I have been lurking here on the site for quite a while and I've gotten so many ideas from the posts. DH and I are building a house and right now in the electrical phase of construction. Our kitchen is 12' x 14' and we have, just this week, decided to tweak the layout for the kitchen. The kitchen was a U shape that was open on one end to the hallway/stairs and the other end had two small walls with a door to the dining room. We have decided to take out the two small walls, opening up the kitchen to the dining room, and add a peninsula (5 ft) between the kitchen and the dining room.

Now comes my questions: What type of countertop do we need to do in order to have the 3 feet needed for the peninsula and 2 for everything else? I would prefer to keep the counter all the same level, but we have been considering an L-shaped counter with a slightly higher "bar" added onto the counter.

I hope this makes sense. TIA