If you want them to look like hutches, then use a top from the cabinet company that will match the cabinets. It won't be any cheaper though. Or you could explore an alternate material like butcherblock long as there is enough of a height difference in the bases for that to mak sense and transition well. If you want the continuous horizontal line of the granite then do that. There isn't any way to fake that by piecing without the labor charge almost equalling what you'd ''save''.

Are you sure you're going to be paying 'more' for this, or will you have already paid for it and then cut a chunk out? I mean, the slab has to reach to the wall in front anyway, right? Unless you had a seam right at the edge of the cabinet using material from elsewhere.. sink cut-out for instance? Is that what you are thinking rather than paying for another 5' of granite for both sides? If so, maybe they could put a wood nailer on the wall side and back for the cabinet to rest on and then just have the granite extend far enough in from the front and other side to 'catch' the wall and front of the cab. And have nothing underneath. Wonder if that extra labor would be close to what the granite would cost if they just put the sucker all the way?

Our granite fabricator charges by the square footage used, not the slab size, so we would actually save money if they cut the 2'x30" squares from both sides. I know that's not usually the case but that's what we've been told. I think sink cutouts are different because they are within the outer area that is used but that makes no difference in this case. We've considered putting some cheap granite in under the cabinets since our verde borgogna is quite expensive. We were really wondering if anyone here had actually done something like this before. There are quite a few pictures on Houzz but we trust this forum more.

muppetmom:

Have the granite run under the cabinets; it's the right way and will look best.

It will take some coordination between the cabinet and granite installer as it's impossible for the cabinet installer to know exactly where the granite will set on the lowers.

We did essentially what you're talking about in our bedroom. We ended up using wood vs granite due to cost (and it's a BR!), but the look is the same. You really do need to run the granite all the way under the end cabinets to make everything look right. If you set the end cabinets on a piece of plywood and butt the granite up to it, you'll need some sort of finish molding to disguise the join, and it could interfere with the doors opening. I guess you could have the granite run under the first inch of the cabinet before it meets plywood. Are you sure you'd be saving much at all considering the cost of 4 extra cuts? How about the sides at either end of the 12' run? Do they show? If they do, you'd need to be sure you didn't have an edge of plywood showing between the upper and lower cabinets.

P.S. We *love* this arrangement in the bedroom! It holds everything we used to have in dresser drawers, plus the uppers have bedding and towels. A total win in a small MBR.