Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and move on. I can think of half a dozen things in my remodel that are are "off" somewhat but are visually "okay." My DH is always telling me that nothing is perfect in the construction industry, but it does little to make the perfectionist in me feel better. Little imperfections drive me crazy, but sometimes I just have to get over it and learn to live with it. I'm of the mind that if something is not done perfect, it should be ripped out entirely and done correctly. I have a feeling that I am in the minority, though. Mistakes are made and construction often involves "fixing" those mistakes by doing things to make things look "visually" okay. You will have to choose your battles because mistakes are inevitable. Stick to your guns on the issues that are really important to you, and let some of the others slide. Only you can decide how trivial it is, as others with a dog in this fight will have their own ideas about how to solve the problem. I do question whether they will be able to effectively "hide" a half-inch mistake ... that's not exactly a small amount for granite to be "off."

Best of luck, and I hope you can work it out to your satisfaction.

This post was edited by jellytoast on Tue, Apr 16, 13 at 14:44

I think you have have to explain what Tarion is. I just googled it but don't understand it enough to comment.

I will say that if they fix the cabinets and no one notices the granite being off, I would be OK with it.

There is one spot in our kitchen where the granite is slightly "off". It was really no ones fault. No one would ever notice unless they get out a ruler and start measuring.

After they fix the cabinets if it looks ok and functions ok then let it go.

sorry for the late reply, kiddo's had a tough few days.

Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them. Tarion is a warranty we purchase here when a new home is purchased. I'll copy & paste from wiki:
"it protects consumers of new homes by ensuring that builders abide the provincial legislation. It is financed entirely by builder registration, renewal and home enrollment fees."

Sounds like I should be a little open-minded and let it go. It just annoyed me that the builder is trying to get away from fixing things correctly and this is not the only mistake that made. But I agree, this might not be the hill worth dying on. A part of me also worries this will impact our resale value down the road (e.g. buyer thinking we cheap'd out on the contractor).

that's what I'm trying to find out. It didn't make sense to me when they "explained" to me how, without touching the granite, by simply moving the cabinets makes everything within the allowable margin of error. I called Tarion this morning but only got their voicemail.

To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if the builder is trying to "trick" me yet again. There're still many issues to be fixed so I'm focusing on ones that will impact the house value the most and the most expensive to fix. After this experience, I'll never go with another mass builder again, what was I thinking?!

If they move only the cabinets, won't there be an uneven overhang on the granite? If it was a large overhang on, say, a breakfast bar on the back side of the penninusla, that 1/2 inch difference wouldn't even be noticed. But on the front side, where there are doors and drawers and the overhang isn't that large to begin with, that 1/2 difference in the overhang might be quite noticeable, depending on the length of the penninsula. How do they plan to move the cabinets while leaving the granite in place? Sounds like your best bet is to go ahead and let them try it, and maybe it will actually work out. But I'd sure be checking out that "allowable margin of error" in the meantime.

I have no idea how they're planning to do this but they're confident it'll be easier and less costly than replacing the granite so they're pushing for this cheaper option. Thanks for all your input & advice jellytoast, hopefully this can get resolved soon (it's been dragged on for a while but at least I can now see that dim light at end of the tunnel).

Good luck and be sure to let us know how it works out.

I think your eye will notice the crooked granite, especially if there is contrast with the cabinet color.

It may be possible to reset the granite on top of the cabinets correctly by pulling the whole thing (granite and cabinetry) a little from the wall. The resulting gap could be covered by the backsplash (depending on thickness).

An alternative is to simply add a triangular piece to the toekick to read straight with the floor tile (and not move anything).

Everyone must be able to visualize better than me. I'm lost. Where and how exactly are your cabinets off by 1/2"? If it's from the wall jutting out to the end of the peninsula, I am assuming the amount of 'offness' starts small and increases to max at the end?

So, when they straighten the cabs, the granite will now hang over 1/2" more at the end (but at the front edge of your cabinets).

I think you could use this as a bargaining chip, ie, "OK, I will concede to this less than perfect fix, but I want this list of other repairs/fixes dealt with by the end of the month".

I would also get in writing, that they agree to replace the granite if it ends up cracking within a year or any date you choose. Ask me how I know this is possible!

I don't think mass builders have a monopoly on being jacka..es and difficult to work with, again, ask me how I know! LOL

I’m dealing with a simulai situation. My contractor installed my kitchen island is 1/4 inch off, its not straight. When bringing it to his attention he hohummed and said its only a 1/4 inch. He went on to tell me he would have to take the floor and he would damge the trim which would have to be taken off etc etc.. I explained to him that it would bother me eveytime I entered and or sat in my kitchen. It’s noticable to anyone how pays attention to detail. it’s visually anniying to me. my wuestion is do i leave it and just chalk it up, and not risk him doing more damage trying to correct his error or do i insist he fix it? I’m also concerned I’ll have issues if i decide to sell in the furture. I want him to tell me how much he would charge if someone hited him to come in a fix a problem such as this? I ask because i have one final installment left and If i chose to leave things as they are, which i really prefer not to do, I’d hope that he would compensate me.

Pictures may help you get advice.