That needs a complete wall float-out, not just behind the backsplash. No way it's going to look good without it. That's such a significant bow that your cabinet installer should have brought it to your attention so you could have the drywall work done before the cabinet install.

I am a fabricator.

note in the pic the countertop piece is tight to the wall. This large gap could have been made much less.
One option is to dig out the sheetrock in the high spot of the wall. The second is to seam the backsplash at the high spot so the splash follows the wall better.

My guess is your granite guy doesn't check the walls for bowing at field measure. ditto for the cabinet guy.

Regarding remedial action; we used to have a similar "feature" in our showroom (admittedly not as bad) with the caulk painted and it wasn't conspicious. Alternatively the granite guy could seam the splash at the high point and eliminate most of the gap you see on the end. I would ask to have the splash redone.

jreag:

Since there is no similar shim between your wall and the base cabinet, the base cabinet cannot be in plane with the others in the run. If the front edge of the top is true, the overhang on your countertop must be off by the thickness of the above shim at least.

You've got very inexperienced kitchen help and more problems than a bad backsplash.

Thank you for the responses. Apparently the granite installers told my husband this was the best fix, that seaming the back splash makes it look worse and crooked, and my husband doesn't want to dig into the drywall as it will affect "the envelope" of the house. That gap is 3/4", so would probably be through the dry wall to the studs to gouge out. I think the installers were taking the lazy way out and the GC project manager is also taking the easy way out. I think as years go by whatever they fill the gap with will dry up and cause cracking and sinking into the gap. Is there a standard for this such as with stone countertop installation standards that I can refer to when making my case next week? Besides saying I found this on Gardenweb?:)

It's not a countertop issue. It's a wall framing/drywall issue. That your GC ignored instead of fixing properly. And then did some sort of a kludge with the cabinets. At that point, the stone installers did the best that they could do given the underlying crap that they were given to put stone on top of.

Seems to me the GC should have pointed this out early in the project, then the KD should have pointed it out, then the cabinet installer should have pointed it out, the counter guys should have pointed it out during template, the counter installer should have pointed it outâ¦.how does something like this go by 5 different people without being addressed is beyond me

Looking at the pic, I agree with Treâ¦cabinet installer is extremely inexperienced, must be a very large discrepency at the counter overhang

jreag:

Please place a framing square on the finished countertop end and check the top for square. If finished edge on the end of the top is square, then the overhang on the end must be off too. If they templated to the cabinets and kept the overhang on the end equal, the top has to be cut out of square which probably looks funny.

Have someone hold a 4' level or straight edge against the wall at the level of the top. Place the framing square against the level/straigtedge and the to top end edge. This will tell you if they made the top square to the wall or square to the top.

" Is there a standard for this such as with stone countertop installation standards that I can refer to when making my case next week?"

jreag:

Pages 2 and 3, but I'm not sure they work much in your favor:

Here is a link that might be useful: MIA

jreag:

Sorry, but I just realized I never answered your title question.

No. This will not turn out okay.

You have an installation that in no way resembles industry standards. Not even close. Worse yet, the only fix is removing the splash and tops, resetting the cabinets properly and reinstalling the tops and splashes, which may now have to be re-fabricated or altered.

In my experience, most folks go into denial when given this kind of news, in fact I wrote a column about it. This is catastrophically bad and you're going to have to go medieval on these guys, trust me.

"Is there a standard for this such as with stone countertop installation standards that I can refer to when making my case next week? Besides saying I found this on Gardenweb?:)"

That is so utterly ridiculous no one should need a standard to make their case.

The cabinet appears flush against the wall. Is the bow only at the area above the counter? Was there any patching to the drywall done there? Although it seems more like a dip than a bow. Still, the cabinet is flush. What did the gaps at the wall on that run look like before the counter went on? Was there wide gaping in the far corner? If the cabs are a straight run I don't see how the bs can't follow. Unless there is for some reason just a hollow at that end point above the counter.

Well put ajc! Sorry you're dealing with this jreag. Of course, most people visiting your home won't notice those details.

Husband spoke briefly with owner of company this AM before heading out to work, states that he has been kept informed of all the issues, and would be charging us if we want to have the wall mudded out. Never mind that the counter depth from back splash to front of counter is uneven, never mind that the 3 different counter sections are three different heights measured from the floor or that counter top comes up 1 inch over the height of the stove. Sooo incredibly frustrated, and this wasn't the lowest bid contractor, and has been in business for many years.

A good contractor should not take the lazy route or at least keep the homeowner informed, so that key decisions are made collaboratively. An example on our kitchen. Our house settled and one side of the room is taller than the other. Most contractors would simply cut down the lower cabinetry to accommodate this. Mine was going to take that path, but took a look at our new stove first and released that if he lowered the countertops, the stove would end up sticking up too high. So instead, he raised the lower cabinets near the stove and then equalized from there. No excuse.

"So instead, he raised the lower cabinets near the stove and then equalized from there. No excuse."

I'm not understanding this. Are you saying he used shims near the range? Why is this not a good idea for leveling the cabinetry?

Snookums, I think it is. I'm reading "No excuse" to refer to the OP's contractor, not the last poster's contractor's fix.

sjhockeyfan is correct. I was referring to the OP's contractor.

Every single problem that you listed has to do with how the cabinets were installed out of level. Granite doesn't bend. It's flat and straight. If it's 3 different heights in 3 different sections, then it's the cabinets underneath that are at fault. Which probably means that the floor is out of level, and the cabinet installer didn't install to compensate for that. Or, if the flooring was done, that was the point to address that issue. Above all, when a situation like this occurs, you need to know why the house is out of level. Some can be due to old homes settling. Some can be due to structural issues. No job should proceed until that investigation says that it's NOT a structural issue needing addressing.

As a whole, all of the issues are laid to the feet of the GC on this job. Get him back out there to explain why plumb and level were disregarded.

Thank you for the explanation. Phew, lol, sop as I understand it.

The install as you describe it sounds ridiculously poor. I would be concerned about anything your gc was responsible for.

Hope you are able to have it all redone, by different workers who care.

"Never mind that the counter depth from back splash to front of counter is unevenâ¦"

This could be caused by wavy walls, even if the counters are installed properly. If repairing the walls isn't in the contract, the contractor has no obligation to fix this without compensation.

"...never mind that the 3 different counter sections are three different heights measured from the floorâ¦"

The counters need to be level to each other. If they are and the floors are not level, the distance between the level counters and the floors will vary. If leveling the floor isn't in the contract, the contractor has no obligation to fix this without compensation.

"...or that counter top comes up 1 inch over the height of the stove."

This is a screw-up that should have been foreseen by by the contractor.

"'... isn't in the contract, the contractor has no obligation to fix this without compensation."

Of course workers should be compensated for any work done. Their responsibility lies in advising the homeowner upfront that there are problems and what the consequences are - before the work is undertaken - so those issues can be addressed and decisions made by the homeowner. Who in the world would install things like that. People trying to pass things off like that as acceptable not only don't deserve to be paid at all but you don't want them working in your house period. Far worse things can happen than crooked. Something like this is a clear indicator of incompetency and very low standards.

Have the feet on the stove been raised as high as possible? Although it all has to come out anyway.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 0:29

hey snooki2 - who you calling a ho :-)

Lol!! Oops. Haha, that's funny! Thanks for the laugh.

jreag:

I'd suggest hiring an independent consultant/contractor to diagnose and report all the problems.

This is not a solicitation for work, but I've performed this service for clients with extraordinary results. When contractors/fabricators are faced with a list of problems and the comparative industry standards, they (and their lawyers) are left speechless. They usually crumble.

One client owed their fabricator 50% or about 8K. Despite my bill of about 10% of that, when they submitted my 3-page report (with pictures) to the fabricator and his lawyer, they were in a much stronger bargaining position and were delighted with the results.

Another time, I discovered the fabricator was a member of the Marble Institute of America and documented that his work did not meet their written standards. He was in an untenable position. If he didn't settle, his work would be exposed to the MIA, he would be sanctioned, and since he's the largest local guy, that would be catastrophic. That lady was so delighted to pay my fee after he caved, she tipped me.

You aren't powerless here, but you need information. And while I'm sure it's counterintuitive to spend more money to get it, that's just what you need to do.