Do your counters jut out anywhere? This may account for the extra sq ftg. How many inches are your overhangs, that may be a few more. Just have him show you his breakdown. When it comes to granite 8 sq = $$$$

Just one thought...They include the footage of your sink in the total even if it is mostly cut out.

Many homeowners measure incorrectly. It's not that you can't read a tape measure, or calculate square footage, it's just that you may not know how stone is fabricated and sold.

For instance:

Did you round up your numbers? Most people don't. If the countertop is 101 1/8" in length, you need to round up to 102", not down to 101".

Did you count the backsplash in the square footage? Many people forget to do that, or use incorrect measurements. If you want the backsplash to equal the height of "regular" laminate countertops, then the height is 4 1/4". That 1/4" inch can add up in a large kitchen.

Did you remember to count side splashes?Once again, many people forget to count that in square footage.

Did you use the proper depth of countertop in your calculations? The cabinet box depth is 24", but the overhang of the countertop is usually 1 1/2". So, the proper depth caculation will use 26" as the depth. (Remember, round up your numbers)

Do you have any 45° angles in your kitchen? Like an angled sink, or one of those peninsulas that comes out in several 45° turns? If so, did you count that 45° piece from the largest dimension, made into a square? YOu have to "square up" any angles or curves, and use the largest dimensions. For a 36" round granite bar top, you'd use 36 x 36 as your calculation dimensions instead of any fancy thing involving pi to get the exact square footage of the circle. You pay for the square piece that the circle has to be cut out of, same as the 45° angled piece.

These are among the many things that homeowners forget when calculating square footage. Unless you have a good sales person on the front end to explain these things to you, very often it is a shock to get a variance from what they've measured. And yes, it all adds up, and sometimes the variance can be 10 feet or more. The larger the kitchen, the larger potential error in homeowner calculations. Yours is a VERY large kitchen. The "average" kitchen that I do is around 60 square feet of countertops, including backsplash.

If you'd post a diagram of your kitchen, I'd be happy to give you what my square footage estimate might be and you can compare it to your fabricators.

If you're THAT suspicious of your fabricator and don't feel comfortable asking him face-to-face, may I suggest finding a new fabricator?

She said she's going to talk to him. I like to have some extra information BEFORE I meet with contractors so I know what I'm talking about. It gets confusing!

your fab should be willing to explain how they got to their numbers.. im sure its just a simple issue..

Any updates? As I said, please do post a drawing and I'll be happy to give you another perspective on your numbers.

Hi... thanks for the info... I have a pretty simple layout, no funny angles (simple u shaped kitchen)... I have added in all backsplashes, I did calculate 26" for the cabinet overhang even though the cabinets are 24", and I did round up when applicable except my backsplash is definitely 4 1/2" and that is how I calculated it (I dont know if he rounded up to 5"0 ,so I will see what he says this saturday when I see him to explain everything... I do think he is off way more than a few inches here and there... I will let you know... I do have a drawing of the layout, but I don't know how to get it up in the post.... I guess if I still have a problem on saturday, I will try to get it posted...at $65 sq ft, it adds up and my DH doesn't even want me to do this at all (he thinks the formica is beautiful)....thanks.

With laminate tops, you actually end up counting the corners twice. With granite, quartz...you don't. Maybe your guy counts corners twice on granite as well. If you have a U-shape, that could account for several sq. ft.

Just a thought.

KOMPY

Well, can he get away with counting corners twice? That doesn't make sense.

Well, one fabricator I briefly used sorta counted corners double. Because granite corners are 90°, but turn the corner a few inches in an "L" shape really, he counted the largest dimension of that L as a a square. 99% of most companies do NOT calculate this way for standard corners, just 45° corners. It's one of the many reasons we no longer use that company.

A lot of fabricators use a waste factor (10%) when determining the square footage. It will vary depending on the stone selected. Softer stone will a lot of fissures have a greater waste factor.

Also, some fabricators will charge you for the actual footage of the number of slabs needed for your countertops. Especially if it the color is exotic or does not have a high demand. In this instance the remnants belong to you.

Carol9999:

Here's my .02 cents for what it's worth-

I would NOT focus so much on the Square Footage factor,
because at the end of the day, you are going to stroke a
check for "X" and get a finished product in your kitchen
that you will love every time you see it.

IF the lowest price is driving you - the best advice I could
offer you - is get some more bids. You have to decide
which company has the most offerings for the price that
you have the most comfort with.

DON'T be afraid to go with a bid that is NOT the lowest.
Many people that initally seek out the lowest bidder, very
often are unhappy because they got the lowest price - only
to realize that the lowest price is NOT an assurance of
the best quality & service.

Remember that CARS are not "sold by the pound" -
if............
you use that same logic and forget about focusing in so much
on the cost per square foot and rather, look at the company
and their finished work & happy customers - you'll lose less
sleep and have a better finished price.

Remember the old saying:

"Price, Quality, Service -
CHOSE TWO OF THE ABOVE"

Hope that helps

kevin

The last advice is the best advice I have seen so far. When we give granite prices we never give square footage prices, it is always a complete price, removal, disposal, leveling cabinets, radius corners, undermount, slide in, and so on. That way there are no surprises in the end. That being said in our area some companies do charge both linear directions fully, and with a U-shape that would give you the extra footage you were missing. It is not uncommon for countertops to be priced this way, if you do have an issue with it (and that is fine) then I would suggest shopping around. Just remember the best price is sometimes the best and only good part about the countertop work.

Mcr1-

Thanks for your kind words!

Your last sentence sums it all up and I agree 100%:

"Just remember the best price is sometimes the best and only good part about the countertop work."

That is SOOOOO True!!!

kevin

I understand what you are saying, but I was told that the price is for actual square footage, so that said, I will be seeing the fabricator today to go over this and will post what they say later on today...thanks all.

Ok everyone.... I went to the fabricator and they did miscalculate and reduced the square footage by 7 sq ft. so I am happy with that. The installation is happening in november sometime and will be happy to post a photo when it is done...carol

Like the others said, you really need a couple COMPLETE quotes. I have two or three granite fabbers that I use...and when I fax them a countertop layout, they are always off by a few square feet from each other.

Some charge higher for materials and then others charge more for extra labor costs (ie. cutouts, edge profiles...etc). Other questions you must ask: Do I need my old tops removed? What do they charge to haul away old tops? Do I need a plumbing hookup? Can I select my own slabs? Will they let me come in during the fabrication of the tops? How good are their seams? Do they include a sink? All of these things must be considered.

Like previously suggested, check the overall #. Also, homeowners tend not to include waste. For example, if there is a piece that is an L, you count even the cutout sections....