If quality of work is more important than price, I could not recommend anyone more highly than Tommy Schlitzberger at Schlitzberger Stone Design. (Not that their price was in any way unreasonable -- just not bargain basement, and in Houston, cheap stone fabricators are easy to find.)

I first heard of them from Walker Zanger, who provided me with a list of 50 or so fabricators. Unlike most of the others, Tommy Schlitzberger returned my call promptly and professionally. And when I went to his shop (clearly a *working* stone shop -- not a pretty retail space), the unusually-high quality of his workmanship was very evident. To explain -- They had several projects going that were museum-quality. Etching, flaming, carving and polishing, integrated granite sinks -- far more than your usual countertops-only. Also, I am very picky about visible seams on laminated double-thickness edges, and for that reason, rarely use them. But his seams were so fabulous that I changed my edge profle to the 'Laminated Ogee (SFS-004)' shown below, which I'd NEVER do with a less-proficient fabricator. (And my edge is gorgeous!)

{{!gwi}}

If you're looking for an inexpensive fabricator for a simple job, there are hundreds of low-priced guys out there. Pick up a couple of the freebie home magazines in restaurant waiting areas or grocery stores and you'll see them listed. IMO, they're NOT as good. But they may be plenty 'good enough' if your job is simple and you either don't use a laminated edge or choose a profile where the lamination seam is concealed in the edge detail.

I met Tommy Schlitzberger at a Home Improvement show and also happened to run into him once when we were at a granite yard. Both times he impressed me as really knowing his stuff, plus very friendly and nice. I would have definitely hired him if I'd been doing the hiring.

What I did though, was hire a general contractor who did all the work A to Z. He hired Hollywood Builders to do our granite. The did a great job and in fact I hired them to do a couple of other smaller granite jobs in my house later. So I can recommend them as well.

I can't really say how they compare in price because I never got any pricing from Schlitzberger. But I considered Hollywood's price on the things they did directly for me to be reasonable.

Hi Lowspark! waving--- Small world ;-)

You may also want to contact Rey Rodriguez at

united_counters@sbcglobal.net

Rey is a local Houston Fabricator that knows his stuff...

Hope that helps

kevin

Hi there Sweeby!!
:D

I'm having my countertops put in tomorrow (The Woodlands) by a Houston guy. I'll let you know what I think!

Greetings dlb226,
There are many good fabricators in Houston that produce quality work. Spend some time to learn about the fabricator and his quality of work. Some good questions are:
Do they rod cutouts?
Does the material you choose need to be sealed?
What type of warranty do they offer on their craftsmanship and sealer(if needed)?
Can they top polish your joints?
Hope this helps.

Rey Rodriguez
"Taking your Kitchen for GRANITE?"

Thanks for all the postings. I appreciate knowing what questions I need to ask. We are estimating 3 to 4 slabs to get out kitchen done. We have 2 counters to replace and plan to do a 60 by 62 island plus add a side buffet of 83 x 24 so we want to make sure it is done right.

Thanks for asking this question. We are thinking about granite for a kitchen redo and I was hoping to get some info off this site on granite yards and fabricators in the Houston area (along wiht all the other great info I have picked up). If you look up info on this subject in the Houston area on the internet there are tons that advertise but it is so hard trying to find the gem out there. Has anyone heard of any good granite yards out there that have good prices?

I used Cypress Granite. They did a good job and the cuts were very good. (281) 290-0402

I am getting my kitchen redone and will be needing ~4 slabs. Does any one have experience with Olympus marble and Granite? I will have a lot more granite work before I have completed the house. I am very worried about it.
Thanks.