It could be removed, transported, and reinstalled with low risk of breaking, however, you may be able to buy new for less and with less risk. I'd charge you 5K, 50% in advance, and you'd sign in writing that I'm not responsible for breaking it and that you'll pay extra for repairs if I do.

It is magnificent and I would very much appreciate it. But not the gas stove. I'm induction all the way. Your kitchen is gorgeous and I understand how you feel. Van Gogh is over the top and yours is especially pretty.

Thanks, Mr Corlett! It is my impression that van Gogh/Blue Louise typically costs quite a bit more than 5k these days. If that's the case, then a $5k job sounds worth it. If it breaks, how easy is it for a fabricator in my new home town to cut it into a usable piece? The top in question is about 9.5' long by 4.5' wide.

My DH and I personally removed a Costa Rose Esmeralda granite countertop from a kitchen and transported it to the home we were renovating. The longest section was 9 feet. We did the same with a different piece of countertop for the island, which was 6'x3'. It is not rocket science, but does require some burly friends to help carry the pieces in and out of the house. We built a frame to put in the back of our pickup to hold the slabs on an angle. We also cut it to fit with a circular saw and had the local granite dealer come and glue the seams. We installed 45+ square feet of granite for less than $1600 including lobster rolls and beer for the burly friends. It can be done. Oh, and it included a nice Blanco sink.

Thanks, mabeldingeldine. That sounds like a fun afternoon. You both have given me hope. I'm also concerned about significant damage to the cabinetry underneath the slab.

If it were I doing it, would pay a fabricator (the folks that did it in the first place?) to come and un-install the granite, making certain they had advised me ahead of time on how to secure it for the transport - at the very least I would think they would do very minimal damage to the cabinets. I would purchase induction for the range at the new place.

"If it breaks, how easy is it for a fabricator in my new home town to cut it into a usable piece?"

The most likely place for failure on the top would be the front sink rail. If it didn't repair well, you could always cut it off and install an apron style sink. It wouldn't be too much for a fabricator to recut and polish.

Take a gander at how the granite was attached. In my situation, it was held in place with silicone caulk. We used my Wusthoff utility knife to cut the silicone. Then a $3 trip to the knife sharpener and you'd never know.

What will you do if the cabinets are damaged when un-installing the counter? Give yet another allowance to redo all the cabinets?

If you're going to be taking the range and countertop with you (which I've never heard of anyone doing, btw), then you really shouldn't have made them the focus of that listing photo!

Anything permanently attached legally conveys in the sale. That means your granite and your range both are included in the sale whether you want that to happen or not. You would already have had to have removed it all before it went on the market. If it's on the market, you have just created the perfect leverage for any buyer to extract funding from you. If you specifically list that it will be removed, you just told them they have a bargaining chip, even if they don't really want it.

The chance of damaging cabinets when removing tops is low.

I don't like blue as a major color in decorating, so I would not find the Van Gogh appealing, but you need to make these changes before the house goes on the market. Do not include allowances, just replace with a counter and stove appropriate for the price of the house.

I am a fabricator. From the pic it looks like it's only the island that is Van Gogh. Typically a one piece island can be removed and reinstalled without breakage although we would still require a discalimer regarding breakage. In the event of a crack in the sink rail (not likely but possible) it could be repaired so be nearly unnoticable. Remove and reinstall would be several hundred dollars plus whatever time and mileage would be required to transport the island to the new site and travel time for the installers to the new site. It would end up close to the cost of a replacement but you do have a particularly beautiful piece of stone so maybe it's worth it. You also have to add the cost of replacing the island at the old site.

I am so jealous. Van Gogh was the granite we lost after our fabricator died, and we think one of his workers stole it, along with our soapstone! Beautiful granite. I would definitely take the risk of moving it to the new house if it were me, and replace it with something else. When we checked, we were told it is no longer available :-(

You can't get Van Gogh anymore. I loved the Van Gogh. The closest is Fusion and that's only on rare cuts that has some blue.

The current Fusion are mostly red or pink. I lost my Fusion and spent 5 months looking at every inventory in two large metro area. I only found two similar pieces after I've already compromised.

Removing one large slab is not that difficult but use a fabricator.

I would replace the Lacanche before you show the house but discuss the countertop requirement in place after you have received serious offers. Or you can remove the countertop, pay for storage at the fabricator (about $150 for 6 months) and take out the issues of removing it once you have a deal.

It may cause problems with the buyer even though you have it in writing.

I would agree on the range, I think most buyers will want induction. I would not hesitate to pull out that dramatic slab and move it. I have told the story here before, but when we got in our kitchen a few years ago, my BIL hauled everything 300 miles away in his Ford 350, and used it to upgrade sis's basement canning kitchen. Cabinets, granite, faucets, sink. She had laminate downstairs, and the granite upgrade was really nice for heavy duty summer canning. Everything transported beautifully. She even left the Kohler cast-iron Lakefield sink clipped in place. One piece of granite had to be trimmed, and my brother-in-law rented a wet saw and did it himself. Now, he built his own home, too, so he's not an idiot. Few people should attempt this complex a job. Still, I really thought something would crack. I would not leave that slab for someone who might not appreciate it.

Joe & oldryder -- just out of curiosity, is it better to transport something like that with the sink detached? Structurally, does leaving it on give the granite any integrity? I was really surprised my massive sink slab survived with the sink still on, but since we had nothing to lose (and honestly didn't think the slabs would survive) we left ours on when my BIL hauled it away. He really just wanted the cabinets. The fact that the granite survived was gravy.

Oh my, I've never seen granite like that.. get that out of there right now. Quick, before someone comes along and buys the house because of it.

Mizlizzie; We would remove the sink and reinstall after the island was set at the new location. It would add considerable difficulty to moving and reinstalling the granite with the sink still attached. If the fabricator was concerned about potentially cracking the sink rail there are tools used by installers to provide support across the sink cutout.

Thank you all for the advice. My house sold this week, and the deal included us taking the countertop with us. The buyer wanted to change the colors and would have removed it anyway. No financial compensation or allowance was necessary, and the idea flowed from a personal conversation by us with the very motivated buyers. Hopefully, I can remove it without significant damage to the island cabinetry, but the buyers might paint the cabinetry anyway. I'll try to remember to update this thread with pics to demonstrate the removal and transport process. The new house is a 1961 Mid/Modern, and we just started a kitchen remodel. Van Gogh probably isn't the first choice in countertops for Mid/Mod, so we'll see...

Good luck!

Congratulations on the sale! I'm just going to pretend that I never read that they would paint those gorgeous cabinets...

Thank you for all the advice, and I apologize for the delay in updates about this project, but I've been kinda busy...

The countertop contractor in our new city traveled to my (old) house, quickly and easily removed Big Louise (our name for it, since Blue Louise is one of the names given to this granite) without damaging the cabinets, transported her back to their shop, and put her in storage until our new cabinetry was ready. They then cut her into a smaller piece for part of our new cabinets and polished her up to a nice shine. We used walnut for the rest of the countertops.

Below are pics of the transport process, the new kitchen, and a closer shot of Little Louise.

So glad it worked out for you - it is all beautiful! The walnut and Blue Louise make a great pair. Would love to see more pictures. I like the hidden ovens flanking your cooktop. It looks very sleek! I've done the same thing in my new kitchen. Some on here speak against that type of placement, but I really don't like looking into the big black holes on double ovens. When I sold my last kitchen on craigslist, the buyer's construction crew uninstalled everything very carefully, including the granite and appliances and reused everything, Enjoy!

Lovely - really happy for you were able to move it safely and enjoy it in two homes!

an aside - I covet your runner ;)