Buying granite countertop question

[SplshMtn99]

We want to replace our laminate countertops. One option we are considering is granite.

We've been to a kitchen place to see samples & prices. They will come out this week to measure & give a quote. He explained the granite yard is the one to come out to actually make the template. I know we go to the granite yard to pick the actual slab we want.

My question is this: Can we cut-out the middle man (the kitchen place) and go directly with the granite yard? Or do they not deal with customers....just contractors? I'm thinking it was save money.....no?

It would also involve getting an undermount sink. So I don't know if the granite yard would do that part? Do they? We can connect plumbing.

 

[dg39]

We re-did our kitchen and put in all granite counters and another long counter. We also used granite in our pool house. We saved a bundle by just going to the granite yard.

We picked the granite, they came out and did the templete, then we went back to the yard again to pick which part of the slab we wanted. For the long counter in the kitchen we had to use the whole slab, but, for the others we chose which part of the slab we wanted.

We're now redoing 2 bathrooms and 1 of them will have a granite top vanity.
We're going to the same place and WILL be saving lots of $$$.

If you have a granite yard near you that sells to regular customers, go there direct. They do it all. Cut, measure, template and install. You'll definately save by going there yourself and cutting out the middle man. AND, its faster also. The whole thing took 3 days for them to do, from picking out to installing.

THe only thing that drove me crazy is the yard has over 10,000 slabs of granite and marble. Too much to choose from, but, after awhile the one that you love, kind of jumps out at you.

Yes, they also do the sinks. We had them do the undermount sinks in the kitchen and pool house & they'll be doing it again in the bathroom. Just make sure you have your sink and faucet when they come out to measure and template. They make the holes for the faucets and soap dispenser. They installed the sinks for us, but, didn't install the faucets/soap dispenser. The plumbers did that.

 

[Felicia]

Sure you can! We went directly to a granite yard and walked right into the office. They had someone go with us into the 'yard' and talked about the different slabs to us. We got an undermount sink from them too. Once we decided on the granite, we gave a deposit and that week someone was out to meausure. About a week later they came and installed it, including the sink. Our contractor hooked up all the plumbing.

I don't know if we saved much by going to the yard directly, but granite is very expensive by itself.

Good luck.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Cool! Good to know. We have several granite yards in the area.

Now, gotta think of an excuse to cancel the kitchen guy before he comes out. lol

 

[Forevryoung]

Just gotta chime in

LOVE the granite counter top, we also have a granite dining room table (probably 15 years old at this point) that still looks amazing. It's literally a slab of granite on two granite bases. Table top weighs 500 lbs and each base weighs 250 lbs. Yea, we have a mountain in our house

 

[PlutoPony]

Most of the granite yards around here DO NOT sell directly to customers and handle only the granite slabs themselves, not any of the work done to the slab to make it into a countertop. The fabricator comes out to the house and makes a template, buys the granite for you, and does the actual installation. In our case the kitchen remodeler ordered the sink, had it drop shipped to the fabricator who took the granite we picked out, did our template, and brought the finished product out to our house for installation. The remodeler also had a plumber come in and do the hookups as soon as the fabricators left.... Don't know if you can deal directly with the fabricator, I"d guess you could but you'd probably also have to get your own sink and hire a plumber. YMMV however....

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We purchased our granite straight from a stone yard and had it fabricated ourselves.

One of the best decorating decisions I've ever made. I love it

 

[MAKmom]

Some granite yards do fabricate. What you want to do is find a granite fabricator. Give them your measurements & granite selection & ask for a price with the under mount sink...you have to do an under mount with granite unless you buy a really great drop in.

I have a granite counter top business somethings to consider when cutting out the Kitchen sales people.
You are not going to get the tops for the same price the kitchen company will get it for. They get better pricing than you do then mark it up so make sure it is worth it for you. I would get prices from everyone.

Make sure the fabricator you use has a good reputation some fabricators just do not care about deadlines or customer service or quality.

 

[Sleepy]

Around here you woud have absolutely no problem going straight to a yard, picking out the exact slab you want and having them cut it as desired. We are fortunate to have so many yards available.

 

[chrissyk]

Yes, you sure can. Even better, call around to see if any of the granite yards have discount "remnant" areas. I just redid our bathroom vanity with a beautiful remnant (Giallo Fiorito I think it was called?), and it came to under $400 total. They did all of the edging, sink cut, and install for free with the purchase of a remnant. When I went to the remnant area to choose my slab, there were PLENTY of remnants big enough to do a kitchen with!

 

[chrissyk]

Don't know if you can deal directly with the fabricator, I"d guess you could but you'd probably also have to get your own sink and hire a plumber. YMMV however....

We bought the undermount sink at Lowe's for like $40 (bathroom sink) and we gave it to them when they came out to template the granite. DH hooked up the plumbing and the faucets after the granite was installed. It was no big deal

It took about 2 weeks from the day that I picked out the remnant to the day it was installed. It was a really great, hassle-free experience.

Also, I neglected to add that they priced all of the remnants the same, from A-D grade. That is why I got such an upgraded granite for our bathroom I wish that I could figure out how to post a pic...it looks awesome!

 

[MAKmom]

We bought the undermount sink at Lowe's for like $40 (bathroom sink) and we gave it to them when they came out to template the granite. DH hooked up the plumbing and the faucets after the granite was installed. It was no big deal

It took about 2 weeks from the day that I picked out the remnant to the day it was installed. It was a really great, hassle-free experience.

Also, I neglected to add that they priced all of the remnants the same, from A-D grade. That is why I got such an upgraded granite for our bathroom I wish that I could figure out how to post a pic...it looks awesome!

How big is your vanity & did they template it or fabricate it off your sizes? What area of the country are you in? What is the granite?