I'm in Los Angeles and I paid $8000 for three slabs of Taj Mahal quartzite. They were about 114" x 78" each. Fabrication was $9000. U-shaped kitchen with large peninsula and island. Two under mounted sinks.

I also bought a couple more slabs and the same fabricator did a fireplace surround. He also charged me $9000 for that labor, which I thought was a bit high, but I know he does good work .

About 2 years ago I had also priced out using Onyx for a large fireplace. I was going to need 3 slabs as they were small. The Onyx slabs were $10,000 each.

(We did granite-look laminate for $300 for 16 linear feet. It looks decent enough. lol)

Glacier White Corian is $45-65 sq ft plus fabrication. Stainless steel will cost you $68-95 sq ft plus fabrication. There is no way I'd ever pay the prices quoted to you for any countertop. It's a countertop, not a fine antique or a piece of fine jewelry. To me, it would not be worth it. But to each his own.

Yes, those are insane prices. To put things into perspective:

- How important is the kitchen to you?

- Is your intention to live in this house "forever", or is this a 5-10 years house for you?- Did you ask the seller how you might have something similar at a lower price? You have nothing to lose by asking.

Where do you shop that charges $68-$95 /sf for stainless steel?!

An 18 gauge brushed sheet 48”x120” from https://www.stainlesssupply.com/ costs $510.

$510/40sf = $12.75/sf

And that is the full retail price. Your local steel fabricator pays less than $10/sf.

Also, from another poster, $9000 labor for a fireplace surround is a rip off unless this includes artistic carvings or it’s a totally unusual humongous fireplace.

Home building - where customers are proud to be extremely overcharged. And unfortunately some builders take advantage of that weird attitude.

Paid $8800 for two slabs, including fabrication, of Silestone Calacatta Gold.

Stainless steel counters usually involve a marine edge, an integral backsplash, and integral sink. and attachment of sections onsite (welding, if that's what it is) and grinding and polishing the joints smooth.

So there is a lot of fabrication of the sheet material, it's not just attaching a flat piece of metal to a substrate.

Shop in Z priced stone, yeah. Just be glad you don’t like the blues. Did a little 15K island once in a particularly stunning piece of Blue Bahai.

Get ready for prices to do nothing but skyrocket. Most stone is imported. Tariff wars are gonna cost everyone.

Try pricing with a lower grade, something under $30 psf so you get a reasonable baseline without the fabricator assuming a ton of risk for high end material. The Silestone pricing you've shown is a sign you're using an uber premium material.

Its often selections like this that cause higher end large builds to have higher costs per foot than smaller homes. Not that its wrong, but its important to understand.

Seems like a ridiculous amount of money. My cabinets (we have a TON) are coming out to around $23k, but my quartz counters for 3 slabs are more in the $7k range. I'm in MA, so things are pretty expensive here.

“So there is a lot of fabrication of the sheet material, it's not just attaching a flat piece of metal to a substrate.”

The OP stated the (extremely inflated) cost of the material separately from labor. Therefore I showed an example of retail costs for a standard sized sheet of stainless steel.

That was to compare apples to apples.

The first choice quartzite chosen for this 16’ planned island, just the island, was 24K. It needed 4 slabs. We went with a honed dark granite for the perimeter to help reduce overall costs. And a man made quartz with less movement for the island, for half the cost of the quartzite. And we could drop to 3 slabs. The counters were still 15K by the time it was over.

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Galore, do you live in LA? Do you get bids in LA? Have you done actual projects in LA? The OP asked for comparisons on slabs/counter/fabrication pricing and that is what others are providing.

It doesn't matter what you think is a rip off, if that is the going rate in that specific geographic area. What are the choices then? Not get the project done or find a hack with a much lower bid? We see projects here all day long of what happens with that last choice.

People really seem to have a problem with the trades making a good living. They took the hits a few years ago when the RE market crashed and they now have the opportunity to make some of that back up. Good for them.

If you dont fly first class, your kids will.

I don’t have a problem with the trades making a good living. I have a problem with trades viewing me (not you - more power to them) as bottomless ATM.

This business is full of sharks that smell when money is loose. Especially true for high end custom where owners love to brag about how much they spent on “omg BLUE stone”.

I always do a rough calc for hourly cost and if it exceeds lawyer’s hourly rate then I move on

For example: If it takes 10 hours to cut and install a fireplace surround out of a slab of granite (very generous time estimate. A machine that cuts and a machine that polishes the edge makes this quick) then $9000 translates to $900/hour.

For cutting and installing stone?! Give me a break.

It’s like the one quote I got for leveling my yard with soil that was already there. $4500 for a weekend of moving dirt with a bobcat. Yeah, right.

If you can’t find reasonable prices in LA then you are SOL or you could try harder soliciting bids. With $9000 for granite installation or $95/sf stainless steel material cost someone is simply ripping you off. There really is no way to sugarcoat this.

Just because you prefer to employ cheap hacks who cannot give high end results doesn’t mean that everyone else should have reduced expectations and reduced budgets. Some people have higher expectations and the budgets to support that. Don’t be jelly.

The stones are lovely. You just have to decide if they're $20,000+ worth of lovely. Personally, I would ask the designer/stone yard/fabricator what their suggestions are for getting a similar look at a notably lower cost, likely via either granite or quartz.

"you wouldn't dare do that to a dentist, doctor, or lawyer"

People do this all the time.

It has to be regional price differences for both materials and labor. We are in SC and our entire counter quote was about $13,000. That included fabrication/installation for Blue Fusion quartzite island (9'6" x 4'), Calacatta quartzite perimeters (about 32 linear feet), master bath vanity (remnant of Macaubus), guest bath vanity (remnant of Fantasy Brown), basement bath vanity (remnant of Alabama White marble) and a remnant for the mud room counter.

Blue Fusion slab was priced as Level 5 exotic, while Calacatta quartzite was Level 3. Remnants are priced at Level 1 no matter what the stone is.

Our Blue Fusion looks different from yours. We had seen one like yours and fell in love with it. But it was owned by a fabricator we did not want to do business with so had to move on.

“Some people have higher expectations and the budgets to support that. Don’t be jelly.”

Sure. That’s why I added the words (“not you...”) in patenthesis. Why would you think I’m jealous how others waste their cash LOL?! Copied again:

“ I have a problem with trades viewing me (not you - more power to them) as bottomless ATM.”

"I always do a rough calc for hourly cost and if it exceeds lawyer’s hourly rate then I move on"

All professionals, regardless of trade, should be paid the going rate and provide value. I got more value from the tradesmen working on my house than the lawyer who handled the purchase. I was always impressed by how the tradesmen handled problems and found solutions. They couldn't just look it up on lexis. Since I am unable to perform any of the functions that the tradesmen do, I have more respect for them than I do for most desk jockeys.

That sounds outrageous. We paid $4400 for 94 sq. ft. of granite 4 years ago and we live in NJ. This was for River White.

Stone is a supply and demand commodity. The more attractive and in demand that a product is, the higher the price that it will command. That is capitalism at work. It’s the same reason that a 1955 hovel on a beach in Malibu is a multi million dollar property. The demand is high, and the supply is low.

Quartzite is already relatively rare in supply in the mining for slabs world. It’s harder to mine, because it’s physically a harder stone. That’s the same thing that makes it attractive and in demand for kitchen counters, but it adds costs up and down the supply chain.

Your fabricator ruins a whole expensive diamond blade if he uses a bridge saw. Have you priced diamond blades or bridge saws? That’s the bottom level technology in stone fabrication. Move up to a CNC waterjet, and that is a multi million dollar piece of machinery.

The simple answer is, as you have done, to vote with your pocketbook. If something is too expensive for you, then refuse to buy it. :) I don’t buy 2K handbags. The value is not there for me. Everyone gets to pick the products that hold value to them, for the price that they cost. And they will not likely be the same products.

1) The truth is, in general, you get what you pay for OR LESS. Hiring someone more expensive than everyone else doesn't mean they do better work. Hiring someone cheaper than everyone else doesn't necessarily mean they do lousy work, although this is generally the case. In other words, you can always find people willing to rip you off, but its hard to find people who willingly work in a free market for less than they are worth. Which should surprise no one.

2) If you want what you want, you have to pay what it costs. If you want a new Ferrari, you are going to be paying 300k for it even though you could get a Porsche for 100k or a Mustang for 30k. So if you've established they are charging you market price and not just overtly ripping you off, decide if its worth it to you. In a multi million dollar house, the extra 10k for stunning counters might be worth it. For a 200k home, probably not.

FWIW I paid something like $100/sq ft for LG quartz a bit over a year ago. Total 11k or so. Although I did check them out to some extent, I didn't really shop around and used the shop recommended by my contractor and cabinet makers (which I did shop around for and at this point in the project, trusted).

Someone pointed out on another thread that when the slab is horizontal, it looks completely different than when it's vertical. I couldn't agree more. I was on a very tight budget and fortunately the granite I liked (Salinas White) was a Level 1 granite. I think it is a Level 1 and less expensive because it is more readily available, not because it is of a better quality. Stone is stone right? Anyway, I liked it, but once installed, I loved it. It looks so much richer and interesting horizontally than it did standing up in the stone yard.

My belabored point is, maybe you could find something you like just as well that is less expensive. Ask to see the stone on an actual counter top laying horizontally. I have approximately 100 square feet of granite fabricated and installed in my house for about $6,000.

$22,000 & $30,000 seems like a lot of money for counter tops. Good luck!

It seems you could benefit from shopping further afield. Possibly Ontario may offer better pricing with the current exchange.. Consider doing your own pickup and coordinating local install. I'd aim towards cutting that price in half.

Your own countertop install?! This is dangerously bad advice...

"I always do a rough calc for hourly cost and if it exceeds lawyer’s hourly rate then I move on"

This is interesting, because my plumber and electricians billable rate exceeds that of my just-retired attorney, who was an older small-town attorney.

“All professionals, regardless of trade, should be paid the going rate and provide value.”

Yeah, where I live (TX) the going rate for a granite cutter is way, way less than that of a lawyer. For good reasons.

Seems that some of y’all are ok paying $900/hour for someone cutting stone. There is no diamond blade nor CNC machine in the world that justifies rates like that but there is an appropriate saying about people who part with their money carelessly.

“This is interesting, because my plumber and electricians billable rate exceeds that of my just-retired attorney, who was an older small-town attorney.”

Which is amazing because to practice law one has to have a law degree and pass a board exam but residential plumbing (and no, I do not intend to put it down and I’m sure plumbing for a highrise is really complex (no snark)) and to a lesser extent electrical is so simple that it would never occur to me to pay someone $300/hour (average Dallas lawyer hourly rate) to fix a leaking faucet. That’s something a homeowner can DIY (incidentially, this is also legal and covered by homestead laws in TX);

law, not so much.

Sorry to drift into troll territory but wow, there are some really weird financial attitudes around here. Logging off this thread.

Gotta be a lawyer. Or worse. An engineer. Those are Joe’s double secret probation folks. And this one fails. Big time.

"I always do a rough calc for hourly cost and if it exceeds lawyer’s hourly rate then I move on."

galore2112:

You're not alone.

I've just got to hone my ability to sniff out your types earlier.

Oh, my lawyer's hourly rate was way under $300. I was just pointing out that labor prices obviously vary by location no matter what the profession or skill is. I am sure he made more than the plumbers and electricians in that area.

Although who knows how much more. When one of the factories in my town closed and moved out (mostly due to labor costs) it was revealed that the senior forklift driver had a salary higher than the staff emergency room physician. Plus he had benefits.

I am not promoting $30K countertop materials, really.

But these discussions never really make sense to me because there are so many factors, local and otherwise involved that I don't think there is a straight simple answer that is going to come from any of it. Especially when people who are paying at either end of the spectrum are being called stupid for paying too much or too little. (When it's not even clear what too much or too little is specifically).

Did they tell you what your total SQFT is?

I am a fabricator and this seems excessively high.

Sophie:

I had a customer put himself on double secret probation recently after he'd given me a down payment. As soon as his job is completed and collected, I'll post our email exchanges. Good lessons for both sides.

It's not $900/hour for cutting stone. It's also for transporting the stone. And templating the stone. And transporting the stone again. And carrying the stone into the house. And installing the stone. And considering the different people involved in each task. A single lawyer working independently at their desk should reasonably get paid much less than a crew of approximately ten people working on very specialized and oftentimes dangerous tasks. I'm not sure how a lawyer became the benchmark of the value of other people's work.

@kristin and not to mention the cost of the actual stone...

.

Now that's a beautiful blue stone.

Hi, I'm just popping in to say thank you to everyone for responding and I'll be back later.

One quick thing - the fabricator sent me to this supplier because she buys from them regularly so I don't think transport is a big deal. I assume she gets shipments from them often.

As for square foot pricing, I talked to the interior designer who is wonderful (and who seemed surprised as well) and she said this fabricator gives job, not square foot pricing which she thinks is often bait and switch anyway. But I do want to at least know the number and cost of the slabs!

Seeing the Taj pricing (from LA!) above really gives me pause since I know that Taj is expensive not to mention LA. I'm just gobsmacked because I simply did not realize that these stones were this crazy expensive. I saw similar fusion (but polished) at another of her suppliers and it was labeled level H but I still never dreamed it would translate to $30,000. If it seems "reasonable" (ha!) to others I will move on to other rocks or do just the island, maybe.

Perhaps ask your designer for her recommendation for a second quote?

While Carrara marble is not indestructible like quartzite, it is a classic kitchen counter and patinas well at a fraction of the cost of high end stones. I would also consider soapstone for a more reasonably price, attractive countertop material. And Anglophilia's glacier white Corian with marble subway backsplash is cost efficient and gorgeous.

One of the things that I always think about in these discussions is what is really even the matter with laminate. (Although I realize that now even entry level granite is cheaper than laminate.)

Blue Storm Radiance

That sounds outrageous. We paid $4400 for 94 sq. ft. of granite 4 years ago and we live in NJ. This was for River White.

River White is not an exotic quartzite. It's a less expensive granite. Big difference!

:)

Those are laminate choices, Pal? They look great.

Wilsonart just reintroduced "Cracked Ice" in Primaries Red, Green and Yellow as well as Gray; the second is "Endora" a googie-styled pattern and the third is something from Pionite, I think.

I much prefer laminate that is just a color or a texture. If they would reintroduce "Irish Linen" I would be very happy.

The 45 year old Irish Linen in my parents' kitchen

@nanj, your Fusion is fantastic.

@Sophie Wheeler, I DO like blues. One of the reasons I like this one so much is that my colors are always greens and blues, and I thought it would be a wonderful starting point to design my whole downstairs around. Maybe it doesn't show very well, but there are a lot of blues and greens in this one. The cabs I'm holding up are Showplace Hale Navy and either Heron Plume or Gun Smoke, I don't remember which.

My plan has always been to pick the rock first and go from there.

Anyway, to answer other questions, Mrs Pete, the kitchen is very important to me (and to the house) but I'm not trying to go nuts here. This is a new build lake home which we'll live in permanently in about five years and which we do not plan to leave until we are carried out drooling. That said, it's designed so we can live on only one floor of it, and we will have very nice bedroom suites in which theoretically a caregiver could live eventually.

Also, to clarify - the fabricator is local, it's the slabs that are four hours away, but they're at a regular supplier to the fabricator. The prices above do include fabrication.

I went to a warehouse in Brooklyn where I believe all the rocks land after they come off the boat, and they get disseminated from there. That guy said I could buy slabs from him and then pay only for fabrication, but I didn't even consider that. It seemed like it would be asking for trouble.

Rita, I won't have marble and DH will not have soapstone. I like ss and had a box of samples from M Teix in NJ and I set about scratching and dinging them with a fork and my husband was horrified. He doesn't usually have opinions so when he has a strong one, I tend to listen.

I've looked at hundreds of granites, quartzites, quartz products in Brooklyn, Albany, Ithaca, Syracuse, and in CT (I live downstate, the new house is upstate.) I may have to talk myself into liking one of them but I think I have a talent for unknowingly going for expensive ones. When we finished our basement several years ago, the contractor took me to a granite yard and I went right to one slab. He laughed and said, "You can't have that one; it's the most expensive one here." I picked another and he said, "And that's the second." This went on awhile, LOL.

It would help a lot if slab prices were listed ON THE STONE. In Brooklyn I was looking at an amazing piece of labradorite (sp) and the guy said, "Trust me, you don't need that." Then he showed me blue eyes granite. Now that was actually useful. Unfortunately, I didn't like the granite.

Thank you, everyone.