I did a quick calculation on what 53.5SF of Witch Hazel would cost from me, a mom and pop Kitchen dealer in the Midwest. It would be $4136 plus $192 for tearout. Did they include the sink and sink prep in that price? You have to make sure apples to apples 100%. Does it include laser template, delivery and setting of tops? Check the quote.. Box stores are known for pricing low to get the job and then telling you about add on costs later. I've had several clients get fed up with a box store and come back to me.

I had the same experience. The local shop wanted $79/sq ft installed. I got it for $59/sq ft on sale at Home Depot. I really like supporting the local guy but that's too much savings to pass up. Here's the kicker though...HD uses that same local shop to fabricate and install their Corian. I felt horrible when I found that out...but not bad enough to pay $1,400 extra.

dcward89:

You've got nothing to feel bad about whatsoever. Your fabricator has chosen to enter into a business relationship with his competition. That's none of your business.

Thanks everyone. The Home Depot price (per phone conversation) included everything, countertops, backsplash, sink, standard edge choice, tearout, template and mileage. The other two did not cover tearout or mileage. Guess I will see what they say and write in person. Significant difference. Too bad its become this way for the small business owner. Been there, and its hard to compete with big box stores....if installation and all is the same.

I think it varies from market to market. As a local dealer, our prices on countertops seem pretty inline with the box stores. Every now and then, they might have a deal on something (loss leader???) and I can't get over the price...as it's close to my cost.

On the other hand, a couple of the quartz brands have pulled out of the box stores or won't sell to them. I think Silestone is the only one now that sells to them...and maybe Viatera (which is Allen + Roth thru Lowes).

Our most expensive quote was from Costco and out least expensive quote was from a family owned local business. There was $2k or more difference in the price. Lowes kept trying to match the price, but they were a little too eager for my comfort level.

So...just asking...you sure you want that 4"bs?

I really have no idea on a backsplash. Do I want one, or just the cove for tile later, or none at all? Help me on this one!

My DH really wanted a 4" backsplash and painted drywall. I wanted no Corian backsplash and tile down to the counter. We are compromising with a 2" coved backsplash and tile above that.

I am in the midwest and looking to replace a 72 inch vanity with one sink, 4 inch backsplash and I don't care what material so long as it has an integral/undermount sink. I have shopped our one local granite fabricator who offered me 1100 plus sink for any slab in his yard. I offered to take a remnant piece but the price was still the same. A local home store would do a quartz product for roughly 1400.

The local counter top store would sell me a remnant solid surface of any level for 1100. I took some samples from them to compare up against my cabinet. I stopped in Home Depot and realized that the sample we liked was priced at 850 at Home Depot. I went back to the counter top store to ask if they wanted to sharpen their pencil. Their response was that they can't touch Home Depot's price, and yes they are the ones with the contract with HD. So they would be installing the counter, the question then being how much am I paying for it?

Boggles my mind!

Box stores charge for every single thing you listed. No freebies anywhere. Coved backsplash instead of set on backsplash adds a LOT of expense to a quote. $30-$40 a foot. Free edges are very limited. Maybe 1-2. Tearout is $5-$10 extra per square foot depending on if it's laminate or tile. Corian integrated sinks are $400 to $750, while the charge for other material undermount sinks runs $300+.

They may tell you one thing on the phone, or even in person because they don't often have a lot of people trained in how to give an estimate. Then when the fabricator comes to template, there are all of those extra charges that they ''forgot'' to add at the store, like plumbing reconnects or haul off of the old counters. Then you have to pay them if you want your counters because that's in the fine print that the original price was only an estimate. The fabricators determine the actual square footage and upcharges and you won't know exactly what you're paying until that happens. Just be prepared for the additional cot that it REALLY costs.

HD negotiates free sink offers with DuPont. As a fabricator, you may buy a million dollars worth of Corian from your distributor a year, but if you ain't Home Depot, no free sink for you.

I can't dis HD, I payed for the non Corian solid surface because I liked the counter color better. The Dupont sink was a "free" deal. But my counters were delayed weeks, finally the KD at HD admitted that some of the components in my chosen counter top were not available. And because of the delay they would let me chose Corian colors for the same price. I think it was a $1000 difference. When the installers came out they also rounded the outer overhang corner on my mixer counter. He said that I may be charged for it. But I was not. I prepaid for what I ordered. And was not asked to pay more.

hollysprings- i agree with what you are saying absolutely, however if you use hd countertop calculator, all of the extras all priced out step by step. i find their online quoting system much more accurate than their employees!
i used hd countertop system to get ideas of pricing and then found out they were $10-$20 cheaper per sq ft even with the add ons! their prices(at least on granite) are tough to beat. we had no intention of going with them or lowes because in our area their fabricators are coming from 2-3 hours away. that sounds like a recipe for disaster with a countertop. luckily from all the advice i have gotten on this site, i knew not to fall for the cheap deal and really ask around locally about hd installs with granite. as you can imagine, it wasn't positive. sometimes paying more is better even for a cheapskate like me:)

Looking for the price of 810p corian undermount sink and also soild surface counter top.any one know a dealer?

Thank you for this information. I am wanting to see a sample of the Sea Salt Corian I saw in one of the poster's kitchen that I loved so it is good to know a little bit about how the pricing can vary.

Needing to be cautious and getting to the bottom of things to find the real cost is not unique to any one company, like HD. It is common for companies to play these games period and happens across all sorts of industries and fields of business. Buyers must always beware and beware of the hidden costs.

That said, big boxes have a clear pricing advantage over the competition. It doesn't mean they are not worthy of your business or will get you later. They strive to bring products and value to customers at an affordable price point, which is a good and necessary thing for a lot of people.