Is that $2800 in addition to what you have already paid for granite? If so how much have you already paid for the granite? The builder must have the sq ft info if he was able to quote a price and an upgraded price.

I have minuet and paid $80 sq ft for it. Some places were charging as much as $130 sq ft. I looked at Cambria, but I don't think they had a marble look alike and they were also very expensive.

I know Lowes sold one similar to LG but I don't recall the price and the background was too gray for me. I know there are several older threads discussing the Quartz marble look a likes. Those links might be helpful.

This is a helpful photo:

As Lily mentioned above, there are lots of threads about white granite/quartz/quartize, all looking for marble substitutes. If you go this route, I'd suggest that you get familiar with Karin_Mt's "countertop geology" series.

The latest one is here: Countertop Geology Part 6

Actual Carrara marble came in cheapest for us by far. Viscount white granite was the next cheapest alternative for us. It was light in color and pretty in its own right, but not the same look as marble, IMO.

I believe engineered Quartz pricing varies by region/dealer, i.e. silestone might be cheapest for one person while ceaserstone might be cheapest for another?

"We're building with a large regional builder..."

There's your price problem.

I think the price reflects a third party's full cost for both labor and materials to buy and install the LG and does not take into account any reduction in the cost of labor and materials for the granite, put simply you are buying two countertops.... If so, you will never get the price low enough for the LG because you will always be charged as though you are paying for two fountertops.

Did you post a few days ago about the bump-up cabinets? Those are really up and down! I think I'd get seasick!

Do you even need counter on the fridge wall? What would you use it for? Center the fridge between ~30" wide cabinets. I would not want the pantry door opening near the fridge. Can you do a three seat island and turn it so the seating faces the window? That island is too far away from the sink and the stove to be useful for prepping or plating.

Pentalquartz might save you some money. I have it and saved a few hundred dollars over Caesarstone, but it comes from Vietnam and my cost savings may have been lower shipping since I'm on the west coast.

The house comes with certain things and we can upgrade to anything we want and pay cash directly to the retailer. I thought it seemed like full retail for the countertop rather than a bridged upgrade price! I posted photos of the kitchen because I thought maybe I really had THAT much counterspace or something. I think the issue is that the credit we get for the granite that comes standard is not full retail, it's likely a smaller amount (like whatever price the builder actually pays). If $2800 is close to the price that we'd pay any day to replace a countertop we'll probably just replace it with what we love later down the road and pick something cheaper right now.

Yes, that was me who posted about the cabinets and we are definitely doing 42" straight across uppers. :) My husband likes the staggered look but I was worried it looked dated so was hesitant to do it and since we can get 42" for no upgrade charge we're going to do that. I want as much counterspace as possible since I cook everything from scratch, do a lot of things that take up space, etc. The section by the fridge will be for our espresso machine and grinder which take up a lot of space. We use it daily, and when we entertain it really gets a workout. It will be nice to not have someone in my way using it while I cook. I did consider asking if I can swap the smaller cabinet with the fridge so it's not next to the pantry but since we don't have our full plans yet (we only have what I posted here, so no actual measurements) I didn't know if the island would be in the way or not when opening the fridge doors. I think the photo makes the island look farther away than it is...I'm pretty sure it's around 42" give or take but I could be wrong. We walked in this kitchen and the distance felt nice to me.

Count how many sq feet of counter you have. Plug that into the Home Depot countertop estimator, they have different materials there but Quartz is all about the same price. That's about how much you'd pay to replace. I doubt you can replace all that counter with Quartz for 2800. We have a 10x10 kitchen and paid 4600 for cambria counters from a local fabricator.

We put a 33" drawer base next to our frig. We put our toaster oven there and are going to put open shelves above for cookbooks, etc. I love having it out of my cooking zone. Sounds like your coffee area being there will work great to keep people out of your cooking area. Personally, I love your pantry being there. Are you going to do something unique with your pantry door?

designsaavy, most people don't like the corner pantry, so thank you! Haha! I would want to change it if we were hurting for space but the kitchen is 11x16 and has lots of surface area. Eventually we will probably do a unique door but I haven't looked at any ideas yet. For now we'll just be getting a normal door. :)

We're looking into getting a range hood and then putting a microwave cabinet over near the fridge, too...it might be a good spot to have that in the space next to the pantry (and I'd love a toaster oven under that on the counter!) and have the fridge in the middle of that wall.