The granite can't be made to be square at this point without removing the stone and re doing it. While a kind jester to make things better you must know the cost to pay for the plumbing is nowhere near the cost to replace the countertop. If you can live with it then great however if it's something that's always going to bother you then now is the time to change it....

You could split the cost of the granite and accept it as is. Some times the colleral damage to fix something like this is worse than the problem.

I agree with MS Colours...also the bullnose edge won't chip as easily as the square edge. What you have is still sleek and appropriate for your design.

If you demand replacement, your cabinets could suffer damage during removal. And you just cost the contractor his profit on the job. He won't be happy about that and the rest of the work could suffer.

Make lemonade out of those lemons. A bullnose edge is much more resistant to chips and dings than flat. It's considered an upgrade and costs more. By the time he adds on the other offer, you are well ahead, with a better result than you had planned or budgeted for

The customer suffering is the contractor knocking a shutoff valve off during connecting the sink and flooding the house. Not a minor decorative difference that is actually an upgrade to a low cost project. Get a grip. The real world has reasonable people and compromises and shades of gray. If you want a project too move forward and any contractor in that town to ever work for the OP again, you don't backtrack and scream fault. This is no pea for some princess to get all bruised over.

It looks just fine! Relax and enjoy it - it looks nice!

GN Builders is right. You have a good working relationship with your contractor. The upgraded edge is a blessing. You received a windfall on the plumbing expense. Should you try to start over and you will watch the costs go though the roof.

Why have a contract at all if you aren't going to enforce it? Either have the counter replaced including all associated expenses or accept a price reduction if you don't want the hassle of redoing it. Only you can decide if you can live with an edge you didn't want.

If it were me, I'd definitely live with it. True, it's not what you ordered, but he'll be furious if you ask to have it replaced and the final outcome just might not work out at all (possible damage to cabinets as mentioned, etc.). At most, I might ask for a little more of a price break than the sink installation, but I too would make lemonade out of lemons. When, our house was being built, little things like that happened in several cases, and over the years, I've not even noticed those differences. Having it changed could turn into an emotional nightmare for all.

@ bichonbabe Contract is to protect a Homeowner and Contractor and to make sure Contractor provides the said material per contract, etc i.e if contractor said he will install Granite, it should be Granite and not Formica, if he said he will do A,B and C he should do A,B, andC. He did all that except small technicality which didn't cause any damage, or any additional expense, or any type of a loss, delay, etc on the Homeowner part.

This is no different if I provide a customer with contract saying " I will provide and install GAF Brown roof 30 year warranty" and instead " I provide and install GAF Brown Roof 35 year warranty" Would you make an issue out of it? I doubt that.

If she listens to you and go after this guy, it will not only cause the hardship on HO/Contractor relationship, she will not get a price reduction or countertop replacement,she will get nothing... because she got something better as the value goes, also an additional offer from a contractor to pick up plumbing cost who is showing good faith and trying to make Homeowner happy... not to mention she is not even saying she likes it or not, she just saying what can be done to fix this in regard to the countertop edge... and not how to hurt her contractor.

Even if someone wants to be difficult over something like this, and blow this out of proportion by taking this to court, it will get you nothing but wasted time and a headache. Court is about making a person whole in the contract case, especially when workmanship is good and everything is done right except a small technicality, and at this point if anyone is out something with addition of free plumbing work, is the contractor.

With that said I am a Homeowner Advocate when it comes to wrong doing, shoddy jobs, poor workmanship, ripp-offs, etc... This is not the case to make an elephant out of a fly, and if anything, she got the slab she picked with a better edge and free plumbing work... you can call that a gift, so be happy, and enjoy your beautiful kitchen.

Best of luck

Since when is an edge you don't want " better" ? Just because a bull nose supposedly costs more, doesn't make it a better value to the consumer if its not what they wanted. Square edges are in style now, not bull nose.

And I never said anything about ending up court. Consumers need to stand up for their rights and I'm sure this can be done politely.

i'm not a cranky person, but this edge really is a different look than one requested.

sometimes a contractor really has to fix a mistake.

I don't know much about all this, but here's my two cents.

The OP said, "I can live with the edges" in the original post. If that's true, and you really don't mind, then I'd say just leave it alone and move forward. The plumbing being paid for is a nice bonus.

I often see people as contractor vs. homeowner mindset where it's a competition. Why is everyone so fixated on it being about who "wins" or gets the better deal? In my mind, I'm hiring a professional to do something that I cannot or will not do. The contract is a way to set an expectation of that that professional will (and will not) provide. If you don't like the edge, and you think it will bother you even a few years from now, then talk to him about redoing it. Ask the contractor what it would take to replace it. Hopefully he will also be reasonable and explain the costs associated and the time delay and any possible hurdles (like others have mentioned with possible damage to the cabinets). As with every relationship, communication is so important. If you want something, ask for it and then see what his answer is.

This is your house. You will live in it. The contractor won't. We won't. Only you can decide how much effort is worth the fix or whether it won't matter to you in 6 months.

Jmo525

I think you made a well informed choice. As long as you are ok with the edge and you feel that the money he put towards the plumbing is justified for his mistake.

I know it can be frustrating when you don't get what you ask for, but I sounds like it wasn't that important to you and you lucky enoug to have an honest contractor that was willing to make acomedations for his mistake.

good luck and enjoy your new kitchen

Every time you get something new, you tend to stare at it and obsess about it. In a year, I bet you won't even notice the different edge. Beautiful kitchen. Good decision and I bet you'll get good karma from that choice:)

Dear jmo625, I think it looks great! The bull nose looks so much better. I think the straight edges look hard. I would never have a straight edge again. Also the bull nose is usually more expensive. Love the light counter with the dark cupboards! Craftlady

I agree 100% in getting what you paid for but I would hate to work for some of the above. Mistakes are made and yes the contractor screwed up. Problem is you have to mitigate your damages here and pick the path of not compounding your problems.

Here you have an edge that actually goes with your kitchen better then a squared edge. You also have an upgrade as a square edge is usually just the edge of the slab cut square. You have a double edge that they have rounded off giving the granite a thicker more expensive look.

Whenever something is redone it will look redone as it effects the surrounding materials.

If the edge was specific to your design with say a modern kitchen or farmhouse look I guess I would change it but to do it just to be "Right" is just wrong. I think we are starting to see the effects of the "Me Generation" who have been given into and catered to come to age of buying homes. Too many 8th place trophies.

Sometimes you have to sit bad, relax and realize you were given an upgrade and now saved another $400 on plumbing. Win, win and you didn't spend days aggravated.

Your cabinets are not modern and have rounded parts and that works with the bull nose edge. It might actually fit better than the square edge.

What is your backsplash like?

Everyone here has a valid point, its still as annoying as hell that he messed up.

My first reaction was that the bullnose suits the cabinets. I get the point about the contract too. I'd take the plumbing and be done. Really, in a couple of months it won't bother you.

I only get annoyed when my surgeon messes up.

I appreciate that the contractor was direct and honest about his mistake. He is paying for plumbing as a gesture of goodwill. There was no "he said, she said", he just owned the mistake and is making a strong effort to recompense. I like his honesty and his integrity. You have a good contractor and the finished work is gorgeous.

What we want and do not get is frustrating. But one can change the 'state of mind' by accepting what is actually not a bad look.

A stand-off costs time and money and both sides lose. You may end up in court trying to get a settlement and end up paying the attorney or your personal time more than the cost of the Granite. Accept the cost , or free plumbing and you will be ahead of the game. Once your guests remark how beautiful your kitchen looks, you could smile and say you got it for a deal!

This thread is EXACTLY why my husband and I do our own work. Of course, everyone can't, but sure glad we can.

So, reading this, the contract is only to protect the contractor??????

I was raised with the idea that a contract is a man's word. When I sign something, I only do so if I can live up to EVERY word that I'm signing. Over the years, this has helped me, it has hurt me, but I always dealt with people that had the same belief that I did - the contract is the final word.

I only hope, that if you decide to live with it, you get IN WRITING what the contractor is agreeing to do because of his mistake.

I have been called 'bellegerent' I am sure that is not the B word he wanted to say!

I love your granite choice BTW, what is it? I wish someone had told me that bull nose edges are better and why. I am unhappy with my granite. They wouldn't let me pick the slab, and all is uniform except a big "bleached spot" on the island. Looks like somebody spilled something on it. It was installed yesterday. What can I do?

Pictures please.