Get references and go look at their work.

I'd love to hear suggestions, as well.

Thanks.

But we also have MANY independent distributors who work with independent fabricators who in turn work with independent stone yards. It seems you have to go through a distributor to get a quote on something you might see in a yard. And the distributor you choose, is linked to their own personal favorite fabricator

Wow, this isn't how it works in my area at all. We have no contact with distributors. You either go to a stoneyard/fabricator, or you choose a fabricator and then select your stone at a separate stoneyard (in which case the stoneyard delivers the slabs to the fabricator, or the fabricator picks them up, I forget which). Last time around, we paid for our slabs (to the stoneyard) and we paid for the fabrication and installation (to the separate fabricator). This time, we got one all-in price from a stoneyard/fabricator. In fact, our counters are being installed this afternoon.

My main tip is to get recommendations for the fabricator - in the end, they're the ones that matter, because they do all the templating, cutting, seaming, etc.

what i've seen so far…We have 2 most known stone yards and some small ones. You go there, pick your stone…Then you go to fabricators and they give you a quote. Some will give you price per sq.ft, including sink/faucet holes. Some will give you price for the job+price per sink cut etc…

The prices can be VERY different. We picked Super White, and went to 3 fabricators. One quoted $80/sq. ft, other one $120/sq ft and the 3rd one is $140 per sq. ft

The cheapest one was actually recommended by friends who just used this fabricator and was happy with the results.

lesmobo:

Here is a consult I did this week. The customers put half down on their credit card and stopped payment on their check for the balance. Amazingly, these guys had great Angie's List reviews:

After having examined your recent granite countertop installation, I noted the following problems in no particular order:

1. Wood shims were used in the bar top installation instead of the non-compressive plastic composite type; there are no corbels or steel supporting the 8 ½” overhang or trim covering the exposed shims. Despite the use of shims, the bar top remains 1 7/16” out of level over 10’ and is not in plane at the seam. A 4’ level rocks approximately 1/8” on each end when placed over the seam. Subsequently, the bottom of the 3cm granite meets before the top, creating a larger than necessary seam.
2. The bar overhanging the splash varies from 1 5/16” to 3/8” over the left run (facing from the sink), approximately 55”; the other (2) splash overhang dimensions vary by 3/8” over runs of less than 5’. The bar width varies by 3/16” and the right cantilever varies by ½” over 41 ½”.
3. The apex of the inside bar angles do not center with the backsplash seams which is consistent with varying bar overhang dimensions.
4. There is no granite between the left duplex receptacle top and the bar bottom leaving approximately a ¼” gap. It is not the same height as the right receptacle.
5. The sink area tops are out of level by ¾” from left to right over approximately 14’ and are not in plane. A straightedge placed over the cracked and repaired sink arm rocks 1/8” and is in plane with the left sink seam.
6. The edge profiles do not return to the wall/cabinet at the bar, the sink, and pantry countertops.
7. White caulk was used on dark Uba Tuba granite between the splash and deck.
8. The dishwasher is not attached at the top and has only one drywall screw securing it to the cabinet side allowing it to move when the door is down.
9. The small top at the right of the stove is ¾” too short as is the splash, neither align with the existing tile backsplash. The pantry top and splash align.
10. The tops are not level across the stove opening; off by ¼”.
11. The left side of the stove opening is approximately ¼” out of square to the wall; the stove opening varies by 1/8”.
12. The sink supply plumbing has been altered in a way that probably exceeds the scope of Florida law allowing maintenance only.
13. I could only verify the installation of (4) mechanical sink fasteners.

The granite business is so hyper-competitave it is impossible to compete on price. Verify the reputation of your fabricator, or you'll be stopping payment too.

Interview the local fabricators FIRST. Then go to the yards they work with. The fabricators are the most variable component of the quality of the product that you will get. Settle on WHO first. Then WHAT.

Tre, was all of this done on one persons installation by one fabricator? UGG! That sounds like a very bad botch job. Poor people stuck w/ that. I'm sure you'll be able to help them with the fix. Good luck!

I'm a KD so I guess that makes me a distributor. In my area there are at over 3 dozen fabricators within range (up to an hour away), and even more full yards (in the Northeast). A few also stock slabs but are not yards.

Most of fabricators will give me a small trade discount. While it is not really reasonable to "make margin" on counters as a kitchen dealer, some places try to get close. That makes the counters a bit more expensive than going directly to the fabricator. In some cases you get something for that, in others you don't.

Many dealers will price your counter with several vendors and then offer you the least expensive. Having worked with many of the fabricators, either somewhere I was employed or where a client got the counters on their own, I don't find that a good way to select a fabricator. Simply put there are a very few fabricators I know of who are relatively problem free and have superior service if needed. ALL of them are NOT the cheapest.

For us, instead of trying to make margin, we simply sell the tops at the same price as the fabricator. We make very little on them, yet we do include the added services of helping to source slabs at yards by phone and email, working things out with the fabricator, being present for template and install.

Why? First- I want my clients ENTIRE job to come out well. I'm already using pricier sources, if I were to try and make a decent dollar on them more customers would go out price shopping. Some of those will end up with a problem, which is heartbreaking. To encourage them to use the people we use we keep the prices reasonable. It is not largesse, simply customer satisfaction.
Second is self protection-, if I supply a top and the fabricator messes up it ends up costing me more in time and money than I can make on it.
Finally those services are included because I think we should be doing something for our money.

OTOH- We only sell counters if we are supplying cabinets, never by themselves. Will gladly supply the contact info for who we use, just won't have anything to do with it.
Similarly if a kitchen client decides to use their own fabricator we have absolutely nothing to do with it other than supplying a drawing for quote, with the notation "only suitable for quote, responsibility for details of template and installation are assumed by the client".

The point of all of this is that even for our business making a profit we do not shop price. We only shop service.
So if you go into a "dealer" and they offer to price your top at 3 places ask why and what makes each different. Then ask what how they handle selection, template, and install.
Note: I do now use 3 places only because of logistics (I cover a large area) they price within a few dollars of each other as a rule.

Sure the bargain places do many jobs that come out just fine. That means that someone somewhere will recommend them, but someone else wants to kill them. The fabricators I use all have superior service so every job come out fine. Looking for good referrals- find out who the pros and dealers that care are using, they can't afford problems.

There is no guarantee that paying more will get you what you pay for, due diligence is still needed. You may not get what you expect if you don't pay for it.

"Tre, was all of this done on one persons installation by one fabricator?"

Yep. $3,200.00 for 66SF, tear-out and plumbing probably included.

My butt wouldn't hit my truck seat for that kinda money.