catpurrson-- email me, and I'll give you contact info.

We were recommended by our contractor to try Luck Stone and Marblex. Both were outrageously expensive with little selection. Luck had a few slabs in the yard. Their primary business is done from the 10 or 15 well known granites like Verde Butterfly and Uba Tuba. For those, we were quoted prices 3X what other dealers were quoting. We talked with Dominion Granite and Marble at a home show. They were super knowledgeable. One of the owners has grown up in the business and has relationships with suppliers all over the country. They sent me to several suppliers, but we found our slabs at Daltile in Chantilly. Dal was very professional and kind. They even let me "visit" my slabs every time I went to Costco (which is right across the street). They said they get that all the time and made me feel like I wasn't being weird at all. Dominion did a superior job on our countertops. The only seam that is visible is bookmatched and just looks really cool. The installers custom matched caulk or whatever it is they stick the seams together with so that the seams would blend in. Our granite has a large gold river running through it and they templated it so that it ran over the counters in the most beautiful fashion. They also never tried to upsell anything, in fact suggesting that I go with the less expensive eased edge over bullnose because it highlights the thickness of the tops better. Very professional all the way around. Oh, and they offer a lifetime warranty. Does it get any better? Here is a link that might be useful: Dominion Granite

I'd love to hear an answer to this too. I'm thinking of replacing the cabinets and appliances in my current house before I sell it next year. I don't want to do anything super-expensive, but the current kitchen is old and run-down enough that it might make the house harder to sell. Ikea cabinets might be a good approach. I'm good at DIY stuff but I figure I'll be too busy with the new house project (and my day job) to take that on too. This house was was built in 1956 and still has original cabinets, oven, and cooktop, though I replaced the dishwasher and sink a while back. The original 1956 dishwasher lasted about 45 years; I was amazed at the date on the serial number plate when I replaced it. (Though it was more of a "dish rinser" than a dishwasher by that point.) Appliance technology has advanced a lot in the last 55 years. Laura

Treb. Glad to make you smile :) And, yes, it's true in my area. This is for a relatively low-end rental. Laminate was quoted at 650.00 installed. So, unless I head over to IKEA and do a DIY job, granite isn't much more. Thanks for the recommendations. I'll check them out. Anybody have experience with Stoneremnants by Euro Stone, near Dulles?