I am a fabricator. Design Loft advice is sound. It's important you read the bids in detail so you know you are comparing "apples to apples." Add edge profile options to the list for bid. In addition to cost you want to evaluate the fabricators performance re: quality and adherence to schedule. A low price does not compensate for a crappy job or weeks late.

The points that such jobs can involve multiple factors that can affect the price and there is more to it than just a price per square foot. Additionally, the best price may not be the best value as you don't want a lousy job... however, the unfortunate reality is that paying more doesn't guarantee a good job either.

All that said, sometimes you just want to know if you are in the right ballpark or not and $80-100/sq ft is the right ballpark.

I would say that price is just fine for my area (central PA). When I was looking, the MSI quartz were a bit cheaper than others, such as Cambria and Caesarstone. If I recall, the MSI's were between mostly $80-90 installed (depends upon the color), and the Cambria I liked was $95.

Of those three brands, I would go with Cambria. I was THRILLED when I found out quartz countertops were within my budget, but after serious research and shopping, I chose granite.

Design loft really hits all the marks for you. There are also fabricators who double the corners and others who don't so there will be 2 different square footage calculations. Then there are places that will advertise or label their samples at lets say $60 per sq ft for a series of colors then when you get there the conversation gets confusing... its another $500 for delivery - $650 for template - $5 or $10 more for the next series of colors, etc.... all these things sound innocent enough but then when you total it out you are spending way more than the next guy.

Always shop the finished top - all those items DesignLoft listed. That will give you your true pricing.

Good luck!

I am a fabricator. For my shop there are many quartz options that would be less than $65/sq. ft. but pricing definitely has a regional component due to costs imposed by the local labor market and the city and state. A safe approach is to get three bids for the same material; if they're all close (within 10%) you are good. Specifying the same material eliminates the variable of material cost and lets you see what the fabricator is actually charging for his part. Note: if the material is inventoried by the fabricator his material cost can be lower because he won't have as much waste as the fabricator that is buying the slabs just for your job. The lowest price is rarely the best value.