It seems your contractor wants to be able to cover replacing your quartz if the counters get damaged during the swap.

Who will be responsible if the counters crack during the job?

Are you in the Tampa/Sarasota area by any chance? There is a Pro here that specializes in sink replacements and is from that area.

I would think they have to remove the countertops to install the sink correctly. The sink has to be leveled and everything is too heavy to try and slide it in.

I did a kitchen for one of my best friends in 2012. She got a Fireclay sink. A few months ago, her hands were soapy and she dropped a heavy countertop soap dispenser. It literally sheered away a big slice of the apron....not just a chip! She decided to have it repaired for now. She may pay to have it replaced down the road, but the guy she hired did a good job and didn't cost much at all. She said he kept apologizing for how expensive it was, yet in her head, she was thinking, "at least it's not $3000". LOL.

This is the one thing I tell people when they ask my opinions on farmsinks. Love them...love them for short people....but will always be way more expensive to swap out a sink in the future. In a way, I'm glad the trend is fading.

Ps. To answer your question, in the past I've had to have tops removed (flood damage) and reinstalled. The cost was probably 50% cost of the new installed price. If your sink top is on a short straight galley kitchen? Easy! If your kitchen has tile backsplash? Easy but risk of chipping a tile is a possibility. If your top is part of a big L or U-shape....that will cost you more! The cost will best be determined by the people that originally installed the tops. Call them and get an estimate. You WILL need to be prepared to sign off any liability for this. They don't really want to do this and will accept no liability for damage to your tops, backsplash or cabinets.

"...but will always be way more expensive to swap out a sink in the future."

Apron sinks are easier to change than conventional sinks. One less rail to cut, profile, and polish. When the stars align, I can do one in 5 hours.

"I'm glad the trend is fading."

The apron sink isn't fading at least in the sink replacement business. The Elkay Quartz Luxe 36" short apron makes up about 1/3 of my sales. If you've got a blown reinforcement rod, an apron sink is the best cure.

Daniel:

You don't remove tops to replace an undermount sink; you tap the cabinet front off. I've done this hundreds of times. No different here.

If you were within driving distance, I'd charge you less than $2,000.00 to swap that sink, plumbing included, and guarantee no damage to the countertops. So yeah, your guy's a little high for a one-day job.

Cabinet front is removed. Because the bowl is deeper than the apron, you can't put the sink in without pulling the front, but you can't put the front back on until the sink is in. They have to go in together.

This one is perfect, but I chipped the apron on the first one of these on this job. I repaired it and my customers tomorrow are taking it and a 30% discount. Ouchie.

Yeah Joe, but you live too far from me. I don't have anyone here that does what you do....so yeah, it is more expensive for clients here until I can find a "JOE".

Trend is fading here where I am. Seems like every kitchen I did 2000-2013 was a farm sink. Now they're all single stainless.

Here is a pic of the current, and subsequent, replacement sink. Any ideas about how i can prop the counters up just a bit to slide it out for an exact duplicate? Thanks all!!!!

Daniel:

What part of "You don't remove tops to replace an undermount sink; you tap the cabinet front off" do you not understand?

People get the mistaken idea that tops must be removed/altered to replace a sink. This isn't true and is risky.

I don't think you could lift those counters with your cabinet and the sill. You might, might be able to slide the sink out without lifting the counters, after removing the faucets, soap dispenser, and all the sealant in between the sink and countertop. That is if the countertop, which it should be, is above the sink and not putting any pressure on it. As Joe said, you have to cut the front of the cabinet to do that.

It is Parade Home week here - I've seen lots of apron front sinks:)

Joe has a few post on his page showing the removal of the front of the cabinet - not the countertop to change out the sink.

My own apron front sink is a cast iron Whitehaven.

You cannot prop the counter. It is goes around the corner and underneath a wall cabinet in the corner that comes down on top of it. Joe is the Counter top guru here and what he is saying is the correct approach to fixing this.

Best of luck!

Thats great!!!!

Nice, I was thinking it was a Apron style sink...Good job, thanks for the follow up,,,love that you could diy .......