherwise occupied so I didn't really have too much time to lament the fact that nobody showed up to my house on Friday.
Monday proved the wait was so worth it!!!
(I do realize there are a lot of photos but it was less nerve-wracking for me to be taking photos than just standing around holding my breath!)
The countertop arrived - all 6 pieces and many hundreds of pounds of it.
The pieces were carefully standing on end in the truck - held securely in place for transport and after seeing how they came out of the truck, I don't even want to think about how they got them INTO the truck! I wish I had been here to document how Collin went about making the templates for each piece. I was only here briefly to discuss particulars (Where was the granite going? How wide did I want the piece that would cap the top of the bar area? Where were the faucet fixtures going to be located? What type/style of edging did I want?) and then I had to boogie to an "off-site" (aka lunch with friends).
I was here for the arrival though and incredibly impressed (not only with the granite itself but that fact that these three guys could so expertly maneuver the rock into place)!
The first piece to come in was the bar because two guys could, while not exactly "easily," get this one into the house and into place, followed quickly by the three other "small" pieces (the kitchen window ledge, the ledge by the bar and the small counter by the wall oven area).
Then it was time for the first jumbo piece - the kitchen sink counter.
Ten feet in length but only two feet (plus overage) wide, it was still heavy and had the added "bonus feature" of the cut-out for the sink. I watched as the guys first clamped a bar to support the opening and then put it on the "dolly" to wheel it into the house. At 10 feet long, there was not enough room to go directly around the island so they had to open the door to the gazebo and make a 3-point turn into the kitchen before lifting it into place.
Whew! A short break was definitely in order before tackling the last piece!!!
The big piece was just plain "scary" - start to finish. Just watching Collin try to keep the piece upright while the other two got the dolly and braces ready made my heart stop. The island is ENORMOUS - 10 feet long and 5-6 feet wide (the "breakfast counter" is an extra foot in width for roughly two-thirds of the length) plus the cut-out for the cooktop. Lots of places for scary stress to occur here!
After making a first attempt that failed, the three guys were ready to lift the rock onto the dolly - which immediately flattened at least one of the tires. (I told you it was a REALLY HEAVY PIECE OF STONE!)
Finally the slab was in the house and through the kitchen, but again it would not make the corner into the kitchen. The guys took it all the way out onto the deck walkway (between the house and the gazebo) and "spun" it around - lift, turn and set it down, repeat (without anyone miraculously falling into the pond!) and back into the house.
Then the choreography of getting into place began. First they got the piece within 18" of the island and measured to make certain that it was centered.
and gently, ever so gently, allowed the piece to lean back onto the island. 
While one person supported the cut-out area (cooktop) and Todd and Hymie watched the top corners, Collin and Ben braced the bottom edges with their "outside" foot. 
On the count of three...everyone pretty much collectively held our breath as the three guys lifted the piece - about halfway onto the island
and then slid it the rest of the way into place.
It was amazing! I don't think Collin was a bit surprised at how accurately he had cut these pieces (not his first time at this particular rodeo) but he was pretty amazed at how absolutely PERFECT it was - with the cabinetry, with the hardware, with the paint. Especially since this was the very first time I was seeing this granite. [I had picked out a piece but the installer had a discussion with my builder and suggested that I would not be happy with this piece after all since there was not a "bookend" piece - meaning that because it was a smaller piece, requiring a seam, there was nothing to match it to. He suggested this piece: Junaparana Rio - instead and in a leap of faith, I totally trusted him with it - a great decision on my part!)
PERFECT was indeed the word of the day!!!
~later, tw
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