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julesl_gw

granite arriving 3 weeks late

julesl
10 years ago

We are in the middle of our kitchen remodeling and it's been a bit frustrating experience communicating with the contractor's fabricator. The cabinets are up and the granite guy came and measured but tells us we have to wait 3 weeks for the granite. Is this a normal wait time?

Comments (15)

  • GreenDesigns
    10 years ago

    When things heat up and a shop is busy, I've seen 6-8 week lead times. Delays are always a "normal" part of any renovation. Perhaps your contractor can install plywood and a temp sink so you can partially use the space in the mean time.

  • jakuvall
    10 years ago

    Depends- distance from yard, manpower, work load.

    I see to it that all is scheduled ahead of time- slabs at fabricator, template date, viewing appointment and install date reserved a few weeks in advance. Without doing ALL of that ahead 3 weeks is not unusual for a good fabricator, short of begging a favor.

  • rosie
    10 years ago

    The day after it won't matter all all. Perspective is good. :)

  • annkh_nd
    10 years ago

    I was told there would be a 3-week delay between template and countertop install. My cabinet maker is going to give me temporary counters.

    By the time the cabinets are installed, we will have been without a kitchen for 5 weeks. I'll be able to use the stove before the counters are in, so I'll be happy.

  • a2gemini
    10 years ago

    Ours was 3 weeks also and then it avalanched in the truck and had another week to wait

  • williamsem
    10 years ago

    I was told 2-3 weeks from template to install. Once they make the template they have to do the layout and all the fabrication, then schedule for delivery. I got the call to schedule exactly 3 weeks after template, my granite comes Monday.

    The other company I was considering said this time of year they do something like 60 kitchens a month. They use laser templating and some kind of fancy saw. They said 3-4 weeks, maybe more.

    Your delay seems normal, especially during busy season. Don't forget to post pics!

  • Megan Meyers
    10 years ago

    I was quoted 7 to 10 business days from templating. My template was done the very next day after my base cabs were installed and the slabs were delivered the following day. It was 7 weeks until install....... At least I had a laundry sink to use around the corner.

  • blondy6082
    10 years ago

    Our counters will be installed exactly 4 weeks after the template was done. July 22. Plywood is being used for our counters and am also using the laundry sink to wash dishes.

  • TripHeath
    10 years ago

    3-4 weeks after template is a long time to wait......average kitchen (50-60sf) with sink cutout "can" be fabricated 100% in less than 1 day so the rest of the time your paperwork is just sitting idle...... but prob gets cut 5 days before install, polished the next day, sink fab the next day, sits on a rack for a day, goes out the next.....my customers are reasonably happy with 7 biz days after template, but many think that is way too long....that gives us just enough time to do the fab right,(and remake anything that breaks wrong/damaged) and work it into the correct spot for installation....and we do at least 30 kitchens a week, sometimes twice that...

    I don't have any customers that would be ok with 3-4 weeks after template......

    def get the cab guy to fab a temp top from plywood and drop in your old sink in it and plumb it for your convenience....its the least they could do....(because he is getting paid via kickback/markup from the granite co for sending the biz to them, whether he admits it or not).....nothing wrong with it, just part of the normal biz, but they should accommodate you ........

  • PRO
    Granite City Services
    10 years ago

    I am a fabricator.

    A typical kitchen, even in a high end shop like mine that fusses over a lot of details, takes only 1-2 days to go from raw slabs to ready for installation. Add one day if there is a lot of 6CM laminate. A 1-2 week time between measure and install is reasonable given various issues for scheduling, sink and faucet delivery, and other factors not directly related to actual fabrication time.

    A fabricator that makes you wait several weeks from measure to install is one that doesn't know how to properly run a business. We have, on occasion, installed a kitchen 2 or 3 days after measure.

    (The good news here is that my business is growing rapidly because I can maintain my 8 day delivery even as I get busier and my competitors are out 6-8 weeks.)

  • sunsoleil
    10 years ago

    I don't think the three week time is the issue here. What was the promised time? Our wait was long, but we knew that ahead of time and were able to plan for it.

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    Oldryder,
    are you in FL, by any chance? It would be nice to have someone like you do the counters

  • Majra
    10 years ago

    If they're fantastic and thus busy, three weeks sounds within the realm of acceptability. Two weeks is the norm in my part of fl.

  • julesl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the responses. The tentative time planned for the countertops to be installed was July 2nd but they are now scheduled for July 12th. When I signed the contract I never insisted on specific times. Our contractor told me that the economy is picking up and people in the industry aren't ready for the increase in business. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait__kind of like having a baby, you forget the pain once it's over:-))

  • PRO
    Granite City Services
    10 years ago

    bookwork4321: thx. for asking but I'm in the upper MidWest. Look around for someone with a short lead time. Anyone that is consistently delivering a short lead time simply must be doing things somewhat differently than the shops that take 4-6 weeks or more.

    The short lead time isn't difficult (usually), it just requires more attention to detail and a different approach to a lot of things a business does every day.

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