Whoa Nellie! We have 47 sq ft of granite which cost us just over $3000 ($3100? $3200?). That included measuring, installation, and setting the undermount sink. We bought the sink (32" single bowl Kraus) online for $300-some. We paid a plumber to install the faucet (bought locally), hook up the sink and DW, and change out some fittings under the sink for another couple of hundred. We're still not anywhere near your estimate of $7950! We bought our granite at a granite yard. I don't know what HD was quoting you, but it sounds off.

Home Depot has NEVER been known for the lowest price on their subcontracted services.

The same guy might be working for Costco AND HD, too. Try calling some independent granite yards for prices as well.

Don't forget that the *type* of granite will impact your price as well (I think you said the granite itself is included in that price?). We went to an independent stone yard - got a much better price than the estimate from HD.

"I haven't decided whether I want quartz or granite or what yet"
How did they give you a price without having picked a stone? There are large price differences amongst the different choices.

Definitely sounds high. I got four quotes with my estimate of 36 square feet and they ranged from $2650 to $2750 for "standard granite" which covered a majority of the yards, including non-premium edges and sink install. After templating I got a nice surprise that it only came to $2250. I'm here on LI also and wish I could recommend the yard/fabricator but they made one too many mistakes for me to be comfortable doing so.

Answer to annalyn - I did select a granite countertop for Home Depot to work out an estimate for me.
I merely meant that I had not finalized my decision on whether I wanted granite , quartz or whatever ?

What granite did you pick for the estimate? Where I live home depot does not have the lowest prices for counters unless its off the shelf laminate.

Which granite did you select? That estimate seems really high, but knowing which one will help to give you a better ballpark. I found Home Depot to be very expensive. I would go through a private fabricator, but given a choice between Home Depot and Costco, I think Costco has better customer service if you had a problem. However, I priced out glass tiles through Costco and they were very expensive.

Where on Long Island are you located? There are a few fabricators I could recommend.

I live on eastern Long Island, I checked out HD and Lowes, also went a little nuts shopping for the "right" fabricator....I wanted one seam, most wanted to give me 2. I would recommend him, he has a small yard of his own, he was a lot less then HD and Lowes.

Saltlife & Ilene - I live in Suffolk County and would appreciate a recommendation on a good fabricator on Long Island ?
Thanks-

Sounds high, but cost isn't everything. Quality of work has to mean something. You've got to see samples of the work. Some exotic granites could certainly be that much, that's for sure! And by the time you include the auxilliary services that are extra like the old counter removal, plumbing disconnect and reconnect an any support issues addressed, you might just be being quoted something market value.

Very interesting. I priced Silestone White North (lowest price tier) at HD, Lowe's and 3 local shops. Prices for ours came in from $4200 (HD) to over $6000 (local fabricator). Decided to go with HD and waited for a sale. Final price was $3623. Not yet installed so can't comment on the contracted fabricator but HD's price was far better. FYI, we chose White North to fade into the background and let our granite island be the star. Would have picked it still if it had been a higher tier color. Just a nice benefit that it was less expensive. :)

FYI - The granite I selected at Home Depot was " Giallo-Veneziano "

So, a middle of the road priced stone, in an expensive priced market. Probably around $70ish. a square foot. Average kitchens are between 50 and 60 square feet, so 51 is on the low side of average. $3500, plus say $400 for mounting an undermount sink and another $600 for the sink. Another $150 for a cooktop cutout? $300 for tearout of the old. $800 for an upgraded edge. And we're still 2K away from what they quoted you. Do you have a line item quote? I'd like to see where that 2K came from myself!

I believe it was $ 96 sq ft ( Group D )

Please call one or more of these places listed below in order to compare. As others have stated the quote you were given is definitely high. Big box stores have pros and cons. One of the problems with using a big box store for countertops is that the big box store serves as the middle man and you may not know who the fabricator is until they come to measure. Also if there is an issue it can be difficult to resolve because of this type of set up.

-Good Luck
Savvy Stone in Medford - (631) 205-1001 ask for Victor or Rosario. Savvy Stone does very fine work however their price will be on the higher end. Depending upon what you are looking for this may be the way to go.

Bellagio in Saint James - (631) 686-6307 ask for Sam. Bellagio tends to be a very good value. Sam is the owner and has been in the business for a long time. Sam will work with you on the price. They will produce fine results.

Grand Marb in West Babylon - (631) 777-8777 ask for Giovanni. Produces good quality work. They also have an easy to navigate website if that is something that would make the process easier for you.

Tuscany Marble and Granite in Deer Park - (631) 243-4000 Produces good quality work.

I used Marathon Granite in Holbrook (631) 244-9100. I hate recommending but I was recommended to him by a friend (I dealt with the owner). My friend told me if I found a granite from his yard the price was better than if he has to bring it in from another yard, which was true. I was deciding between two granites, he had one which made my selection easier. Please remember to ask for a hot plate to be made from the cut out from your sink, it was done at no additional charge.

Here are the specifics on our quote from HD:
68 SF of Silestone White North @ $49/SF = $3332
this includes 48 in kitchen and 20 in laundry
Eased edge = no charge
Electrical outlet cutout 2 @ $10 = $20
Cooktop cutout = $110
Sink cutout and install = $275
extra sink cutout (laundry sink) = $110
Total with tax: $4053
Less 10% for sale = -$385
Final sale: $3648

The installer is Stabella out of NC (we are in VA). As I mentioned above, we have not installed yet. Anticipate our cabinets going in late this week and all of next. The island is 60 SF in Bianco Gita granite which we got through one of the local shops. Installed for $3975.

Hope this info is helpful to those interested.

SaltLife--excellent resources. You are kind to provide them for the OP.

Thank you all so much for the recommendations
BTW - Ilene ......I never even thought about the suggestion for a hot plate with the sink cutout but I think it's a great idea !

REBOP49, I agree your quote sounds really high. Hope you are able to get a few other quotes to compare.
SaltLife and Ilene, thank you for the recommendations for LI. I had started a thread(linked below) looking for recommendations for kitchen resources. Would you mind adding any other kitchen related companies that you are happy to recommend to that list?
Thank you.

Here is a link that might be useful: LI area resources

Even at 51 sf, that's $155/ft. I live in the very pricey Bay Area, and my cost was no more than $100 sf 7 years ago and again now (except for some very exotic granites, which I didn't end up using).

"at 51 sf, that's $155/ft" No, it's not. :)

You don't divide the total by the square foot. That's not how it works. You've got the square foot price, PLUS all of the add ons. The way it works at most places, everything is an add on. It's an a la carte world.

7950 makes more sense when the granite itself is $96 a foot. That makes up a BIG part of the difference in costs. And it's close enough that the rest could just me not estimating high enough for the market, or some type of permit or impact fee that high cost areas sometimes have and that I'm not familiar with.

96 x 51= 4896
+ Edge 800
+ sink mount 400
+actual sink 600
+cooktop 150
+ tearout 300
+disposal 100
+plumbing 500

Now we're only $200 off instead of 2K. Close enough to say that's the ballpark.

vinudev_liny - I missed your thread. Let me know if you are looking for anything specific. When I have a chance I will update the thread with more general items. I hope all is well.

Does that price include all the plumbing work? Usually plumbing hookups are something you contract for separately but maybe Home Depot bundles them. In any case, I'd shop around.

SaltLife, At this point my focus is on getting the right contractor. If you have any recommendations who do work in Eastern Nassau, it will be great!
Sorry for the hijack, OP.

Just to add to the breakdown on price, I looked up our paperwork from Aug. 2011 for a 3cm granite. This isn't as "upscale" a market as SF or NYC, but not the boonies either.

Granite $30/sq. ft (Kashmir Gold)
Sink cutout $250
Lifetime sealer $4/sq. ft
Eased edge no charge
No item line or charge for attaching sink to counter

Total for 47.6 sq. ft. $3198.40

Other potential charges we didn't need:

Cooktop cutout (1 free) $130
Faucet holes (3 free) $26
Seam polishing $ 80/seam
Outlet cutouts $39/outlet
Edging $5, $10, $14, $16, $20/linear ft.
Removal of non-tile countertop $6.50/sq. ft.
Removal of tile countertop $9/sq. ft.

Price for the same job, other granite choices:

Alaska White $3732.34
Bianco Romano $3251.47
Blue Pearl $3530.95
Crema Bordeaux $3628.81
Giallo Ornamental $2840.14
Minsk Green $4046.74
Santa Cecilia $2756.69
Uba Tuba $2748.84

Funny thing is I can't even get " My Countertop " that Costco uses to come to my residence and display various samples of granite & quartz to me as well as pro measuring although Costco claims to offer this free service ?
I have asked them twice and they say I will be contacted but nobody calls back
Also.....Home Depot has refused to come to my house to measure my countertops unless I pay for a countertop purchase from them first which seems crazy to me ?
Has anyone else had these problems with Costco or Home Depot....especially on Long Island ?
I am still looking for fabricators on Long Island and will probably call Bellagio and Savvy Stone as per recommendation
I'd like to know exactly what should be stipulated & included at contract for a complete countertop job ( including removal of old countertop and sink & replacement of new countertop and sink ) ?

As mentioned in a previous post when a big box store serves as the "middle man" communication problems may arise. In your situation these communication problems have appeared to manifest themselves in scheduling issues as well as an explanation of the process and fees that particular store employs. Contracts vary from place to place. For instance options that one fabricator considers standard may be an up charge at another fabricator. When you contact one of the recommendations be clear as to exactly what work you are looking for them to do. Also understand that any changes you make may result in an initial contract having to be amended or becoming void all together thus changing the price.
Good luck

For what to include, if you buy from Home Depot it is probably a standard purchase contract that doesn't allow for additional details (or much, anyway). But you can surely ask!

Did you know that there is a countertop estimator online at home depot's website that allows you to play with the various materials to see what the cost would be for each/choices, and allows you to choose which options you need. You just need to know your basic measurements, it will even walk you through calculating the sq. footage and linear edge footage. I have found, for my area, that HD was very competitive for quartz, middle of the road for granite.

For a contract with an independent, you would be specifying the slab, I would think, asking for layout and seam location approval, specifying that the edges of the seams will be smooth and the seams no more than, what, 1/16th inch? Gaps to walls no more than ? Since these have been issues with so many installs, maybe it is a good idea to put your expectations in writing. Hopefully one of our GW fabricators will chime in with an opinion of what is reasonable to include.

Detail exactly what needs to be done -- how many cutouts of each type and where, removal and disposal of old material if needed, what kind of edge, Whether they are providing the sink or you are; if they are spec the sink that you want. What kind of corners (radius).

I hope more chime in, since I expect to be making a contract on Tuesday!

We used lowes for our cabinet install. Luckily we communicated directly with the sub rather than lowes because our cabs are installed...and lowes just called us asking when we wanted them installed?!?!?!!? So communication is an issue.

We are using an independent company/fabricator for our granite. 52 sq ft of yellow river granite with an 88" rock face upgrade on our curved pass through. We do have a pass through so that increases costs with braces, etc. our total came to 5050 including the sink and edge upgrade etc. we are in Cleveland. 7950 seems like a LOT.

Don't forget quality of work too...the lowest might not be the best quality seams/install...same with the high (sometimes they aren't the best quality either)!

Thanks so much for all of the information
My biggest concern is that in as much as I am wheelchair bound I can't even take a countertop measurement myself and after 2 phone calls to Costco's " My Countertop " + 2 emails to their subcontractor in a month's time......I have given up on Costco and don't want to use a subcontractor who obviously has so little interest in doing a countertop for me
I just want somebody in Suffolk/Nassau County who will do a good job installing my countertop. I am not looking to " nickel & dime " anyone on price but I don't want to get anyone who will " nickel & dime " me either.
I would love to find somebody who will do the entire job well ( including removing & discarding old countertop & sink and installing new countertop & sink )
I would also like to find someone who is willing to come to my house...take professional measurements ...discuss my options to me....make suggestions if needed and show me various samples
I don't think that's too much to ask and I hope that there is a good fabricator out there who could do it all for me which I will gladly pay for

Don't forget quality of work too...the lowest might not be the best quality seams/install...same with the high (sometimes they aren't the best quality either)!

I got 51 sq of Sileston Youkon Blanco quoted at $6200 from our local Costco's fabricator. I had to follow up with them twice to get the quote. Local granite yard/fabricator was $1000 less and is recommended by my designer.

I know a woman who works with a woman whose husband works for Continental Marble in Holbrook -2857265- I'm told they do a lot of big commercial jobs and do good work but I'm not sure if they do residential work ?
I was told they probably could refer me to someone if they don't do residential work-----Before I call them....does anyone know anything about Continental Marble in Holbrook ? -- Thanks-DK

Continental Marble does both commercial and residential work.

Has anybody ever had any dealings with Continental Marble either pro or con ?

I had someone tell me today that they used Mt Sinai Granite and they did a great job and were very reasonable
Does anyone know anything about the pros & cons of Mt Sinai Granite ?
Lastly.....will any of these fabricators come to my residence and measure my countertops, discuss my options ( seams, edges , etc. ) , give me an estimate and show me samples ?

Wow $8000?!? We are in Mansfield Tx and we sell engineered stone and granite. Our engineered stone are $2000 for 50 sq ft

I would go to Freeport or out to Route 110 and go to the granite yards out there and buy directly. This way you pick out the slab you want and it will cost you less because you'll be buying direct. HD and Costco sub contract out their stone cutting plus you're getting the basic stones.