We looked at the granite Transformations before changing out most of the countertops in the house and while it may look good and probably has some advantages, when looking at it I felt like I needed glasses.
It is basically granite chips held together with a resin that is 1/4 in thick and the chips get "fuzzy" edges.
Went with Granite and love it.
Dishwasher we went with a Kitchen Aid. Very Quiet, but I'm not sure I would recommend it. We are not as happy with its cleaning results or energy efficiency as we thought we would be.
If you are looking for gas fired cooking appliances give some SERIOUS consideration to Viking. It is way more money than the more mainstream brands, but if you like to cook with your current appliances you will LOVE to cook with a Viking. We replaced a Jennair cooktop with a 36" Viking 4 burner with griddle and loved it so much we found any excuse available to replace our GE double oven with the Viking. Way pricey, but incredible appliances.

Thanks for the input. We have gone back & forth on the counters between granite and Silestone - it will probably be granite as there is one color we really like (also it is a pre-sealed product with a 15 year warranty - no regular maintenance according to Innovative Stone). We are leanning towards cabinets by Kitchen Maid - not sure who will pull everything together for us yet (a number of bids comming in) - I'll save some money ripping everything out myself (the fun part ).
Leaning towards a Kenmore Dishwasher and a Kitchenaid Fridge 9the sales at Sears are hard to beat) - already have a great island gas range/electric oven combo by Thermadore.
I will be interested in hearing some price on granite though.

that's just as good

Our Kitchen Granite counter worked out to $60 sq ft installed, with them providing the underlayment. The Master bathroom was 67 sq foot, with the underlayment and two under counter sinks.

I did a will call on the rest of the bathrooms and installed them myself, which worked out to $57 sq foot finished with back splashes.

We got about ~$40 a sq foot turn key and that was one step up on the color scale. Not sure why some colors cost more other than maybe they are more rare. Went with a small shop and they did great work.

I found that most everybody quoted me the same price on Granite slab. The real cost is in the cutting, fitting and edge treatment. If you want an Ogee edge, for example, it costs a bundle, however real granite doesn't need much edge treatment to look good.

Interestingly, I got three quotes, and when I went to the granite fabrication shop in town, the guy told me he wrote the other two quotes for my kitchen too - he said one dealer had the order all screwed up though - which ended up being the cheapest by a few hundred bucks - and would have been a pain, because it wouldn't have been right. He also insisted that I have the base completed and sturdy enough for the granite before they would fill the order. He made me put some extra cantilevers in for the overhang where the barstools sit.

The other thing I like, that some folks actually don't, and the granite guy made me sign off on before he cut, is that our granite has some defects in the pattern - silver dollar sized splotches of different color here and there, some red, and some black - you can instantly tell it's real rock, not the synthetic stuff. He said he'd been saving those pieces for a really special kitchen but several folks had turned them down(yeah right, I thought).

I must admit, it turned out looking pretty striking, and they asked if they could take pictures for their advertising. They took the pictures, but I don't know if they used them.

Indy, The splotches of differnet colors are what we love most about our Granite. We have one spot to the right of the sink that has a 3D look. Almost like a pothole or dent.

I went with the 48" DCS oven and range hood a few years ago. Well worth the money.

Mark

No DCS dealers that I know of around here for the kitchen stuff, but I have seen their outdoor grills..... Very nice

You guys are paying nearly $60 a square foot for a place to set your food? According to the doofs who appraised our house, this whole place is only worth $65.78 a square foot!? I'm not sure who's getting the worse deal....

Yeah, but think about it, it's a place to set your food that has been around for 2 billion years, and will certainly last for the next 40 or so I'll be around...

I don't know. My $42 a square actually made my house sellable. Wasn't looking too good with the green formica and aluminum edge-banding there previously.