If I had to live with plywood countertops for a year, I wouldn't settle for something I didn't love or at least really like. I would see/hate it everyday and regret that I had "settled".
Yes, go look at all the other fabricators (if they have a good reputation) and keep looking for a deal like the one you just missed. Find out when new shipments come in and be the early bird.

wasn't aware that people were in love with their
countertops...

but if you don't like the choice you've made,
put in something else & upgrade it later.
there are lots of options besides granite.

best of luck

I talked to DH about it for a while. His biggest concern is that we got our interim construction loan included the cost of the less expensive granite. So if we went with a pricier stone, we would have to carefully consider where that extra cost would come from.

"So if we went with a pricier stone, we would have to carefully consider where that extra cost would come from."

So are you ready to give up something else to get what you want?

Question 1:

In the grand scheme of things, how much do you care about your countertops? I mean, is the kitchen the center of the home for you, and you really want it to be "just so" . . . or is it just another room?

Question 2:

What's the price difference? Is it enough that it's just really not something you should do . . . or are we talking about a small difference, which you could make up by skimping somewhere else? If so, what else would you give up to have the countertops you really want? Perhaps cheaper lighting in your secondary bedrooms? Perhaps a cheaper tile in your bathroom?

If you determine that this REALLY MATTERS to you, remember this old saying: The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is long forgotten. (Okay, we're not talking about quality, but you get the point.)

There are some other granite fabricators in our town. Do you think prices could vary enough to look at a few other places?

Definitely. Go visit the other fabricators and see what they carry and what their prices are for granites you like better than your current selection. What do you have to loose?

Definitely get what you love or you will regret it later! If this fabricator is having a sale, ask others in the area if they would be willing to price match. All they can tell you is no. Good luck!!

Thank you for your responses.

For the extra costs, it would have been $1k more had we been able to get that Bianco Antico granite on discount. So I think it would cost of a couple thousand more to get something else. We could pay for most or all of it out of pocket because DH has been working a lot of overtime and I have been picking up extra work outside my job. He is concerned about paying for a granite upgrade when we are just breaking ground now because we all know that there will be other costs that come along the way.

The kitchen has always been the most important room in our home because we love to cook and are planning on a huge eat up island so lots of people can hang out with us in there. Part of my reason for wanting granite with a little more dimension to it is that our backsplash is going to be tumbled stone and we are doing painted cabinets so it's more of a simple look and I feel the a different granite will give the space more interest.

We are still have time before we can't change our minds anymore. When I went to the granite place yesterday and saw the granite that we had picked and looked at the other options, it really made me have the 2nd thoughts.

Argh.

Why not go to the granite place, tell them your dilemma, and see if they will cut you a deal? It never hurts to ask....

I agree to shop around, ask about a price cut at the place you are looking at, and don't settle. Granite is something you will see and use every single day, much of the day. You don't want it to be a nettle every time you look at it. And it's not like paint that you can redo in 6 months...rather you are going to be using it for decades to come.

IMHO, it is worth doing right the first time around.

I'm often the one to say, "Take the budget option. When considered in the grand scheme of things, that little detail isn't going to stand out as you think it will" . . . but in this case, I'm not sure that's the best advice.

You give good reasons why this is a significant decision, integral to the look of the whole kitchen, a room that matters to you. And the poster who says this is an everyday item, something you'll use constantly and need to GET RIGHT . . . is correct.

However, a couple thousand IS real money. And you're right to say that other things will pop up later. Saying "yes" to this splurge now may well mean saying "no" to something else later.

I agree with those who've said, "Keep shopping". See if you could find something else that'd match (or come closer to) the price you want to pay.

Or consider a different backsplash that might become THE THING you'd notice in the kitchen instead of the granite.

In the end, if you can't find the cheaper price, I say go ahead and get the more expensive granite. It's the way I'd go.

We built a custom home about ten years ago. We are getting ready to build again. There were many compromises while building because of the sub screw ups. My granite turned out very nice though. My granite has a lot of movement. I think it's a level 4 granite for my kitchen. I had to get use to the movement in the beginning. But I still just love it... after ten years, I am still happy with my selection.

Since we're thinking of building again, I 'tried' and am still going to 'try' to go with a custom builder instead of GC'ing it ourselves. But all this 'custom' builder wants me to choose is what's in his 'design' studio. (Barf). I'm sure you all can imagine what unimaginative, bland, boring granite he offers his clients. IF I want to go to a granite yard, which I will, he wants me to go with he "designer" so I don't make any mistakes; and this gal costs money added on to my bill. Well, I don't need any design help. I can choose granite myself, coordinate it all. I am also a Realtor and KNOW what I like. I have been in thousands of homes. I am bored easily with certain 'looks'. I don't CARE the thousands that someone pays for 'this' or that. If it is ugly or UNappealing to ME, then it has little to no value to ME.

I would N-E-V-E-R buy some boring granite when my heart was on something a little bit pricier. If I had to wait six months until I saved the money, then that's what I would do. I would live with a plywood counter with a table cloth before I would pay ANY MONEY for something that will just peeve me off every time I look at it.

I have been FORCED to live with a custom wood hood over my stove because of a huge measuring mistake by a cabinet maker. Instead of my arched hood with this or that and other corbels under the cabinets like I wanted, I have a rectangular hood and other slightly 'off' corbels, but better than what was there. So every single time I look at my kitchen, I see the COMPROMISES instead of what I actually have. It took two years to fix this cabinet maker's shoddy workmanship. (I griped on Garden Web so much all through the lawsuit that followed. So, I **KNOW** what it's like to live with something I hate.)

I would recommend you go in and NEGOTIATE for the granite you want. Do NOT compromise. I had someone steal one of the granite slabs I had paid for in advance, and I had to wait a bit to get another slab that matched. So, patience paid off. I got an upgraded edge and a few other things because of my patience.

I would also recommend that after they template, that you are PRESENT when they lay out the template on the slab. When you have a lot of movement in a piece, you want to capture the part of the slab as YOU envision it.

I'll post an old link to when we built... So you can see my granite.
It is worth the wait to get what you want. It's not too late until you authorize the cutting of the granite.

FYI: The thing to 'cut' is the landscaping. You can always add landscaping. The trees can cost a fortune. Cut one tree and you could have the money for your granite. The right flooring and granite can make you money one day. The wrong granite or flooring can cost you thousands of dollars. Carpet is cheaper to replace than a granite island. (If you buy where I purchase!)

Also, Definitely SHOP your granite! I went to about 7 or 8 different fabricators before I decided to go with the people I went with. The price varied 100%! Go to the fabricator that has an excellent reputation. The larger their yard, it would seem like they would be the busiest.

Also, do not sign any of their contracts that states anything like they get to decide where they seam your granite and placement of the template. CROSS THOSE LINES OUT. IF you buy from HD or Lo's, they have those kinds of statements. You do NOT want your granite SEAMED if possible. IF there is a seam, you want control over the placement. Research 'where' it is necessary to seam. Then decide for yourself.

Be blessed. I would love to hear what you decide to do.

Here is a link that might be useful: Granite

Sheri and others,

Thanks for your responses.

What I think I would like to do is get the quote for the promo granite and maybe take it to a couple of places.

At another granite place, we had really liked River White. It was a level 2 granite so at least it wasn't the pricier level 3 and there was some subtle movement that DH liked. (I was shocked.) Do you think that if I took that quote to him that he would be willing to negotiate to get our business? How do I negotiate? I want to use him because his brother is a police officer in the same department as hubby.

The level 2 is $55 per square foot installed. I didn't have the promo granite calculated, but I know it will be less. I just didn't know what kind of negotiating power I could have. I am willing to fight for it because as all of you previously said that it's not worth a couple of thousand dollars to come home and look at the granite and not like it.

Use someone because of the quality of work--not who his brother happens to be--
maybe you think he will give you a better price--and he might--but if he is not a quality fabricator you may pay less and get less...

He does quality work. He is someone my builder uses on a consistent basis. We just happen to know him as well. I have the quote from the other granite place. It doesn't have the square footage listed, but I assume if I take him the plans he could calculate the footage pretty quickly.

I was bummed bc we got that bid back for the river white granite from the other granite place and it was $3k higher. I knew the granite costs would be higher bc it was a level 2 but they were higher on everything else. Ugh.

Aimless07, I emailed the place that I bought my granite from here in the Jacksonville, FL, area. (I, too, am going to be buying granite for a new house that we are going to build this next year. I told him I was doing my estimations, which I am.)

Anyway, this business cannot advertise their business because they fulfill the big box store's granite orders.

I emailed the company over the weekend after I posted here. Their president responded and asked me to send them a copy of my plans and he'd get me a price! I could not believe it. I had not given him any of my particulars, nor named "level" or name of the preferred granite I would need for a whole house. We exchanged a few emails because I was not happy with his explanations.

A few days later (within the past few weeks), someone called me from their agency. They explained *this*: they name granite and give a 'Level' mainly as selling features for stores. When they are going to do a whole house from the beginning at construction time, they were giving me 'builder's pricing and I could choose whatever level I wanted! The price for the entire house is going to be about $29/SF for a "Level 4" granite, if I were to go to a big box store!!! Hands over fist cheaper than what I paid 10 years ago!!!! This includes templating, cut outs, my supervision and 'OK'ing layout of template and seams, installation, and a square edge. If I have other needs, such as an ogee edge and metal underplate, there is an upcharge per LF, which I would expect. I hope this helps you negotiate your granite pricing.

Man, that pricing you got is phenomenal. The promo granite we have is $45 per sq foot and the river white from the other place was $55 per square foot.

We have a similar granite place here in town that is I would say a granite distributer? They have all the slabs and are classified into the different levels but they don't tell you the cost. You pick out the slabs you want and the person who you hire to cut and install them sets the price. Is that what you are talking about?