Can only comment about the counter tops.

I'm getting my Cambria fom my island and the perimeter cabs installed this Friday.

When I went to do the layout, the price was already established. 1, 2 or 3 seams didn't matter as the final price was given to me when the template was done.

We went with one 4" seam near my sink.

1. if we are paying for a slab of Silestone, don't we own the slab? Not always. Lots of places keep the leftovers (remnants) and sell the pieces to make more money... Think small sink counter - remnants are great for those...

It's a bummer you already agreed to the higher costs when the countertop installer made the error and misquoted the stone. If you have somewhere else in the house you can use the leftover stone then I would ask the installer to either give you a discount or include a sink top for the hassle/misquote.

good luck

So then you're not paying for the entire slab? I mean if you are, why aren't you getting it? While I got to pick my slabs, I only paid for what I used.

I don't trust your designer either. Have to wonder why they weren't coordinating all the specs themselves and checking the quotes carefully.

When it comes to the Cambria, I am only paying for what I need. However, I was told the countertop store has to purchase an entire slab so I have to pay more. He said I could have the remnant (for an upcoming bathroom remodel) at remnant price. But, I feel I'm being charged twice.

Regarding #3, your stainless sink will not be flush with the countertop. It will be under the countertop, as in this picture:

KOHLER: Staccato™ Kitchen Sinks: Kitchen: : Kitchen: New Products · More Info

Oh, and I would definitely be shopping for another countertop installer if I were you --- assuming you're in an area where that's possible.

If you are purchasing the slab of Silestone, you shouldn't be charged again for materials. Has he also quoted a fabrication cost for the remnant pieces? What does the remnant price cover?

Thanks Kim. We paid a deposit in January and they just installed the island Silestone. After laying down the perimeter Cambria, I noticed the opening for the cooktop was larger than the bottom cabinet. They cut the opening for a 36" cooktop when I bought a 30". Their fault as I gave them model # AND specs back December 30! Don't know if I can fire them at this point???

Snookums, I don't know the answer to your question as he only said he would sell the piece to me as a remnant. We aren't doing the bathrooms until next winter so I didn't ask.

:1) if we are paying for a slab of Silestone, don't we own the slab?"

No. You are paying for finished and installed countertops, not slabs.

"2) is it normal to pay extra ($550) to have only 1 seam rather than 3 (this counter top will be installed around an electric cooktop)"

Fabricators base prices on yield. Some folks would rather live with a more efficient yield and spend the $550.00 on window treatments. Others want the fewest seams and are willing to pay for the waste.

"3) when installing the undercount stainless steel double sink, should it be flush with the countertop?"

No. it mounts under the countertop. I've installed apron style sinks that were flush with the front edge of the countertops and they looked fine.

"They cut the opening for a 36" cooktop when I bought a 30". Their fault as I gave them model # AND specs back December 30!"

They can replace the countertop or buy you a new cooktop and/or cabinets. It's a rookie mistake, similar to missing a sink center. Inexcusable.

"Don't know if I can fire them at this point???"

You could, but you may be sued. Let them know in writing of the documented mistakes and your displeasure. Give them one more chance to make everything right. Trust me, the judge will look upon this very favorably if this thing goes south. Plus, you may be legally required to do so.

Joseph. Thank you so much for your answers. Back to the extra $1,000 for the Silestone. The countertop store said he has to buy a whole slab and thats why I have to pay more. I could see paying a little extra and not "owning" the slab but $1,000? If you say this is customary, then I will stop obsessing (and eating potato chips) and thinking Im being taken advantage of. As for them buying us a 36" cooktop, I thought of that but the hood above is a 30" and the larger cooktop would not look right to me.

So, then, they installed everything and now let you know the price was wrong? After the fact?

excellent advice, Joseph

Snookums2. No. We were given the higher prices about 2 weeks before installation. We agreed (my husband agreed) because I was so upset that I burst out crying in a restaurant. My husband said we should just pay and get it done and that he doesn't want me so upset over money, but to me it was the principal of it all. Im an honest person and I get upset when people aren't honest with me. I know that sounds naive and Im old enough to know better. I really wanted the opinions here on Houzz as I didn't know who else to ask. I appreciate everyone's comments.

You got a quote, put down a deposit based on that quote, and then they charged you more because they screwed up the quote. That's not how it should work. (Maybe partial fault lies with your DH who probably shouldn't have agreed without a fight, but he was just trying to be a good guy and get it done already so I'm gonna let him off the hook.)

When it's over, if you haven't had things made right, feel free to do a nice write up of the company here and on Yelp, or present your experience honestly and let others decide if they want to be treated like that.

Often the process starts with a preliminary estimate, based on a design. When the template occurs, the reality is that sometimes the estimate, and the design isn't accurate. That is why most companies will tell you that the numbers are not final until after the template. Sounds like your numbers were revised following the template? That is when you received the variance?

Sophie. Yes, it was after the template. I understand a correction in cost but in this case, we discussed 1 seam back in December and then said he quoted 3 seams and if I wanted less, it would be the $550. As for the extra $155 for the double sink, I was told by the designer that I was quoted for an 8 1/2 deep sink and not a 9 1/2 deep sink. And, upping the island (20 sq ft) $1,000 just seems excessive.

They were screwups, not adjustments. Screwups that made the sale and proposed an amount that was in line with their customer's budget.

Believe it or not, most companies outside of the construction industry take responsibility for their errors. It's called ethics and is the right thing to do.

Everything else aside, it's up to him to replace the counter with the correct cutout for the cooktop you spec'd. Our first granite fabricator cut the sinks out wrong - basically switched the large and small sinks, and he bought, and ate the cost of, an extra slab of our granite. It's my opinion that 10% of every fabricator's price goes to a fund to correct mistakes like that :-). (P.S. He called to make sure he could get the slab, and called me to tell me about the mistake only after he knew it was available!)

Joseph.. There is a post above by Kim showing a "lip" or "ledge" of sink around the edge. Should I expect this ledge or should I expect a flush mount? I am using Cambria and a double stainless sink.

You need to specify what kind of reveal that you want, otherwise, they will do what they want which is probably the positive reveal that you see in Kim's post.

Wouldn't I want flush mount? My designer told me last night that there is always a "ledge" and then text me a photo of her sink which looked like the post by Kim.

""It's my opinion that 10% of every fabricator's price goes to a fund to correct mistakes like that."

They estimate, times by 3, and there's your price. Funny how if there are errors or if things run over, they want more money but if things go well, they do not adjust downwards to the real price. Actually, it's not funny at all, it's unethical. If the next guy's job goes wrong, let that project pay for itself. Better yet, they need to slow down and pay attention to what they're doing or be trained enough for the job before undertaking it - instead of dumping all their errors, oversights and mishaps on consumers.

I would make sure to write a Yelp review when it's all done and your cooktop cutout is corrected. And whatever you do, do not let them try and snooker you into paying more for their mistake. And as someone said, be sure to write them an email outlining everything that went wrong, all the changes etc so if it goes south, you have proof.

Thank you, cpartist. I think my big problem now is the sink. I can tell that the cut opening is larger than the sink, which means they plan to have a ledge of sink exposed. I don't know how hard I should argue for flush mount or having countertop hang over the sink. After all, the countertop is already cut.

A positive reveal like that is desirable so that tour can rest a cutting board on the sink lip. Many sinks actually specify this because of that.

Not sure how you argue for flush mount/negative reveal if you didn't specify it. I think most sinks have a positive reveal. What is it that you don't like about it?

Sherri.. I just heard about flush vs negative vs positive yesterday when my cabinet maker said the opening was cut too big for flush. I called my designer who said sinks are always installed with a "ledge" of the stainless (which I now know is called positive reveal). I am not happy that neither my designer nor the countertop owner didn't educate me so I had a choice. Now I'm wondering if I should be concerned and fight for flush mount, which will mean they have to cut a new piece.

Joseph Corlett, can you explain why the depth of the sink makes any difference in cost to the counter fabricator? That makes no sense to me at all.

Gayle:

Cut a new piece or buy you a larger sink and recut the existing. Positive reveals look fine, function well, and some folks like that there's no place for crud to hide. I wouldn't worry about it.

Ok, Joseph. I will trust you because you have no stake in this. Thanks so much for your advice.

Gayle, I would be okay with the positive reveal on the sink, because I would actually like having that little ledge or lip. As Sophie said, then a cutting board can be purchased or made to fit on that little ledge.

However, from what I understand a positive reveal is more difficult for the fabricator because it needs to be very even all the way around the sink and have at least enough of a ledge to hold the cutting board very securely. I'm guessing 1/4" maybe? An obviously uneven positive reveal would not be acceptable to me.

With that said, my stubborn side, after reading your other issues, (read "How dare you jerk!") would make them redo it all. I mean they are already gonna need to redo the cook top run so might as well redo it all right? ;-)

If you were not asked about the sink reveal, you should have been. It's weird to me they went bigger. My trusted fabricators' go to is a negative reveal. I assume because then he doesn't have to worry about a "ledge" being perfectly symmetrical all the way around the sink. A negative reveal is the easiest I believe because it hides any slight unevenness. I could be wrong.

Some of these things (just exactly what you paid for, eg whole slab vs. just what you used; or price of x number of seams vs y number) really should have been disclosed at the time of contracting. Some of this really does sound suspiciously kind of bait and switch and gouging. His mistakes in fabricating he should be responsible for definitely.

If the extra $1k was the difference in price because of quoting the wrong brand only, and you were paying for the same # of square feet of material, I can see it. If the increase was both because of brand price difference, and/or only because the entire slab was purchased, that is different. Where I live, if you don't own the whole slab you don't pay for the whole slab. If you own the whole slab then you get to say what happens to the remnants.

I still don't get the upcharge for the sink. The depth of the sink doesn't affect the counter fabrication in any way that I can see. If I were you I would get a good explanation for why before I paid it. In fact I don't think that I would pay it, since you provided the sink specs before your estimate.

IMO... if they say "we have to buy a full slab, so it is $1000 more" then YOU are paying for the full slab and should own the full damn slab. If he has to order an entire slab and does not expect to use it all, then he does not need to charge you the extra it seems to cost for an "entire slab" vs what he originally quoted.

The other things, I would have balked at but he could very easily have said, "that is fine.. you can have 4 seams instead of one" and not raise the price... UNLESS he already quoted a 1-seam price and stated in writing it was 1-seam.

Then.. I'd be mad and argue that they messed up.. they work it out.

I would, however, if they were nice people and genuinely made an honest mistake, find an amicable deal... but that first part is ALL about the slab and while I personally think "here is the cost.. who cares what happens to the extra" if their excuse was that they have to charge you extra because they have to buy an entire new slab, then the slab is yours and I'd be firm on that... just me. Don't care what any designers say.. when they jack up all the prices and use that as an excuse.. they have to live by their choices of excuses.

If they told me the slab I wanted went up in price.. yea.. I'd somewhat understand...

Hi. I just received an email from my designer. It says, "The sink that was selected has rounded top edges so a flush reveal would leave a gap between the stone and the sink. (Between the round of the sink and the square bottom edge of the stone)." Does this sound right? BTW, I just said I want a double sink, 16 gauge, with each side being equal size and that the depth be 9" or 9 1/2 ".

In answer to my question as to why I am paying an extra $550 to have only 1 seam in the Cambria vs 3 seams, this is what my designer wrote, "Cambria charges by the overall block size. You are paying for the cooktop piece 27" (dimensions approx...from wall to seam) x the length (wall to wall). That is a higher square footage than doing it with the cooktop rails." I am not dumb but I have no clue what that means. Isn't the square footage is the same whether they cut it and glue it once or cut it and glue it three times?

It won't leave a gap, but a rounded edge mounted with a negative or flush reveal will expose more silicone than a positive reveal on a flat sink flange. There is no silicone to maintain on a positive reveal because it's all between the flange and the bottom of the stone.

"Isn't the square footage is the same whether they cut it and glue it once or cut it and glue it three times?"

The finished square footage is the same, but the slab yield is not. To have no seams, you must begin with a full-length slab. If you have seams, you can make the same top out of the last job's remnants.

I have accepted the positive reveal but let my designer know that she should have educated me and given me options (maybe a different sink) before everything was finalized. As for the seams and extra cost, you have helped me understand and I'm ok with it. I will post a photo when it's done but installation isn't until April 28th. Thanks so much, Joseph. I love Houzz!!