Shoot. Not what I was hoping to hear. Anyone else out there know of decent counter people who don't insist on providing their own material?

Someone who does a good job fabricating will insist on being involved with material selection. It is one of the ways in which the quality of the results is ensured.

You're really asking for trouble here. There's no shame in being on a budget and delaying a portion of the project until you can afford to do it right. Anything beats paying for the same work to be repeated at that higher price because you threw your money away on poor quality the first time. Do it right. Once. Live with plywood counters if you have to. Delayed gratification makes appreciating the end result be all that much sweeter.

Before you do anything, ask FJ about options. If someone picks a stone, they start fabricating then plans change, etc... that can leave an opening for you to pick something up at a discount. Having gotten a quote from him, he'll know your measurements and can let you know whether there's a remnant piece that could work in your scheme. He can also tell you what thickness material to use for the temp counters, and even where to source them (IKEA bb, for example).

The hardest part is finding the right fabricator. You've found him. Working with him and your budget might just take a bit longer than planned.

Good luck!

I would ask m. Texiera if they could refer or recommend someone in your area. They referred someone to us in our area. Can't hurt.

We considered using FJ (I'm on the West Coast of Fla) but eventually decided not to use soapstone. I thought his prices were very good for the materials and services he provides. Maybe the prices are higher because of travel time to Daytona?

Fabrication without the stone purchase starts at about $40 a squre foot and goes up from there. It's a sliding scale with the stone cost. If you want the fabricator to take responsibility for any issues with the stone,then you need to have them be involved with the stone selection. You don't get to tell them what they are going to use and how you want it done without paying a lot more for the priviledge. And signing a waiver where you get to buy te stone all over again if it cracks. Since they werent involved with the selection, they can't be held responsible for your selection. Or, there's slab insurance you can buy. But probably won't.

Finding a bargain fabricator who charges $20 square, does impeccable work, and isn't waiting on the cash from that for his next crack hit is a fantasy. Insurance costs money. Licensing costs money. A fabrication shop with technologicallly appropriate tools costs money. $20 crackheads don't have any of that.

Thanks, everyone. I'll double-check with FJ to see if he has any pieces that are less expensive - good idea. Some of it is the travel time to the east coast increasing the price, some of it is sticker shock. Given it's a material that can be DIY, it's surprising to see the labor at 50% of the total cost. Unfortunately, M. Teixeira doesn't know of anyone in the area, and their Miami affiliate doesn't travel this far north...

Labor for stone is typically 60-80% of the cost of an installed job. Our Group A granites are all under $10 a square for the stone from the slab yard, but the labor is $30 a square. We get the wholesale rate, and the fabricator keeps the scraps to resell. For a Group C, where the stone is $30 a square raw, the fabrication is $45 a square, and the customer doesn't get the break on buying just the square footage that the counters need. It requires a whole slab purchase. Soapstone around here is around $95-$120 a square, installed. It's a luxury material.

Formica makes a great visually similar laminate that you can probably do for under 2K for most kitchens. It would give you the look until the real thing happens.

Twenty years ago, I got $22.00 per square foot for templating, fabricating, and installing Corian which is lighter and much easier to fabricate and install than soapstone. Gasoline was $1.13 back then.