I'm so sorry to pile on, but if you're still getting an inspection, the placement of that electric outlet would be against code in my area, where it has to be at least 3" above a wet countertop.

I have several options that I would consider. Slide the counter top out and either double the thickness of the back splash or add a piece of wood cabinet trim to cover that gap. Or slide the cabinet out and shim it up a bit to decrease the gap. I would rather see the backsplash doubled than deal with the gap in front and shimming the cabinet rather than adding a side splash.

Correct - slide counter out, the backsplash will cover a 1/2" gap at the back wall, and shim it up 3/16" and caulk that.

The only solution is to do exactly what Joseph Cortlett said.

The question about the legality of the electrical outlet is a good one. You may have to redo that area of tile to deal with getting the outlet in the right place anyway.

I’m so sad for you! I would be sick! Listen to Cornett. There’s only one way, the right way. Good luck.

It’s construction, it’s not irrevocable. I would suggest removing the tile from the wall (demo, sorry), and redoing it. And move the outlet, should be up higher, and gfi.

Hello Kristi,
What I would do is put spacers under the counter raising the counter up to the tile. Remove that one piece of tile in the front and replace with a matching tile. The sink and plumbing will be able to move right up without any problems.

Oh, I just read what Just _Janni said. Yes it may also be possible to slide the counter forward to fill the front gap and fill the hole underneath where it won’t be noticed.

It all must be redone!!! And, redone correctly. How could any craftsman think this renovation is acceptable.

Pull out the counter. Retile the one row of tile they pulled out. Cut the counter with a diamond wheel on a grinder. Put the counter back. Caulk-Done.

Please leave a honest review of the construction team when you have some time. This is ridiculous and I’m so sorry that you have to deal with this mess.

Did you have a general contractor overseeing this job? If so, it’s his problem. If you were acting as your own GC and hiring the subs, it’s your problem. The electricity has to be done to be safe. The rest is cost vs emotional satisfaction and who bears the additional expense, you or your GC.

Can you get more of the counter top material? If so, I would carry the backsplash around the corner to the edge of the counter. You'd have to insert something to make up for the missing backerboard, and this would be the time to move the outlet if required by code; I'd move it to the wall above the backspash even if it's not required because it's bound to get water from either the tub or the sink where it is now. If you don't have any extra tile, maybe they can savage enough of the ones they'll be removing to replace the little bit at the front.

Oh no !!! I recently remodeled a friends bathroom and her handyman suggested that she cut the wall to fit the countertop just like this.... I advised her it was a terrible idea. Kristi please get a countertop that fits and close that makeshift hole in the wall. It will be worth every penny in the end.

You all need to stop freaking out. Have the granite counter top installer cut a 1x1 (or what ever size) trim piece to cover the opening. Have the same material 90 degree the corner. I personally would use a black granite or quartz. The electrical outlet is a different problem. One solution is to make an outlet cover from the same material as the trim piece. An electrician would move the plug out to the edge of the cover. NO destruction/ demo. Contrasting color. Quick fix for a skilled counter top fabricator.

Well, some of the non-demo fixes like @williamdsolar would work. But, to be honest, you’re always going to look at it and hate it. And the placement of that outlet is an issue. Every area has different rules but I would seriously question if that would pass inspection in its current location. So if you have to put that right, you may as well make the contractors do the whole thing properly. A bathroom reno is for years so it should be right, and if this means some mess and more time now, at least you won’t spend the next few years looking at it and being irritated.

Hubby's DIY at the Home Depot?! Needs to be redone by a tile professional.

Whoever made this decision should be paying for it so your only cost is time and disappointment. Move your outlet 90 degrees to vanity mirror wall and onto sheet rock. Don’t cut into your tile for outlets and hanging accessories like towel racks and TP holders.

Can’t stop thinking about this. If you gave another outlet that you can use in you could do away with that one. Or have an electrician place it elsewhere if not. That would allow you to install a side splash, then have the tiler come back and cut a new tile to fix & fill the remaining space on wall with the subway.
Shouldn’t be hard to cut a new piece of the subway. It might work and cost less. Good luck! I hope you will post the end result.

"Have the granite counter top installer cut a 1x1 (or what ever size) trim piece to cover the opening. Have the same material 90 degree the corner. I personally would use a black granite or quartz. The electrical outlet is a different problem. One solution is to make an outlet cover from the same material as the trim piece. An electrician would move the plug out to the edge of the cover. NO destruction/ demo. Contrasting color. Quick fix for a skilled counter top fabricator."

Horrific suggestion. Bad to worse.

Hi. I have lived through many hack jobs. My father was the king of no knowledge and bad fashion sense. Picture baby blue fun fur and mirrors on the wall. Yeah. Anyway the quickest fix I can think of is to remove the piece of tile below and replace with a closer fitted one. A bit tricky because of the gap but doable. Then for the top you can get thin trim pieces usually that match the tile or counter. It would not be perfect but at least look more finished and less obvious. Make sure you make cuts if you have to for the plug face plate. You may also want to keep an eye on the shower shelf. If its not angled out you are going to get water sitting in there even if the water doesn't hit it. Every time you grab a bottle water will deposit there. It can get pretty ugly. Hope this helps if even to get different ideas.

Has anyone suggested suing these guys? What a mess. I think the fastest thing to do would be to remove the countertop and add a bit of "filler" (plywood or whatever) on top of the cabinet to lift it flush to the upper tile. Obviously the sink and pipes will have to be lifted slightly too (which might not be much of a problem - you'll have to look under there and see if there's any "give;" if not, this solution might be more trouble than it's worth). Then cut out that small piece of tile at the leading edge of the countertop and replace with a properly shaped one. (see pic) As far as the outlet - unless you're hoping to burn the place down in order to start from scratch - that needs to be moved. Then that one tile can be removed and replaced with a whole one.

I am not understanding why the countertop can not be removed, add the missing tile on the wall on the left, cut the counter to fit next to the tiled wall.

I am not an expert at all but think the tile needs to be replaced and the countertop trimmed. I also wondered about that outlet. It doesn't seem to be in the right place. Poor workmanship. I feel for you.

Look closely at the grouting around the tile top of the half-wall. That tells you all you need to know about the installer's lack of professionalism. If the little things can't be done right, for sure the big things won't be either.

A good, pro tile guy could have measured and cut these tiles correctly. Counter top needs removal and tile re-done. Agree on electrical. First time somebody splashes while washing - and zap. Need a licensed electrician to re-locate.

At a minimum, remove the small piece of tile at the front edge of the countertop and replace with a properly cut piece of tile; perfectly caulk between the countertop and the wall.

Also, is that electrical outlet next to the sink in compliance with code?

I would carefully cut on an electric tile saw a strip if tile to fit the crack and glue it in there. You may break a few in the cutting, but I think a good sharp-bladed electric tile saw would do this. It would be a shame to remove and start over.

Replace the bottom tile, in the corner, with larger L shaped tile to fill in that gap. Add a 4in side splash, covering the tiles, to match the 4in. backsplash with the same granite. There should be a side splash there either way because it is close to the wet area. Also the electrical plug is close to the wet area. - D’Stonewood Solutions LLC.

Silver outlet cover gray tile trim or marble trim.

Something is significantly off square. From the pics, your backsplash butts up to the tile and is square to the back of the countertop but by the time you get to the front, the countertop is cutting into the wall. Either your countertop is off square, or worse...that whole wall. Just seems like poor craftsmanship/design. The sink sound have been moved over slightly to accommodate this error in the first place and try to hide the gap with caulk at least. That outlet is concerning indeed...Too bad, I’m sure it wasn’t a cheap reno.

Thank you all for the feedback. Contractor is sending a team soon to evaluate and fix. Everyone’s input has been invaluable. I’ll keep you posted.

Upon further review...

I would do a hybrid of my previous recommendation.

1. Ship up the counter to eliminate the gap above the granite.

2. Replace that one tile at the front of the counter to fit better.

the outlet likely "is what it is" and you may have to get a customized trim plate.

Let us know what you decide.

Installer decided...."Yeah , were gonna have to go custom on this one "

Hi! Before you go and take tiles out or fill with caulking, I suggest to go to Lowe’s or similar store and ask for pencil liner tile. They have a very ample assortment of it. Choose the one goes better with your room and you’ll love the results.

You're a forgiving person, obviously you've gotten enough advice but I'm going to throw this out there anyways. FIRE THE CONTRACTOR!! He's a hack. For you to have to come here all how to fix this hack job and get advice is telling.
Get a real pro.

Thank you all for your feedback. We are waiting to see how the sub will fix. Unfortunately all the extra tile and grout was removed from the site so they are ordering more before attempting to fix. 🤞

In the meantime, I was looking at the new tile and a few corner pieces are chipped. Is that fixable?

Fixable by replacing the tile.

You’ve paid a professional and this is not professional work. You know what your contract price was and you can always go to either Small Claims court or an attorney to resolve these issues. Be nice about it, but stand up for yourself. And remember your contractor is working for you. His subcontractors work for him.

You do realize that new tile ordered might mean that the dye lot is different and it might be a slightly different hue.

And if you paid for the tile, why was it removed from the site? It belongs to YOU! I have extra tile in case a tile needs to be replaced sometime in the future.

I feel so bad for you! This just keeps getting worse! The tiles need to be removed and replaced. I wouldn’t let that tile guy back in my house and would hire someone who actually knows what they are doing.
It’s just not right that you paid good money for a job like this. When you look at the edges of the tiles where they were cut they are chipped as well. That should not be. I hope you can get it redone.

Kristi, if you live in Calif you have a boat load of legal help from the contractors state board. There's a specific way about going about it though that's allot quicker. Otherwise it can be painfully slow.
The strategy if available. Does he have a bond? Liability insurance? If yes to any of the above. Stop the project. As soon as you say I don't feel comfortable doing business with you legally he has to stop. Business and professions code. My gut is telling me a permit was not pulled, unless you live in the hills of Tennessee I think every city requires one.
Although your outlet has a GFCI at it's current height it's problematic.
I don't want you to be alarmed. Everything you've shown can be easily remedied to how it should be.
As far as the die lot of tile. Lol drama okay. It's white you'll find a perfect match.
Do yourself the favor, rid yourself of the aggravation by having to point out the obvious wrongs. My greater concern, those things in which you can't see.
Really hope you're in Cali. Tons of resources.

You paid for a professional job to be executed and this is far from it!
They butchered the tiles and on top of everything they didn’t even make it pleasing to the eye… Sorry to increase your stress level but I think you should take the contractor to court.

This was our first renovation (water damage) and it’s been a learning experience. The tile issue is mostly remedied. The grout doesn’t match but we can live with that. Thank you all for your suggestions. We live in North Carolina and it’s pretty hard right now to find contractors. Our housing market is exploding. We’re working with our GC and hopefully will be done soon. It’s been a long 4 months.

Finished product:

Almost. Translucent White colored silicone caulk would have killed it.

Remember to squeegee off the glass every time you use it or it will quickly water-spot. The tile job will not kill a sale. Hope the outlet is GFIC. It’s in a terrible spot. My electric toothbrush and hair dryer cords would be big problems so close to the sink!