My advice is to be there if you can. You can check to make sure that the seams are in the correct locations, that there are no chips along the edges, that the sink reveal is what you requested (positive, negative or zero reveal), that they apply the sealer after installation if needed, that the counter tops have been properly scribed against the walls etc...

We were fortunate -- none of this was a problem. I was still glad I was there. It is also a good time to ask questions. Having worked with your stone, the fabricator has a good idea re: its porosity (tendency to absorb liquids), brittleness etc... We learned from ours that our stone was extremely hard -- the fabricator went through three diamond blades in the process.

Besides -- it is very cool to watch the install :)

MCMesprit...yea, I better be there, sounds like! Can you please explain the difference in "reveal" options at the sink? I have no idea what I would want?!? Help! Where does the seam/seams need to be? I don't know a whole lot (obviously, LOL) but I can only see one long run where I might need a seam. We are doing a butcher block on island. THanks for giving me your imput.

Capegirl!

Capegirl05- Our recent experience is you need to be there--they just do a better job when someone with a vested interest is watching. We were there for all but master bath and they have had to come out 3 times now because of their mess-ups in there that we caught after the fact. As far as seams, just make sure there isn't one at the sink--not a good spot for a weak place. You will need to make sure of that before fabrication. Also, lighter granites are harder to match the color on the seams than the darker granites so watch for color match too. Lastly, if any of your granite has a flow or pattern to it, you will want to make sure it all runs in the same direction--this is best to be done prior to fabrication. Good luck!

Cape: the reveal issue is whether you want the hole in the granite for the sink to be slightly larger than, exactly the same size as, or slightly smaller than the bowl of the sink (positive reveal, flush mount or no reveal, and standard or negative reveal, respectively). There are varied (and sometimes strong) opinions on these options. There are a number of threads on this. I have linked to one of them below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Revealing thread

Are you planning to be at the shop when they lay out the templates on the slab before they cut? The templating stage, IMHO, is just as important, if not more so, as the actual install day. You want to make sure the gorgeous veining you love in your stone is featured in a prominent countertop spot instead of half cut off and stuck in a corner BEFORE they cut it.

I'd agree with the "best to be there" type of thing. But there is a reason you trust your GC right? I was there for the initial stages -bringing it in and inspection- but I left and it was installed and fitted which ended up perfectly. My best advice is you're paying the GC good money to make sure everything is prim and proper, if you can't trust him on this...then why are you paying him? I'd say don't sweat it too much if you're confident in your GC.

I'd second Breezygirl's comment - the templating stage is critical... We did not do that for our bathroom and were a bit disappointed with how it came together.

For our kitchen counters, we made sure to lay out the templates first and it came out much closer to expectations.

That said, the install was boring - they spent most of the time leveling everything and making it square. That said, they fabricated it offsite after we approved the templates. It sounds like our experience may have been different from others...

DH was there for our install, and it was a good thing. After inspecting it, he found an area that needed to be leveled a little better, and it was fixed before the adhesive could set up. Otherwise, we would have had to live with it. We did not have a GC, but worked directly with the fabricator, so one of us had to be there anyway. We had purchased the stone separately, so we really needed to have it done properly the first time. There was no more material available. DH also wanted to make sure they had no mishaps with the newly refinished cabinets. We did meet with the fabricator when he was templating the slabs as there were some areas of the stone that we preferred to not have featured in a prominent location. He was able to eliminate those areas entirely from the finished counters. We had also discussed our concerns with the fabricator before templating, so there was a good feeling that we were all on the same page as far as our expectations went.

OTOH, if you and your GC are on the same page quality-wise, and you're not using a rare or extremely expensive stone, having him take care of it might be the way to go for you. Personally, I wanted one of us there regardless to make sure everything went OK.

I would never just trust a GC to be my eyes and ears on countertops, or anything as critical for that matter. Babushka trusted her GC to hire and oversee her marble install. That went horribly wrong. Beagles trusted her GC to oversee her ultra expensive tile installation. That has gone very wrong also. GCs are not always the be-all, end-all, always-got-your-back kind of employees. Hey, I'm my own GC. What does that say about me? ;)

Thanks guys! I am now educated on granite install issues! I do trust my GC and he does have a good eye for what looks good, but I will still plan to be there. In building this house, I have decided that one can NEVER assume anything can be done the way you want it. You have to watch, inspect, and communicate. I am a "glass half-full" kind of person, so I have really had to learn to tweak that a bit.

I third Breezygirls comment about going to fabricators yard to see how template will be laid out.

Yes see how the granite is laid out, for sure! You need to be on site for every thing, that has been my experience. I have just been finishing up with a modest kitchen remodel and the areas that were problems are the areas that either I trusted someone else to do it or I didn't ask enough questions. It is good you are running things by on the forum!

Go there for templating if there are any questions etc...

I really only heard about it on here, so I asked about it in our granite search and they said sure no problem.

the wrong slabs were delivered from the stone yard to the granite place. They didn't know, they should have but didn't. If I wasn't there to point it out, I would have figured it out after fabrication and install and wondered why things looked different.... same stone, but different lot which had more beige in it. I would be been in an awkward positon of feeling that the color was off, but with nothing to "prove" it. It was much better to go and deal with the issue, resolving it without costing anyone any extra grief or money.

When they come out and take the template of your counters at your home, your GC can be there. However, viewing the template is important. Mine posted it onto a computer for viewing and then we walked out to the yard and compared the stone against the template.

The bulk of the time spent during the installation will be leveling and some with matching the epoxy. Vast majority of their cutting is completed beforehand. I have no idea how many blades they went through. Mine had to make two 5-inch cuts to complete the stove cutout, and the two faucet holes. (Note: If yours plans on cutting extensively inside your house, I'd find another fabricator.)

Things to check:
1. Recheck that the granite visually matches along seams from what they showed you at templating.
2. Seams are tightfitting and epoxy matches the granite colors.
3. Snugly fitting along your walls. No excuse for big sloppy gaps--what if you don't do a tile backsplash? Or you have a thin tile?
4. If you did 2cm granite, that the bullnose fronts are tight and match the surface of the counter.

I agree, you can never assume anything and you have to watch everything! Here's an example. Today I went by our new house as the basement carpet was being installed. We are having a runner down the middle of the steps. The guys had the pad down and I noticed it was way off center. They had centered it with the whole step instead of from the wall to the spindles. I just happened to catch them before they installed it. Thank goodness I walked in when I did. :)

Be there
My cabinet maker actually insisted on being here and i left him for a lot of the time to check on things like fitting to the wall etc.
they did need to make some adjustments on that
I came in to see but didn't stand there watching over their shoulder
I was most concerned about making sure the seams were done properly thanks to GW advice.
In fact the seam was an issue ( to me ) and if I had not been there it would have been much more difficult to get it resolved