Blog de Puree

The granite counters arrived and were installed today, and the counter company has continued its less-than-stellar service record. (We previously had to come up with a solution with an extra piece of granite near the refrigerator because they guy who took measurements didn’t account for a cabinet piece, despite the fact that our contractor was there and explained the cabinetry measurments to him. The counter was cut too short on that end.) Thankfully, we had the foreman of our contractor crew on hand today to deal with any contingencies that came up. We were again bit in the rear by the original guy who came out to take counter measurements a few weeks back. Instead of going through the proper template process, he only took measurements. Now, there’s a bit of a gap between certain portions of the wall and the counter. Nothing that a large portion of caulking couldn’t handle, but it’s a big enough gap that it’s noticeable.

Additionally, the guy who took the measurements, rather than templating, also neglected to inspect and measure the appliances for any issues that might turn up with those. Well, there was an issue. There’s a 2-inch gap between the back of the range and the knee-wall. The counter installer now has to go back and see if there’s some material left so they can cut a piece to fit behind the range. We’re waiting to hear about that. The moral of this saga for anyone using granite counters, is to make doubly sure that whomever comes out to template, make sure they do it properly by sketching the area on a large piece of paper, in addition to measurements, as well as inspecting the appliances that the counters will go around.

I can say without reservation that our experience with Universal Stone has been less-than desirable from the moment that they started sending people to take measurements. Before that, they were great. After, they have been awful. When I speak with our representative further, I’m going to voice my displeasure with our experience.

On the upside, we have counters, and aside from the mistakes, the granite looks great. And new door hardware. At this point, we’re waiting for the rest of the cabinets to arrive (Another major headache) as well as the floor transitions. Then the final stretch can begin.

Check out these glamour shots: