oops - I hit the submit button too quickly. I would first pick your granite slab and then find the fabricator. The granite yard will hold it for a week or 2. Some yards do fabricate too. My experience - for the same slabs from Marble and Granite my fabricator prices were all over. If you have a complicated job there's a place in NH people have raved about (and I think boxerpups has used them). My job was straight forward and I thought easy so we went with a less expensive company that had good reviews. (I was out of the country and DH did this part but I probably would have went with boxerpups fabricator if I was around - unless it was really expensive).

When getting quotes make sure you're comparing apples to apples - same layout, same edging, same number of holes in the granite... You can change it later but to compare prices you need everything to be the same.

Things I think might work a little differently here in the SF Bay Area.

First, you find a fabricator since most of the yards won't give prices to customers without one. Use Yelp, people you know, etc.

Then get a list of yards from your fabricator. Choose slabs and then your fabricator goes and gets the prices from them, inspects the slabs for you for quality, etc.

Thank you Pam and Marcy.

Pam, those are some great leads you have given me. Thank you so much. I'm going to check out some of them this week. A granite shop I went to in Franklin said that they get their slabs from Boston Granite Exchange in W. Bridgewater, and they have quoted a price of $63 per sf for the Madura Gold that we want. Not sure if that is a fair price but most quotes I got are in the $60 to $70 range. We'll be going to see the slabs at BGE this week. Sudbury granite has a showroom in Mendon which is closer for us. I will also check out the gmdepot in Westboro. Do you have any thoughts about the quotes I got for Madura gold? Is that the general range for this granite in the Boston area?

Thanks again.

My fabricator prices were all over the place for typhoon bordeaux. The fabricator determined the price for me - they were all quoting the same reserved granite slabs from Marble and Granite. My sister in law in St. Louis had a difference in price of only $50 from 5 fabricators!

You don't actually "buy" the granite from the yard but your fabricator does. You need to interview and check out a few fabricators and have them price out the same slab. I have no idea what a "fair price" is for Madura Gold. Do check out Marble and Granite - try their website first.

I used Gerrity Stone in Woburn and they were wonderful. (I live in Maine, too, so they had to drive FAR for templating and installation!)

I also found, while comparing fabricators, that they will usually match competitors' pricing. So, if you fins one your really like, but another has a lower price, just show the first one the lower quote and ask them to match it. They probably will!

If you have seams make sure you have a conversation about how they do the seams. We had a bad experience and discovered our highly recommended fabricator in MA (don't worry not one you are looking at) didn't have the technology to do the best seams. The bottom line is not all fabricators are the same.

There is a really good discussion thread that discusses counter tops - a summary of advice - but I am sorry I don't have it bookmarked. Hopefully someone else does :)

Do not use Universal Marble and Granite (Ipswich and a location in NH). Email me if you want more information (I don't want to get into it in a public forum).

Falcucci Marble refinishers had Madura gold for 55 per sf installed I think when I was looking around couple months ago. (I am sure Kashmir gold was 55 since we were interested in that .. call and check if they have madura gold for same price) They seemed to have good reviews. We didn't finally pick them. We looked in stone yards (some that bostonpam has already mentioned) and also visited fabricators. Finally we chose the stone we liked and the fabricator that worked with that yard and had good reviews on interwebs. We will have ours installed in next 2-3 weeks. I can tell you how it turned out for my fabricator then.

sparklekitty - is this the thread .. you are talking about?

Also can you share the "bad experience" highly recommended fabricator? Are they in Newton? (or should I be worried :) well I am worried, so should I be more worried :))

to add to bostonpam's list: MSI has a huge stone selection. Check their location before you go, they were in Braintree, were planning to move to Westwood. I believe they won't quote you prices, you'd have to get pricing through your fabricator, they just sell slabs.

Hi Drmkit,

I love BFR they are based in NH but do work from Boston to
Montreal. Amazing talent at this place. Ask for Jessie
http://www.bfrandassociates.com/

I am really picky about my seams. I would not be looking
at price but focus on the work. How do they do edges?
Seams? What is their reputation? You want good quality for
your money. How will the mount your sink or cut around
your sink? Will they stand by their work? Will they help
you choose a good quality slab, otherwise you might have
the counter cracking later. You do not want a fabircator
who is going to scrimp, save, or cheap out. You don't
want someone installing the wrong slab or something of
poor quality. These are your counters. You want good
quality at a fair price and someone who stands by their
work. For me that is BFR.

Here is an image of one of my seams. I love that the
Jst mist pattern is matched so you can not see the seam.
Can you see the seam?

Links from Gardenweb, And why you want a good quality
granite fabricator/installer.

Good luck and enjoy your granite counters.
~boxerpups

Garden Web kitchen who used BFR Another fan.

http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg061424403996.html

Bad Granite Seam
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0622223725413.html

Are these granite seams acceptable
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0420565725855.html

Granite Seam pictures
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0308322425048.html

Help my sink is falling off the granite counters
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/build/msg0616293512392.html?4

Crack in my granite 3 months after installation
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0617374119591.html?7

Oh NO wrong slab installed
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0918131415791.html?16

Here is a link of a GWebber that did not like BFR. She
does not say why, but I want to be fair so you can find
the best installer. Eoren1 I will say the counters look
beautiful but maybe they were not easy to work with.
Keep in mind that with all companies you hire there are
always going to be some that click with you and some
that don't. It might be Ripano or Gerrity. And whoever
you choose and feel good about it probably going to be
great. ~boxerpups

http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg042343439831.html?5

Here is a link that might be useful: My seams are at the bottom of this link