It all depends on what else is going on in the kitchen.
Personally I think uba tuba has had it's day . there are too many other better looking stones out there. There's a reason your builder isn't charging you for this granite.
uba tuba (with white cabinets, it's hit or miss. I don't think this looks good:
For him to charge you 4K for the white ice is a bit much. White Ice is also a lower end granite. not as bad as uba tuba, but it's not exactly super expensive. I think you can buy a whole slab of white ice for less than 1500K. These slabs vary greatly (look at bottom pics) Some look good, other slabs are yuk looking w/yellowish areas. You must ALWAYS look at the entire slab of any granite you buy.
btw, you could always get something else down the road when you aren't pressured to choose.
Just don't have the builder install a tile backsplash.
Remember, builders make their money on upgrades. So having them do backsplash for you, or upgrading your granite, is always going to cost more.
have the free stuff put in, tell them to go easy on the adhesive when they install the granite and no backsplash.
it's simple to switch out the granite. if they don't use the adhesive, you can just lift it off. if they do use adhesive, you get a hammer and break it. (you would cover all your cabs in heavy canvas drop cloths.) I took out my own granite countertops when I redid my kitchen. not a big deal at all.
(oh, and if they're going to give your the 4" granite backsplash, do not let them use adhesive on the wall w/it. just have them caulk it to the countertop it will be enough
White Ice
Q
Beautiful Kitchen
Q