It doesn't sound too, too expensive, but you can always get another quote! Don't just go with an installer because they are close by. Where do you live? When I lived in Charleston, SC my honed Carrera Marble came out to about $54/SF installed including cutouts. Now, this was also 4 years ago and things were less expensive in that area at that time. My soapstone was $85/SF, which was CHEAP! :)

How about their reputation and past jobs? Have you checked them out yet? All you have to do is spend a couple of minutes Googling: countertop disasters on GW to see what happens when people don't do their homework.

Just make sure you do that before you focus on price too much. Good luck.

Please realize there are various grades (A-C) of honed marble, highest pricing being A. Did they tell you that? One was to draw a client in is lowball a quote and when you arrive your eyes wander. Do they have an online site showing their marbles? Most good importers do, don't know about fabricator purchased marble.

What type of edge comes with that quote? Slightly rounded at least at the top is less prone to chipping (I have full bullnose).

Totally agree it's best to see installs done by the company. They usually have at least a photo album of jobs performed. Also checking their license and any complaints. Check their seam work and fully discuss alternative placements and counter support.

Good luck.

It never ceases to amaze me that folks who would never call an auto dealership and ask "How much is a car?" have no problem calling a fabricator and asking essentially the same thing.

I'm confused...is asking the price of something - be it a product, service, tuition, haircut, etc.- not a fair question? Seems like relevant information to me in order to make informed decisions.

I would call a dealership and ask how much a car was, what is wrong with that? You need to know if it is even worth making the trip out to see the product by discovering if they are anywhere within your price range.

As for the price you received, it probably depends a lot on where you live as well. Around here (outside NY) I'd say that it sounds about right as a per sq ft for marble in comparison to the places I've seen, if not a little lower than average. Remember that cut outs, finished sides, and specialty finishes may change that price as well. I'd say its worth seeing their slabs, but make sure you check out a few other places as well in order to get a better understanding of the general cost of what you want in your area.

You might get a price for a Yugo, or you might get a price for an Escalade, or uou might get the price for a Veyron-----if you just ask for ''a car''. That's the point. So much MORE goes into a countertop quote that just asking about the square foot price can be really deceiving. Not to mention that it says nothing about the skill set on the other end of the phone. It's simply the worst possible way of finding your new counter short of speccing ''marble'' and letting a contractor interpret that however he interprets that with no other input from you at all.

Shopping by price only ensures that you will get cheap goods. You can't expect quality unless you shop quality. That can only done in person, with a hands on inspection of the stone, and the workmanship.

I just meant that this is the first place I called,not that it would be the only place but I wanted to get some ideas from here about pricing. He said the 72 per sq ft was for the in stock honed cararra. The higher end one (starts with a D, can't remember the name now but it is the whiter grade Carrera) is about 80 a sq ft. I am going to the store this weekend to look at them. Where I live there are not too many places that sell marble countertops, so anywhere other than this place is over an hour drive but I am going to do some calling around to compare pricing.

Here's what I did a few years ago. I went to the actual slab importers (there were 2 at the time) on a Saturday and asked to look at everything. The person that worked there gave me a clipboard and pen and I went through the whole place. I wrote down my name and number and the names of every slab that interested me (they were "Star" graded instead of ABC-graded, and my picks ran the gamut). The Importer then gave me a list of fabricators and told me to call a few and that they then would fax my list to the fabricators that I had picked. I called around 4-5 places,checked them all out online (which eliminated 2), got quotes, and then had them show me their work. I then went with the person I liked the most.

One caveat: this approach doesn't work everywhere. Where I live now, it's next to impossible to find the importers themselves (because a lot of slabs actually come from the Importers I went to in the Charleston area, go figure) and you have to rely on the actual fabricators for the quotes without even seeing actual slabs first (which can change pricing). Look in the phonebook, check online, and get out there and find yourself a good counter person. Good luck!

"He said $72 sq ft installed including all.
Is this a reasonable price? I have no comparisons yet. ...

I just meant that this is the first place I called,not that it would be the only place but I wanted to get some ideas from here about pricing. He said the 72 per sq ft was for the in stock honed cararra. The higher end one (starts with a D, can't remember the name now but it is the whiter grade Carrera) is about 80 a sq ft...

anywhere other than this place is over an hour drive but I am going to do some calling around to compare pricing."

Sounds like you are taking a reasonable approach to educating yourself on where/how to start counter shopping. Have to begin somewhere.

Do a lot of reading so you understand the options and variables involved, how each company prices, and the types of problems people run into.

Good luck on your kitchen journey.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 0:50

If you don't call and ask for ballpark figures, you end up traveling somewhere and lo and behold, you can't afford it at all. Unless you are in the business, a person remodeling does it once in 10 years or more and doesn't have a sense of the costs. Nothing wrong with asking for some round numbers. The only thing in this country that we have to buy, sight unseen, is medical care! Go in with a cold, and if they run a million tests, you'll get a $7000 bill. At least with everything else, we can know up front if we can afford it or not.

I'd hope that getting a quote for countertops is not like the haggling normally associated with buying a car. Guess I'm wrong.

I did what hsw_sc did...mostly. I picked my slabs at the actual importers where the fabricator buy their slabs from. Then I asked fabricators for their quotes for specific stones. I actually ended up scouring the city to look at granites because some of the ones that I picked sold out in the entire city during my selection process.

I got 5 quotes and went with the cheapest one that I got a good feeling from. Haven't seen their work. In my area, trades are never hurting for work so they are not going to kill themselves trying to get your business, so I had to go with my gut.

I found that some fabricators are all about the quartz, which they are now getting at a deep discount so they wanted to gouge me for granite. I found the granite specialists gave me better priced quotes (and I trusted them more).

Oh, and we specified NO SEAMS - which adds to the price. You need to be clear on these details when getting quotes.

Based on my experience I don't think a price per square foot would be very meaningful. I got quotes by specifying exactly
* counter layout
* stone type
* stone finish
* stone thickness
* edge profile
* no seams
* hole/cutout
* include sink mounting

I had to do a lot of homework just to prepare a request for quotation. But once I did that work it was easy to submit to multiple fabricators and I just did it by email.

This post was edited by feisty68 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 12:44

You can't demand NO SEAMS. Some kitchens are so large that sems must be put in.

I would start by going to the stone yard and finding some slabs you like. you can even put them on hold if you wish. You might even ask them which fabricators do excellent work. Research your fabricators!!! You also want to know what is included in the price seal, edge, cut outs, ect. Don't hesitate to ask to see their work. What do thir seams look like? Do you get to help with templating? GL!

If I were a fabricator and got a request for a bid with specifications, I would trash it. I won't participate in a race to the bottom.

If you are shopping price only, not value, I have nothing for you. We aren't right for each other.

In my case I could demand no seams because I knew the slab sizes and my countertop sizes. That involved measuring and doing my homework. My point was that the quote should clearly outline the plan for seams or no seams. I have seen too many posts on GW saying "why did he put the seam *there*??" or "why did the stone pattern change directions??" etc. That should all be spelled out at the stage when you're getting quotes so these things don't become upcharges.

All of the fabricators that I emailed responded with quotes, so I'm guessing that my request for quotations worked for them. My geographic location may be different than many because trades are very busy and generally aren't willing to spend a lot of time with potential clients. As a homeowner I am competing with large projects to get contractors to work on my home at all. My husband moved here from Connecticut and he has been shocked by the trades shortages here (he works as a construction engineer so he is quite aware of these things).

I didn't pick based on price alone. Usually I would ignore the lowest bidder(s) but in this case I liked the detail they included in their quote and got the feeling that they are real granite specialists.

edited to add - the quotes went from $3700-$5700 for identical specs...for a small kitchen. So yeah, multiple quotes are a must.

This post was edited by feisty68 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 16:02

Duplicate

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 16:49

Duplicate

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 16:45

What is your point trebruchet?

It's kind of hard to both buy and sell without bids, specs and quotes. The last thing anyone should do is go into or run a project blindly. I see nothing wrong with calling ahead to scope things out instead of customers wasting their time running all over town. If a company can't be bothered with that much or gets an attitude before even beginning, it's best to move on. You will be KTRA the whole time.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 18:43

I'm pretty sure I don't want to be KTRA the whole time on anything...but what does it mean :)??

snookums2:

I never suggested that "anyone should do is go into or run a project blindly", in fact preventing such a thing is part of the value a good fabricator brings to the equation.

You want something from me, a price quotation, and I want something from you, an opportunity to show you the value I bring and I can't do that quoting off specs. I suggest we trade fair and square, my time for yours and yours for mine.

I just got a bid on superwhite quartzite, $88/sq foot installed. My kitchen will have 69 sq feet of countertop. Your bid sounds very reasonable to me.

Trebruchet, cars and countertops are apples to oranges. At least with car pricing (including used), we have Kelley Blue Book and the ability to research without having to ever bother a dealership. I won't waste a deadership's time because I have other avenues in which to conduct logical, informative, and educational research.

If the kitchen remodeling businesses don't like potential customers who call and ask about pricing, then you're losing customers due to lack of transparency. What is wrong with pricing transparency? I don't understand what all the secretiveness is about.

Again, car shopping and countertop shopping... I don't see any relevant comparison. Bad example.

A subcontractor who refuses on principle to bid a job because it includes specs like size and material?! I'm starting to think this forum is the twilight zone!

"If you are shopping price only, not value, I have nothing for you. "

Inquiring about costs is hardly shopping for price only. And there is nothing unusual, odd or wrong about looking for the best value for the money involved or the money you have to spend. It's a natural and necessary part of the process whether you are a business or a consumer.

Value is a lot more than price. Value can't be seen through the phone.

People who can't be bothered to visit in person and look at what they are interested in purchasing are tedious to deal with. If, after explaining that there are way too many variables to even a ''standard'' kitchen, (and that there is no such thing) but that average costs for what is being requested could run from 4-6K, and a potential customer still doesn't get it, and still can't be bothered for a face to face, it's time to give it up.

That person isn't interested in value. They are a price only shopper, and they deserve to get the quality that goes with the lowest possible price. If they were interested in value, they'd get up off of their butt and off the phone and come in and talk face to face and look at the work examples.

Some customers fire themselves before the job even hits the estimate stage. Stone isn't a commodity that you can buy like a tube of Pringles.

Again, hollysprings takes the words right out of my mouth. Can't add a thing. Thanks.

When I was first shopping for our granite, I really had NO idea of what costs were and had very little idea of what questions I should ask or what I should be looking for in a fabricator.

We started out going to the "discounted granite" place that I saw a billboard for that was advertising cheap granite. It was our starting place. And far, far, far away from what we wound up going with.

It's hard to shop for things when you don't have any idea of what they *should* cost. Many things in life, you have at at least a rough approximation just because you hear and se pricing of items. If you're looking for a new car, you can find something in the 10K-ish range and you can (and usually do) go well up from that. You see ads for those things on tv, etc...so you already know that if you're going to a Lexus dealer, you're not gonna get a new one of them in the 10K range.

With countertops...we aren't really bombarded with those ads so much. No ideas what costs are or should be. I think that it's a fair question to ask, "Is this a reasonable cost?" as long as you recognize that there are a lot of variables that go into it. Honestly, I don't know what the average is per sq. ft. of marble since it wasn't something that we were pricing.

The OP wasn't saying that price was her only (or even primary) factor in picking her marble. She just wondered, is that a reasonable sounding cost based on others experiences. I agree that we probably needed more info...but if the OP is just starting into the kitchen reno realm and hasn't shopped for countertops before, it's tough to post on here what all the rest of us would want to know to help her in determining reasonable costs.

Kate - definitely do some reading on here. It will help you to become more knowledgeable about countertops...and some of the trials and difficulties that some have faced. Hopefully you'll make a decision for your countertop fabricator that will include one that has a reasonable price and excellent reputation for providing quality work.

I guess I am confused. Around here fabricators are not sitting around waiting to talk to clients and showcase their work. They are out fabricating. I have visited fabrication businesses - they have small showrooms that generally are full of quartz because I assume that has better profit margins than natural stone. The people dealing with customers are admin people, not fabricators.