Another question about granite countertops - cost?

[chrissyk]

How much should I expect to pay for granite countertops? It looks like the cost is figured per linear foot. If you don't mind sharing, what did you pay to have yours installed? Also, we'll need an undermount sink, so I'm sure that that will add to the cost. Thanks for any info!

 

[Bonnie40]

We have granite countertops and were encouraged when we initially priced it. The big surprise is the cost of 'finished edges' which almost doubled the linear foot cost. My kitchen was designed to be like furniture pieces so alot of separate cabinets need a proper edge on 3 sides. I believe our linear foot cost was around $60 (Cdn).

 

[sleepy1]

Ours was 43 a foot, which was a great deal. A year and a half ago when our neighbor picked the same granite it priced at 84. It has really come down. They also charge 300 hundred for cut outs, like your sink and if you have a built in stove top. Our edge is a bull nose, not the cheapest but not the most expensive either

 

[vacanut]

We have an average size kitchen with a big island, I believe we paid $8000 for ours installed. There are different price ranges to the granite depending on the color selection. I really don't know what we paid per foot. We did get the sink on our own at Home Depot and the granite company took it when they came to measure (you may also want a new faucet?) One thing to mention when they come to measure is that you want to cutouts to the sink we made 2 cutting boards out of them.

 

[chrissyk]

We have granite countertops and were encouraged when we initially priced it. The big surprise is the cost of 'finished edges' which almost doubled the linear foot cost. My kitchen was designed to be like furniture pieces so alot of separate cabinets need a proper edge on 3 sides. I believe our linear foot cost was around $60 (Cdn).

What kind of edge could you have other than a "finished" edge, though I assumed that it just came nicely rounded on the edges. You have to pay extra for that

 

[TxDisneyFan]

Well, I'm in the process now of picking granite for my new house....

We are lucky in central Texas to have native granite (Sunset Red, Texas Pink) all readily available from quarries in Llano and Marble Falls...within 100 miles from where I live.

One place we looked explained how they price the granite. They price the actual slabs in 3 tiers, based on quantity of stone mined, where mined (imported), and quality of stone. We saw some absolutely beautiful granite with garnet imbedded in it...but wow! it was expensive.

Undermount sinks cost more because they need to reinforce the edge of the granite with steel to add more stability. This was going to cost an additional $250 to total price which isn't much, really.

The linear foot cost was anywhere from $60 to almost $100. The granite we liked best is fortunately in tier 1 so our builder is trying to come in at $5k to $7k for our kitchen counters.

Hope this helps.

 

[QT Pooh]

In 2002, we paid just under $5,600 for the granite/template/delivery/ installation. We have a lot of granite - at least 16 linear feet (with cut-outs for the sink and cooktop) on the countertops and we also have a raised breakfast bar that's covered in granite. We found wide ranges in pricing and ultimately found the best price from a monument company (they make tombstones!). We had gone to a kitchen design house and they wanted at least twice as much as the monument company.

 

[karebear1]

In Oregon they use 12x12 granite pieces to put on the counter top to cut the cost way down. They look great- so, if you're looking for a way to do this less expensively , you might want to look into that option.

 

[Puffy2]

Ours were about 42-44$ /foot. Keep in mind some extra costs - taking a sink out and taking out the existing counter tops, hooking up the plumbing again either to a new sink or the old one (cost of a plummer), - if your cabinets aren't level enough or if there isn't enough support around the sink - a carpenter will need to fix those problems.

Get a quote from places like Home Depot and Loews but also call some granite companies direct.

 

[elliemae1192]

In Oregon they use 12x12 granite pieces to put on the counter top to cut the cost way down. They look great- so, if you're looking for a way to do this less expensively , you might want to look into that option.

I've seen that done and it's really pretty. We were lucky because my BIL owned a granite installing company and we got our kitchen done for $1000 a few years ago. We chose a black and grey "movement" type granite which means it has a marbled look to it and we LOVE it. It's SO easy to clean and you can put hot pots directly on it and you can cut on it. Only problem is that you forget not to do that on other counters. My husband laid a pack of bacon on the linoleum counter in our camper and sliced through it before I could stop him and put a huge cut in the counter.

We're thinking about buying a larger house and since my SIL has since divorced BIL, I don't think he'll be giving us any deals so we will probably do the tiles.

 

[Mishetta]

We just lived that nightmare...one thing I want to say is get some referrals first! The granite company we went through, we would never ever recommend to anyone but it's done now & the finished product is just awesome. This particular company lacked in customer service & they also made a big mistake (they reversed the granite we picked out for 2 of our bathrooms) but they ended up not charging us for our powder room to make up for it.

Anyway, we needed 65 linear feet of granite in our kitchen & the undermount sinks were all free with this company (lots of places are doing that now), we had a breakfast bar added (a rounded one which looks like a half moon instead of the traditional breakfast bar) ~ unfortunately I have forgotten how many more feet that added. They did our master bedroom bath which (again forgot the footage) but it's a long counter with 2 sinks & the 'Free' powder room due to their error ~ price was just over $5,000. We chose half bullnose finished edge, which was a few dollars more per linear foot (usually most places have 1 free edge you can choose, & I believe it's the flat edge, but we preferred something different). Three people that worked on our project were fired, so if that tells you something of our nightmare.

I've had people ask me "would you do it again?" Answer is "definitely NOT!" The mess is absolutely incredible....the dust was in mounds (especially when they had to drill the holes for the faucet fixtures). Be prepared for it to cost at least $1000 more than expected because you'll be buying new plumbing hardware (well that alone could be over $1000 depending what you choose), you'll have to hire a plumber (unless you or your DH know how to install new fixtures & disconnect then reconnect the dishwasher.) You will have to eat out a lot (the nightmare of our choice of company was that it took them waaaaaay too long to finish the job so we had to eat out for nearly 2 weeks ~ which means $$$$$$ for a family of 4.) If we ever did granite again, it would be in a new home in which we haven't moved in yet!

Check the company out ~ I can't say it enough. I only checked with the Better Business Bureau & at the time I checked, all was well. It wasn't till midstream that I went back to the BBB to place my complaint that I found out this place was no longer a member in good standing due to several unresolved complaints! Live & learn! If you're in the Detroit Metro area, please PM me & I will tell you who NOT to go with.

Good luck & the outcome will be beautiful if you can stand the gray hairs you may inherit during the process!

 

[sleepy1]

Just a quick note to let you know Home Depot and Lowes were more expensive than the company we used. They wanted 78 for the Tan Brown granite with a plain edge and we got it for 43 with a nicer edge. Don't just assume that Home Depot or Lowes will be less. We live in Texas and maybe it is cheaper here than other parts of the country. Total cost with undermounted Kohler stainless sink was 5,800. There is a mess with the installation but it is so worth it when it is done.

 

[PlutoPony]

We're pricing granite right now, as part of a kitchen redo of cabinets, appliances, lighting, etc, so we're working a kitchen remodeler who manages the whole process. This guy has 5 price groups for granite from $49/ sq. ft up to $78/ sq. ft. installed, sealed, and with a straight edge finish. The price is specific to the granite selected - some are more difficult to obtain and thus more expensive, plus in general the lighter colors seem to be higher (fortunately I like Uba Tuba Gold, which is a group 2 and "only" $58). There are additional charges for sink and cooktop cut outs (~$250) and special edges - single bull nose finish (rounded on the top edge, straight finish on the underneath edge) is $12 per linear foot, which is another $450 if I want that on all my edges including the island. I also found Home Depot and others to be more expensive. Now I've also seen some ads for lower prices, but those are from people who just do countertops and I don't know anything about the quality of their work. So far the kitchen guy I"m working with is pretty reasonable for everything - and this is in the Washington DC area.....
HTH!