"Gaps between 1/4-3/8 of an inch, not filled in any way" - Where are these gaps? If at the back wall perfectly normal as your backsplash will cover it.

"a “gouge” out of the surface about the diameter of a quarter - not too deep, but rough" These should have been polished out for sure.

"several “razor blade” like scratches in 5 or 6 different areas (fingernail catches, so it is an actual scratch, not just visual)" Again these should have been polished out.

"Dull patches on surface (some inches long)" See above should have been fixed if possible, it may be an inclusion that is impossible to smooth however (remember it is a natural product).

"One piece was cut to the wrong size so had To be re-cut and replaced. Was supposed to be done same day, but ended up being 2 days later." This one is kind of what it is, they should have told you it would be a day or two before they got back, so poor communication is all. Not something worth money back or a discount for on its own.

Damage to the sink base from water is inexcusable and should be on his dime to repair. Holes in the drywall, again it happens and if that were it alone you probably would not have said a word.

Thanks for your response!

The gaps are where the countertop meets the wall.

Do you happen to know if the areas that should have been polished out can be polished out after installation? I’m just trying to understand what would be reasonable to expect to fix the issues.

I’m certainly not trying to get something for nothing, but do expect to get what I paid for.

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and offer your opinion!

I imagine that they can correct some of the surface problems when they come over...it's marble, should be doable on site.

Absolutely as lucky998877 states. That should be site fixable, They should have a vacuum system so the dust would be minimal.

Good to know. Hopefully he will stop avoiding us so we can get the issues resolved. I am relieved to know these are things that CAN be fixed! Thanks for your input!

...when he wants your other 50%, he will show up ;)

True! I’m glad we haven’t paid the balance yet so we have some leverage to get these issues resolved.

FB is a marble, not a granite. Marble is softer and will show scratches and etches. You can polish it, but you’ll get similar things reoccurring.

Most shut off valves don’t get used enough to seal well when they are actually needed. They need to be turned off and on as part of regular home maintenance. You should always have a plumber handle the disconnect, and reconnect, and replace the shut off valve at that time. Countertop folks are not licensed plumbers. They shouldn’t ever touch plumbing. If they do, then they should pay the price for their stupidity in assuming liability.

Thanks for your response!

"Do you happen to know if the areas that should have been polished out can be polished out after installation?"

Yes. Give him a reasonable amount of time to fix your reasonable punch list, maybe a week or so. Tell him if it isn't done by then, you'll hire out the repairs and deduct their cost from his balance due. He'll be right over, believe me.

Thanks so much for your response. That’s exactly the approach I was planning to take. I am trying to be reasonable but we’ve been given a bit of a runaround. He is supposed to be coming tomorrow to polish out the areas of concern and caulk the gaps. I really appreciate your advice!

can you post pics that aren't magnified 10X!?

stand back and normal viewing length so we can see what we're viewing

Do not give the fabricator/installer one more nickel until you are completely satisfied with the material and installation. If he polishes the rough spot, it may not be flat with the rest of the surface. There is no excuse for such shoddy work. They measured for the counter?The measurements seem to be wrong since the gap is so large. If he is as bad as his work, you may have a tough time ahead of you.

Thanks for your reply. I have attached some photos for reference. The large gaps are on opposite walls (labeled in blue) the rest of the gaps aren’t too large. I have marked roughly where the scratches and the gouge are for reference in red, but you can’t see any of it in the photos which is why I showed the close ups. The photos were taken after filling the holes in the walls and before the small piece of countertop that needed to be recut next to the stove was installed (No issues on that piece).

One of his installers was actually the one to point out some of the badly scratched areas on the cut edges. The owner is supposed to come tomorrow to fix the issues.

Thanks again for all your input, I am feeling much better about things!

Thanks for the reply felizlady. He did come out to template, which is why I was surprised to see large gaps. From what I have read industry standard is 1/8 +/- 1/16.

I think the water leaking under our sink cabinet for hours without any word of it from the installers set a negative scope on the rest of the issues we have encountered so I appreciate the outside opinions!

Bottom line is YOU need to be happy with the job you are paying them to do. Good luck .. don’t settle until you are satisfied.

I appreciate the advice. I agree, but also want to make sure my expectations are reasonable. I just want what’s fair for both sides. Thanks!

aren't you tiling? a normal backsplash tile should cover the gap. If it doesn't, then yes, he needs to rectify that.

the gouges and scratches should all be polished and fixed.

Make sure he applies a good sealer. (or make sure you do).

It's properly sealed when water beads up on the surface.

is this or you? I hope that will be smoothed as well. no tile there.

what about this gap between counter and the fridge?? I can see tons of things getting lost down there.

would have been nice to make a panel for the side of the fridge and install that

like this:

at the very least have a countertop piece cut to bridge that gap (but that's going to look very weird.

get yourself a side panel and have that granite piece cut right to the edge.

Yes, we plan on tiling. one of our tile options we were considering slid right down the gap even in the packaging with cardboard inside so I doubt the thinset would add much more thickness to it to fully cover the gap, but should be minimally noticeable if it’s caulked I suppose.

That spackling has been sanded down now. That was us, not him. We patched up the holes and primed to get it ready for tile.

The gap between the fridge was there prior. Too bad I didn’t think of the panel idea before hand, that would have been nice To have the countertop extend to the fridge and block that! You’re right, things do fall down there (hello Christmas cards!)

I will request that he re-seal the top, but do you happen to have a good recommendation that I could apply in case he doesn’t?

Thanks!!

i have to ask, 'why was the layout done like that?'

the sink in the corner wasn't necessary w/that large expanse to the right. you have the DW taking front and center under the window. why wasn't the sink put there and the layout configured like these?

I think this would have been better

i just think corner sinks are a last resort.

this one looks nice, but notice the panel surround for the fridge

You may be able to still do it. get a thicker piece of plywood and paint it to match cabs. see if you can somehow slide it in and attach it to the upper and lower cabs

I agree on the layout, but we didn’t design the kitchen, we just refaced it to better suit our taste and stay on a budget. The panel looks nice and I will look into it!

Thanks for your perspective as a fabricator. The “surface variation” I’m particularly concerned about is the scratching and the gouge. The damage to the cut edges in particular were pointed out to us by his installer who said it was unacceptable and a bad cut. The gouge area by the quarter may be natural variation, but it’s an actual rough divot out of the stone the diameter of a quarter. If something were to get in there I don’t think there would be any way to clean it properly. I just want it smooth for that purpose alone. It’s not unsightly necessarily but unhygienic.

Regarding the plumbing, I’m sure you’re right, but the installers never notified us that it was dripping in any way and just put one of our towels down and left it without saying a word. Thankfully I opened the cabinet (several hours later) to reveal a soaking wet towel and a puddle of water that stretched from edge to edge of that cabinet. If they would have just notified us and told us to put a bucket or something until we were able to reconnect the plumbing that could have avoided that whole issue.

I do understand that as a natural stone there will be some dull spots but the ones that were of concern to me were More like strips of dullness that didn’t match up with one geological area. Not really a huge deal, but if they can be polished, even better.

I really appreciate your feedback and perspective as fabricator!

You are welcome. There is so much mis-information that people really need a credible source of info with no agenda. A large fraction of problems are due to expectations the customer has going into the project. Good fabricators spend the effort up front to manage customer expectations so there are no surprises. Trying to manage missed expectations after the stone is installed is a losing proposition.