Inexpensive granite? Kitchen redo (Hempstead: homes, cabinets, price)

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by Oskar_Z28

The "shaker" style cabinets that I got were from Cardell. I like the euro style (maybe because I'm from the other side of the Atlantic ). They offered different grades of the cabinet and I went with the mid level cabinets. I was very happy with the price and quality. Good customer service. I had one door that I wasn't too happy with and they replaced it promptly no questions asked. There was nothing wrong with it, I just didn't like the pattern.

I take it those weren't made from pandas!

Seriously, where did you get your cabinets from?

[Oskar_Z28]

Originally Posted by astrohip

I take it those weren't made from pandas!

Seriously, where did you get your cabinets from?

I think they are panda free.

I first looked online at www.cardellkitchens.com (at a suggestion of my wife's collegue) but ended up getting them from a distributor in Houston (Gulf and Basco).

[Stephanie P]

I recommend Texas Custom Granite here in Katy. Billy Waters is the owner. 281-861-8775
I apologize, I can't remember what the amount was per square foot, but it was cheaper than Home Depot or Lowes. They also put in the undermount sink. I was very pleased with his work.
Good luck!

[mirjaja]

Thanks for all the rec's!

I'm still working on the cupboards - decisions, decisions...

[brownybaby]

I saw something about Pottery Barn up top.....I have bought sevreal pieces of furniture( never kitchen cabintes- didn't know they ahd them..) - but they are cheaply made. Our nightstands get scartched very easily, and actually have dents from the bottom of our alarms clocks (from when we snooze).

I think for what you pay for the "brand" - it is not a good investment.

[tannisb]

Originally Posted by desertsun41

$40 SF !?!?!?!
You have been raped. And raped royally. Sheesh we sell it for $35 SF installed price and it's not even our primary product.

Only Home Depot and Lowes charges more then $40 SF and that price is for just the material. They charge another $25 SF or so for the installation and charge extra for sink and/or range cut outs and even more for faucett holes.

I spend much spare time helping others in the HOUSE or INTERIOR DESIGN forums right here on City Data. You could do a forum search on my desertsun41 cabinets and learn from the best.

If you choose to buy randomly I can only scream to you: DO NOT PAY LIST PRICE. You would not pay list price/MSRP for your new car so why would anyone pay it for cabinets and countertops? You would of course in the big box stores pay full list price. Today many home improvement type businesses have adopted my business plan of selling to everyone at 50% off list price. In this economic depression stores must drop their prices.

Good luck

Hi Desertsun41,

I was wondering if you could recommend a company that could place a granite top on my vanity. It's a solid wood buffet side cabinet and we are going to use a vessel sink on top. I have attached a photo for you to see.

Tannis

[cjdm]

Originally Posted by desertsun41

$40 SF !?!?!?!
You have been raped. And raped royally. Sheesh we sell it for $35 SF installed price and it's not even our primary product.

Only Home Depot and Lowes charges more then $40 SF and that price is for just the material. They charge another $25 SF or so for the installation and charge extra for sink and/or range cut outs and even more for faucett holes.

I spend much spare time helping others in the HOUSE or INTERIOR DESIGN forums right here on City Data. You could do a forum search on my desertsun41 cabinets and learn from the best.

If you choose to buy randomly I can only scream to you: DO NOT PAY LIST PRICE. You would not pay list price/MSRP for your new car so why would anyone pay it for cabinets and countertops? You would of course in the big box stores pay full list price. Today many home improvement type businesses have adopted my business plan of selling to everyone at 50% off list price. In this economic depression stores must drop their prices.

Good luck

I called Rockfin. Quote was $73 a sq foot including a remnant piece. They have a minimum price of $1600 for anything no matter how small your space. Maybe if you have a large kitchen you can get it for under $40 but this is waaay too much for a dinky one piece slab and a small bath vanity.

[NTT]

Keep these things in mind when you're dealing with fabricators/installers.

Granite slabs aren't as expensive as many of you think, even for the premium slabs. The majority of the cost is labor for fabrication & installation.

Not all granites are created equal. That is, the process of cutting large boulders and seal them properly. Avoid granites from China and some from India if you can. It matters with how the easy or hard the granite can be cut which means how much labor is involved. On the personal side, it means how much maintenance you'd need to keep it up with. My granite is 5 yrs old and I haven't had the need to reseal it. All I use is a 75/25 acohol/water mixture to clean it. It's still as beautiful as day 1.

Understanding the cost of slabs vs. labor, I picked the 3 cm thick slabs from Brazil and chose the typical bullnose edgings. The labor was cut down significantly because there was no design cut to match and no adhesive cuttings involved with the edging. Otherwise, extra slab(s) may have needed for this. I was able to negotiate a very low labor cost. All the fabricator had to do was cut the slabs to size & install them. The intstallation was done 1 day after the slabs was picked up.

Also, keep in mind that 3 cm granite slab is heavy. Strong and durable cabinet units are a must to withstand its weight.

[huma281]

What stores do you guys recommend? I plan on redo-ing the granite in my home. I didn't want to get ripped off by the builder and stuck with their free level 3 granite.

[astrohip]

Remember that this thread is from 2009, and was just bumped yesterday. In 2009, we were in a deep recession, and supply companies would give stuff away just to keep busy. Now they're busy again, and prices are up dramatically from 3-4 years ago.

I am not a granite expert, although I have some familiarity with it. In 2009 builders could get it for $25 installed. Now it's closer to $35. HUGE jump in just a few years.