More builder troubles (advice please)

[boiler717]

Okay, we are still having issues with our marble countertops. Back story, in between our selecting the slabs and installation they island received a stain. It's a fairly large (1 inch by 6 inch) rust colored stain. At the time of closing, the builder and fabricator were working on removing the stain. They have tried multiple poultices, took the island back to the fabricator to use special poultices they can only use in house. They called in an independent marble specialist who worked on it for about 10 days. The stain is still there, although it's not very noticeable. With all the sanding down they've done it's now a little rippled too (just not totally smooth unlike the rest).

So I had a meeting today with the VP of the company. First he said that if we just picked a granite this would never be an issue (this made me irate as this was a lengthy investigation to make sure they could provide Carrara prior to us signing with them). Since the stain is not going to come out, they want us to select a "similar" piece and just replace the island. I said that this is not acceptable and we want counters that are consecutive slabs that aren't stained.

He then said that they will never make me happy because we are so difficult to deal with that they just want to give us money and sign away their responsibility. He said that they will never find non-damaged white Carrara to use in a kitchen because it all comes with some stains. I understand that marble isn't perfect (ours has some little imperfections that don't bother me). And I understand that it can stain, I just don't think it should come with a large rust stain from the supplier.

Thanks for reading all this. What would you guys recommend at this point? Have them replace it all (we've put in a backsplash since that may need redone then)? Take money and find a supplier ourselves to replace? Take money and not replace? If so, how much?

[wawa]

Get quotes from a fabricator that specializes in marble. Then go back and ask for money to match that amount and have somebody else redo. They clearly can't handle it.

yes, marble will have imperfections, but a giant rust stain? That's ridiculous.

[boiler717]

Nov 29, 2012 14:11:52 GMT -5 wawa said:

Get quotes from a fabricator that specializes in marble. Then go back and ask for money to match that amount and have somebody else redo. They clearly can't handle it.

yes, marble will have imperfections, but a giant rust stain? That's ridiculous.

Any tips on how to find one? Is there an association or something?

[Deleted]

If it was me, I'd just replace the island with new marble, ask for some comp since it's no longer a continuous slab and call it a day.

You shouldn't have to deal with a stained counter right out the gate, but sometimes you have to give a little too. There's only so much people can do about certain things.

But I'm also easy, I take the route that will get me mostly what I need the quickest and the easiest without too much of a quality compromise.

Otherwise, I like wawas idea.

[wawa]

Nov 29, 2012 14:14:51 GMT -5 boiler717 said:

Nov 29, 2012 14:11:52 GMT -5 wawa said:

Get quotes from a fabricator that specializes in marble. Then go back and ask for money to match that amount and have somebody else redo. They clearly can't handle it.

yes, marble will have imperfections, but a giant rust stain? That's ridiculous.

Any tips on how to find one? Is there an association or something?

I have no idea if there is an association. One thought is that I know in my area there are a bunch of regional architecture and building magazines - articles on featured homes always call out the people who did the work and 9 times out of 10 the kitchen or bath is marble or other high end stone. Finding out who does the work in the high end homes in your area would be your best bet, and something like that might be a good starting point.

besides that just the usual angie's list/yelp reviews. Google around. If you know of any high end builders/contractors in your area (errr...besides yours) call them and see who they recommend.

[munkii]

I agree with wawa.

On finding a fabricator: Angie's List and local contacts. Do you know who your builder is working with now? I've met with Cathedral (in Whitestown) before, and they seemed professional. That may be a good start for a fabricator--unless that's who the builder's going through. Another option would be to work with a design firm like Drexel or Reese or an independent kitchen designer.

[emjacobs]

I'm on Dairy's boat and then also jumping ship to Wawas boat. Personally I don't think I would have gotten marble from I company that wasn't well versed in marble. If their specialty is granite and you weren't confident enough in them that you had to have a lengthy investigation to make sure they could even provide what you were looking for, that would lead me to believe that they aren't comfortable with using marble.

My company can provide you with all sorts of technical equipment, that doesn't mean we are experts in it. We'll sell you a HP tablet because our distributor sells it, we want to make money, but we don't write apps for it.

If you have to have marble, contact the manufacturer and have them recommend someone that services your area and contact them.

[wawa]

I have to say though I'd want to make them pony up to have it done right just on principle...dairy's idea of just letting them replace the island slab isn't an awful one. They aren't connected, right? It's an island. So why does it have to be cut from a continuous piece? Obviously connected counters and splashes should all be continuous as much as possible, but a separate island isn't a big deal as long as it's a similar amount of veining and such.

[cajungal]

Nov 29, 2012 14:16:51 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

If it was me, I'd just replace the island with new marble, ask for some comp since it's no longer a continuous slab and call it a day.

You shouldn't have to deal with a stained counter right out the gate, but sometimes you have to give a little too. There's only so much people can do about certain things.

But I'm also easy, I take the route that will get me mostly what I need the quickest and the easiest without too much of a quality compromise.

Otherwise, I like wawas idea.

Ditto this. I'm definitely not easy to deal with and am dealing with builder troubles right now as well, but I'd still go this route.

[jhawks482]

So was your counter, island and backsplash from one slab? Are you worried that if you replaced "just" the island, it may not match the counters/backsplash?
I'm a little confused- can you not select the same color/type/stone from a different slab and make it work? I wouldn't think you'd notice (or maybe no one else would), especially since the island and counters wouldn't be right next to each other. Im not sure how marble works, so Im just asking.
If the VP is offering money to sign away responsibility, they have probably reached a point where they don't want to deal with it/you anymore. And that might just be the best thing for you. You don't want them half-a$$ing the job and deal with their attitude until its done, you know? It's your house- your hard earned money, and you have to live with it, so it should be perfect for you. I'd make sure I was offered enough money for the island and find a different distributor and installer.
I feel for you, because when we dealt with our iron fence installer last year (the fence was defective, peeling, etc) he was a nightmare and I wished he would have just given us our money back so we could have dealt with someone new. I'd take the money. Good luck!

[boiler717]

The builder had never used Carrara before, which is why we had asked to meet with the supplier before signing the contract. We got good assurance from both of them that it was no problem, and I talked to a couple of different people in the kitchen design world, and this supplier came highly recommended. We spent a lot of time on it prior to contract because it was a feature I really wanted and we were going to select a different builder if it wasn't possible.

[boiler717]

Any thoughts on taking money and leaving it? I think the stain is less noticeable than I non-matching slab but I feel like I couldn't know for sure without seeing the other slab installed.

[boiler717]

Nov 29, 2012 14:29:09 GMT -5 munkii said:

I agree with wawa.

On finding a fabricator: Angie's List and local contacts. Do you know who your builder is working with now? I've met with Cathedral (in Whitestown) before, and they seemed professional. That may be a good start for a fabricator--unless that's who the builder's going through. Another option would be to work with a design firm like Drexel or Reese or an independent kitchen designer.

They are working with Classic Stone in Beech Grove. Reese recommended them, too, but I will check with Drexel and check out the other company, thank you!

Our agent was going to get us some contacts from people he's worked with on client remodels. I'll check Angie's List.

Do you want to come inspect in person???

[wawa]

Only you can answer that question. If you can live with it and be happy...then take the money and run. If you decide down the road that it really does annoy you then go back to the route of finding somebody experienced with marble to help you get as close a match as possible - you'll have the money anyway, right?

[pickle123]

I would just have the island replaced. Since it's not connected, it won't be a big deal.

[boiler717]

The counters and island were made from 3 consecutive slabs. We also have dark island cabinets with white on the perimeter so the counter is the only consistent thing. If our island cabinets were white I'd consider just picking a dark island top or something rather than have not quite close but similar counters. I'm just not sure sure how different cabinets and slightly different counters will look.

[jhawks482]

Nov 29, 2012 14:46:43 GMT -5 boiler717 said:

Any thoughts on taking money and leaving it? I think the stain is less noticeable than I non-matching slab but I feel like I couldn't know for sure without seeing the other slab installed.

yeah, thats hard to say. I know from our own experience (finishing basements in two homes, installing tile in many bathrooms, etc) that a lot of times, the only ones who notice imperfections are the ones who actually know about it. We just finished our basement in our current house, and in our bar, we had travertine counters installed. I was pretty irate when i found out that there would be a seam on the counter and its pretty noticeable. But not one person who's been in the basement has even noticed it. Only after we point it out do they notice. It bothered me a lot at first, but less now that it's not noticeable to anyone who doesn't know its there.
I guess my point is, that not everything can be perfect, and like dairy said, you have to know when to give a little. Right now, it be more leery about them seeming to not want to finish the job.

[pickle123]

Boiler, I know what you mean though of wanting everything in your brand new house PERFECT. Once we got the first ding in our wall (from our 2 year old), we lightened up a bit. It's hard though.

[emjacobs]

You are the only one who can decide if it will work for you. But you are asking for opinions and what we would do in the situation. You also have to look at how much money are you willing to spend / lose in the situation to get everything how you want it.

[Deleted]

So what matters more to you? Dealing with a stain that's obviously visible or dealing with a different marble that might have a different vein than the rest of the counters?

If it were me I'd pick the new marble because an obvious stain would drive me up a wall and I feel like everyone would see.
A new slab in a different vein, I wouldn't notice after about the first week. No one else would ever see it..like ever.

It's hard to be in a new house. You notice every imperfection right out the gate. Let me tell you though..it's been 7 years and nothing bothers me anymore that once did. My SIL just built a new house too and she's annoyed by a bunch of stuff I would've never noticed until she said something.

[FoxInFiji]

Yeah I'd just replace the island marble myself. A big stone yard can find a very close match. The exact veining might not match up but it's no big deal since it's not connected to anything. I would start looking for local stone yards (google and ask around). You can be as picky as you'd like on which slab your pick so just visit a yard and walk their warehouse. You could also go to the same yard the contractor got it from and see if they have any slabs from the same mine (that will be your best bet on matching the color).

Or just take the money. But if it bugs you know it will probably bug you later.

I am a bit of a perfectionist myself so I understand you want it perfect but honestly this isn't that big of a deal since they are willing to replace it.

[thewop]

Nov 29, 2012 14:16:51 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

If it was me, I'd just replace the island with new marble, ask for some comp since it's no longer a continuous slab and call it a day.

You shouldn't have to deal with a stained counter right out the gate, but sometimes you have to give a little too. There's only so much people can do about certain things.

But I'm also easy, I take the route that will get me mostly what I need the quickest and the easiest without too much of a quality compromise.

I agree with this, and I'm not super easy going. It sounds like you've reached the end of the road with the current people, and it's time to move on and either live with it or take money they offer you and find someone else who can give you exactly what you want. If they really think there's no pleasing you, then you need to walk away.

[hbomdiggity]

I'd much prefer a non stained non rippled slab that is not continuous over living with a stained/rippled but continuous piece.

Surely the supplier can get another similar piece that if not continuous is from the same lot so it will have similar color and veining.

I would be very hesitant to take his offer of cash to settle because you are giving up all recourse.

[boiler717]

I'm a bit miffed because the reason why he gives that there is no pleasing me is that his supplier is telling him that we have rejected 5 different lots, which is completely untrue. The first 3 lots were the wrong size for our kitchen so we couldn't use those. The 4th lot came in and we didn't love and asked if we could see another one and pick between them. We were given a choice of two and picked one. I'm not sure how that's being overly difficult.