Yes, that's what davidandkasie was talking about. The box extender just screws into the old box after the granite is on, thereby extending the surface out to the front of the granite. It's definitely a DIY project with a caveat - TURN THE POWER TO THE OUTLET OFF BEFORE you work on it. If you are unsure which circuit breaker it's connected to, plug a lamp into it and when the lamp goes out you know you have the right one (plug the lamp into both sockets of the outlet to make sure). Then unscrew the top and bottom screws on the actual outlet before the granite goes on, pull it out a bit and wrap a piece of electrical tape completely around the sides so that it covers the screws you will see there. This protects you and the installers against a shock since you will probably want to turn the power back on before the granite goes in. After the granite is installed, slip the extender over the outlet and screw it into the box. Then screw the outlet onto the extender with the same two screws, then the switchplate goes on. Get a 1" (or 1 1/4" if available) extender. It's okay if the extender is a little short of the surface, but obviously it's not okay if it extends past the granite.

Thanks so much! I think (all fingers crossed), we may have a solution - but if you think not, PLEASE post! Todds: we have about 4-1/4-in. from front of engineered stone to the wall behind - so about 3-in. from back of stone to wall. I think the pic below is a blue retrofit box, and it's about 2-7/8-in. deep. It has the dog ears that may be tightened to grab onto the stone. (At Lowe's suggestion, I also bought a bigger one just for the longer screws). Markw: We are replacing countertop, not installing new, so the box was there before. We removed the box so I could take it to Lowe's and hardware store to try to find something without the protruding pieces. In both cases, I was told that our old box was no longer made (it's about 30 yrs old), and that the new boxes are a bit larger. I did find metal ones with no protruding edges, but the blue plastic one seems to be the keeper (I hope). It won't be a problem for the installer to cut a bigger hole - it was just those protruding pieces that fell within the 1-1/4-in. depth of the stone that caused problems. Circuspeanut: We don't have drywall immediately behind the stone, but rather 4-inches away on the outside wall of the house. But I think I see what you mean about attaching the outlet to box, and the box is held on to the stone by the dog ear flaps? Brickeyee: I bought a box extender, but I think it won't be needed with blue retrofit box? You're no doubt right about the installer. He's been installing countertops for 8 years, often with a 4-in. backsplash, but none of the photos on his website show any electrical outlet cutouts in the backsplash. I definitely selected him because he was much less money that others, and believe me, I sweated that decision. But there was no vendor whom I could afford. Thanks so much, all -- thankfully, my stupidity in things mechanical does not extend to all areas of my life!

I believe the maximum setback is 1/4" for non combustible materials. ('08 NEC, 314.20) The easy fix for holding the receptacle flush with the granite is spacers, ie: nuts, washers, loops of copper wire or purchase a commercially available product like the one in the link I attached. The offending bit of granite that prevents the cover screw from being installed can be quickly removed/notched with a high speed rotary tool and diamond or abrasive wheel. Here is a link that might be useful: Try these for $6.

The receptacle box extenders come in all sizes from 1/4" to 1.5" thick, so you can get exactly the depth you need to compensate for how thick your tile + mortar is. You don't have to nail them -- just lay them over the old box and screw them to the box using the same screw you're using for the receptacle itself (you might need a longer screw, they sometimes come packaged with the extender). I'm not sure the big box stores carry them (although they should); if not, go to a regular hardware store. I learned the hard way: definitely get those little ears on the outside of the tile, otherwise nothing will fit correctly when you put it back together! :-)