Looking for some insight on how we should remedy this. We're wrapping up an entire home reno and have confirmed that the fabricator installed slabs that we didn't pick.

My wife and I spent hours going to a bunch of stone yards and trying to find a set of bookmatched slabs (3) that we liked. We finally landed on some Milano Quartzite and had them reserved and on hold, per the fabs instructions.

Fast forward a few months and the countertops are installed. We immediately notice some weird veins and colors that weren't in the slabs we picked, and immediately bring it up to the GC and fab. We ask for proof of the lot numbers to compare, and finally after waiting for another month, they send the lot info and it's not what we picked out.

These countertops aren't terrible, and I don't want to rip them out, but we also would not have picked these slabs due to the color variation and veining. We wanted the ones we picked and placed on hold.

I've never heard of this happening, and I don't know what a realistic outcome/remedy would be. Since the pricing process from the fab was very opaque, I don't know what "fair" is. I'm happy to pay for the cut/polish/install labor, and I would be willing to pay the wholesale material cost since we're keeping the stone. But I have no idea what that means from a fabricators standpoint since there is no line-item or cost-plus invoice to look at.

Any ideas or suggestions?

agnerd said:

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Where are the slabs you picked out? Were they sold to someone else? Did the fabricator drop one and crack it? did the stoneyard give the contractor a discount to take a lesser slab?

If the original slabs are still available, contractor needs to swap them out or make you an offer to not swap them out. Minimum payment to you needs to be the cost of the slabs.

If the orginial slabs are not available, you need to go on the hunt for a similar set of slabs. Pick them out and then ask the contractor how much he will give you to not have to buy and swap out the new slabs. Make sure you're at the stoneyard when he arrives to pick them up too to make sure there are no mistakes this time.

Contractor shouldn't end up with more profit for making a mistake. It should cost him. Make sure it does.

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No idea where they are. I'm assuming they are gone and installed elsewhere at this point because they aren't at the stone yard. The fabricator is saying that the stoneyard didn't say anything about the slabs being from a different lot, or no longer available, etc. They are pointing the finger at the stoneyard for sending the wrong slabs. My wife called the stoneyard and they confirmed that the slabs on our account were the same lot number we had picked out (we had the number written down, with pictures, etc.) but the fab had received a different lot number. Not sure where the mix-up happened, but it happened.

We are about 3 months over the original project timeline, so we really don't want to go through the process of ripping everything out and then having to redo/fix cabinets, paint, stain, etc. again. It's been a beating and we are ready to be finished.

But at the same time something needs to be done since we didn't pick these out and it's not what we wanted. I want to come up with a "fair" offer that makes sense. The stone isn't awful, but it's not what we picked. We can live with it and be happy enough.

I just don't know how the fabs price out their work... they buy a slab from the stoneyard for say $1,500 (x3), and then factor in their labor for cut/polish/install. All they gave us was a contract with a price based on price/sq ft.

I'm fine with paying for the labor - they did the install and it the work is fine. I'm also fine with paying for the stone, but I don't want to pay "full" price. I'd pay their cost, but I can't figure out what that would look like since the costs are all combined and opaque.

OP, it's your money and time, so do as you see fit. I happen to agree with agnerd and RTT - this should be painful to someone else other than you, and the other party/parties don't need to be rewarded for their eff up.

Thanks all. I think we're all in agreement here that this should be a monetary concession from the fabricator.

What I'm trying to determine is what is the best way to figure out a dollar amount when it's nearly impossible to get pricing info on slabs. And the pricing they do share is not line-items but rather a blended cost based on installed sq ft.

I was hoping someone may have some experience with the true costs of fabrication and buying wholesale slabs. Our kitchen required 3 full slabs and our quote was $18k. Is $2k of that the actual slabs themselves and the rest labor? Or is it $10k for the slab? Maybe it doesn't matter and I should just say I want a $5k discount on the total and see what happens.

Double Oaked said:

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Fast forward a few months and the countertops are installed.

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I know you are disappointed because the slabs you picked were not used. I am not sure how long fabricators will hold slabs, but that seems like a while. I am also not clear if your slabs were from the same lot or not as that part confused me. The engineer in me would also want to know where to process broke down, but you may not get an answer.

I disagree with the sentiment from a few posts on here. The reality is you got slabs that were not what you wanted and you are where you are. I would think you could ask for 10-20% off due to the slabs not being the ones you picked. If you are fine with saving a couple of bucks, keep the slabs. If not, ask the contractor/fabricator to make it right.

I would get the contractor to meet me at the fabricator and say, that I am not happy with the countertops. Ask them how they can make it right. They caused the problem, let them come up with the best remedy. It was a mistake, but you can find a solution that everyone is good with.

In-the-day when younger and even stupider,
playing design/build of a couple of spec.houses: the tile guys BROKE INTO a house under construction to lay tile = an ugly jadey green that would be a ******* distant cousin of what what sold us at
the sample bar = a relative's favorite color! Good luck selling that one.

Tile box was clearly stamped "once opened, you bought these - sight unseen, no returns" sooo
a) "they are not bad" such as these type tile are earth-based like brick and earth digs vary a bit, even if neighbors
b) "they are trying hard" sellers try to compete with each other on price, so no returns lowers those prices, raises the risk to buyers not having another higher price option w/reputation
c) "they are crooks, used to not being supervised" we buy the cheap stuff with odd hard-to-sell aesthetics, then get you to sign up from a show boat display orignally from an entirely different dig/source = we prey on the volume builders & their clients that don't filter deliveries ... since they can see through boxes like Superman nor have the time/power to make us eat them

That said, am surprised with Quartite being in this vein of regrets and less than reputable ... now I wonder if a Google review should be posted on Builder, the well paid quality control manager of your adventure? Am I wrong?

Sorry - I was trying to provide full context and got a bit wordy, so I'm sure it was confusing.

What was installed was from a completely different lot. Same type of quartzite (Milano), but different lot.

Sea Speed said:

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I understand wanting to be done with it, but if I am shelling out for a whole reno, I want it to be exactly what I want and not think negatively about it every time I am in my kitchen. Personally I would make them make me whole by putting new slabs in and making sure everything else was in order once they are done.

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I had a full slab installed on a peninsula a few years ago. I have a slide-in range in the peninsula. The fabricator failed to read the measurements from the range manual and cut the opening for the range 1/4" too wide at the back. They suggested modifying the range to fit farther back or installing a cover plate to close the gap.

I got an entirely new slab. It cost them $800 for the new slab, plus a few hours of labor for two workers.

Yea I don't pay for much by way of labor, but if I do, I 100% want it right. That's the whole reason I'm paying a skilled professional and not doing it myself.

I know my wife and I and not OP, but we would never be happy in that kitchen.

On what is fair, I think that is entirely up to you. If you were happy with the slabs, leave them as-is and move on, but it sounds like they aren't what you wanted and paid for. What is it worth for you to leave them as-is? I wouldn't leave it as a portion of the stone cost, just any number. If that number is above the stone cost, so be it and let them replace with a new selected slab.

I also wouldn't be discussing this with the stone fabricator, this is your GC's problem. Have them earn their 25% and bring a solution to you.

Don't have a lot to add but agree with others. This is the whole point of having someone else be the GC (see the Kitchen Remodel thread as an alternative). Assuming you have your contract sorted out correctly this isn't your problem… it is just business. The build is wrong and you require to it to be made right. The GC now has to "make it right" however you/him have spelled out in the contract. It isn't your job to be hunting down slabs and figuring out a solution. Either they pay you enough $$ that the current installation is acceptable or they fix it per the agreement.

Sometimes it can be hard to be unemotional when things go wrong (and it is over due). But don't let anyone push you around here. Only you and your family will have to live with the final outcome. No one else gets to tell you what to do here


Now… if you don't have a good contract then you may have a problem.

Doing a major Reno now and counter material and install are each estimated the same. So if you have $18k budget the material was probably around $9k.

It's really frustrating how the stone places work with their pricing.

As someone in industry work, we recently had a pump base (concrete with bolts) installed. Instead of being facing NORTH, they were EAST.

The GC tried to make us redo piping to account for a wrong 90 degree placement. I'd do what we did there:

You messed up. Fix it to what we agreed on (and what the plans showed). We can escalate the price/add lawyeres, but at the minimum, it is to look like what we agreed on.

~egon

Do said:

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I was hoping someone may have some experience with the true costs of fabrication and buying wholesale slabs. Our kitchen required 3 full slabs and our quote was $18k. Is $2k of that the actual slabs themselves and the rest labor? Or is it $10k for the slab? Maybe it doesn't matter and I should just say I want a $5k discount on the total and see what happens.

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I am a commercial GC and worked directly with my millwork sub to do my outdoor kitchen. His invoice broke it out, slab (10' granite) was $1315= tax, install labor was $533.

This likely has little to no profit, since he's doing this as a favor to me for hiring on a lot of office work.

But labor is no where near the cost of the material+fab.

Coincidentally, the installers showed up to my house with a slab and the sinkhole was in the wrong spot lol.
My guy (who was on site to supervise), called the shop and verified that the correct sink field measurement matched what they received from him a few weeks earlier, so the fab shop took the hit. They had to get another slab and cut the sink in the right spot.

Fabrication can be a good bit of the cost for the counters. Like 60% in some cases. I would think your slabs retail price were atleast 5k though on 18k budget. So maybe 50% that for wholesale distributor costs. I am with Sea Speed, No way I would take a couple thousand dollar discount to live with something as important as the kitchen counters and my wife would be even less inclined. I don't like sticking it to people but sometimes they just need to make it right. This isnt a room painted the wrong color. The counters are a 10-15 year item at a minimum with heavy replacement costs when you finally decide it's not what you wanted.