Thank you everyone for your input. I never know if these issues are fairly typical or something to be alarmed about. Hollysprings-We had issues with the bathroom floor being unlevel. The GC, cabinet maker and tile setter worked together installing the cabinet. Maybe that was the best they could do with that crazy floor? Enduring- I see shims and will follow up w GC to ensure there is adequate support. Thank you! Hosenemesis- There is caulk near the walls, but no caulk in the middle of the counter where I see the shimmed area with the big gaps. I sent the cabinet maker a pic. Will follow up when resolved.

deannagv: Nice looking project, but yes, a few of the gaps are a concern. Here's my suggestions- 1. Gaps 5, 4 and part of 3 should be covered by backsplash- I know you said that you are only running splash on the wall where gap 5 is, but I would wrap splash around the corner so it will cover gap 4. This (IMHO) will look more finished- regardless of whether there was a gap 4 & 3 or not. I would also do a splash on the left side to balance the "look". 2.Can the upper be shifted at all to split the difference in the size of the gaps between the stone and the walls, or is it set? the 3/8" gap is (again IMHO) a bit wide, however, it can be filled with polyester and colored to match the stone (IF you have a competant Fabricator and Install crew that HAS the skill sets to do that). 3.Re-making anything is the last resort, especially if there's no more stone left - IF there is enough material, this is a possible option, but I would give your Fabricator an honest chance to remedy the situation first - without having to resort to re-fabbing anything (unless of course HE brings it up first). In that case then, I'd let him remake the upper - it's easier to make something bigger and trim it down on the jobsite, as opposed to making it shorter and having to rely on the "stone stretcher" to solve the problem... ;-) 4. It's not unusual for gaps to exist between walls and stone - remember that homes "breathe" throughout the year, and your walls & cabinets will expand and contract at a different rate as opposed to the stone, so caulk joints are a fact of life in any application, however, 3/8" is a bit wide for my taste My .02 cents worth kevin Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry www.azschoolofrock.com

" ... My point is they aren't returning phone calls and they have the money. There is zero that can be done if they don't care enough to do the job correctly in the first place and won't answer the phone now. The time to do due diligence was well before now." While I do agree that the job should have been done correctly the first time, there is a possibility that the OP can still get resolution and maybe it's not time to throw in the towel just yet. A recent poster just went through some quality issues with a low-cost pre-fab company and they refunded her money, so resolution is not impossible. The OP posted on Saturday, so maybe the shop is closed for the weekend. And as adreak100 suggested, the OP's CC company or bank may be able to assist. " ... Lowest price fabricator that you could find? Or double the price of that guy? If the first, you got what you paid for. The second, you wouldn't have even had to make the call because the problem wouldn't exist." Maybe the OP was working in a very strict budget. It doesn't mean they shouldn't get a decent job where the gap can at least be covered by the backsplash of their choice. It's not really fair to say that everyone who doesn't pay the highest price deserves to get ripped off. Just MHO. " ... They don't get to blame the wall; it's as irrelevant as what they had for breakfast." LOL.

GC's grandson is doing GREAT. He gets to go back to school next week. And we'd already decided to delay the range. One of the reasons I chose this GC is he has a reputation for taking mid-range (for our area) renos as seriously as high-end. If we'd chosen different finishes we'd have kept to our initial 25K budget. When we went with the Caeserstone and higher-end appliances...well it's going to be closer to 35K. Which isn't COMPLETELY out of bounds. (The Husband set a 25K budget so we'd stay under 35K.) Our GC was the only GC of the five we interviewed who said "Of COURSE you can do a kitchen for 25K. It will all depend on finishes and appliances." Everyone else said some version of "25K is too small a budget." (We had a 5K "uh oh" fund set aside for unforeseen problems prompted by remodeling in an older home...that turned out to be unnecessary.) Well--25K WAS too small a budget--but only because DH fell in love with a class C Caeserstone, (I was actually pusihing for laminate--appropriate to the 1966 house, and very functional) and $35/sq Jasba Lavita tile, and the racks and looks of Electrolux Ikon gas range. ;^) And when we realized that a Miele DW was only $200 more than the kitchenaid...well... a couple of hundred here, a couple of hundred there... (I found all the deals...got our oak floors, INSTALLED, for $1600. And found great pendants for over the bar on Etsy--three for $350. And they will be stunners!) Maybe I'll straighten up and take pictures today...so y'all can see the general effect...mid-stalled-reno.