Granite Mill’s Order Process

Dear Potential Customer,

You are undoubtedly reading this because you are considering getting natural stone countertops for your home or rental. Granite Mill provides quality natural stone countertops throughout Western Washington. We have found that most customers appreciate understanding the process up front so we’ve put together this document. Here is what you should expect in a typical Granite Mill order process.

Estimating:

Most customers like to have an idea of the ballpark of prices that they are to expect. This helps them to financially plan their projects and to be able to decide up front whether they want to continue to pursue certain countertop types. Because our pricing structure is very simple, we can usually give a rough estimate by only getting the square footage or a simple drawing of the job and information about the type(s) of material that the customer desires. We can of course also generate estimates off cabinet layout drawings. Drawings and other pertinent information can be sent to us via email, fax or phone. We are also more than happy to meet you in your home and to take measurements ourselves for your estimate.

When we receive the information about your project, we will promptly send you an estimate. It is good to keep in mind that this is only an estimate and not the exact final cost. It is common that the first estimate will come back with a few questions from us. These are questions about the details of the job that may not have been specified. Getting answers to these will help us narrow down some specifics about the job. Examples of such questions might be: Will you need countertop removal and disposal? Or, is there backsplash along the wall behind the sink? We will work with you through these questions and then generate a new estimate based on the new information. Throughout this estimate process we will answer any questions that you have about the job or any other part of this process.

Acceptance:

Once the details of the estimate have been ironed out, the ball is in your court. At this point you will have the written estimate which is a very good idea of what the job will cost. You can then take these numbers and shop around to compare the prices of other fabricators. If you decide to go ahead with Granite Mill for your job, then we will go to the next stage of the process.

Templating:

Before we can fabricate, we need to come out to your home or rental and to make precise templates of your countertops. We will schedule a time with you when can come and create the templates. Templating usually takes between one half hour and two hours. At the end of the templating session, we will take measurements of the templates to obtain the final square footage. We will at this time give you the final cost of the job based off the templates and get a 60% down payment. In some situations, the 60% down payment will be calculated from the most accurate estimate. This down payment is used to pay for the materials and part of the fabrication and travel costs. The remaining outstanding balance will be due at the time of the final walk-through once the job is fabricated and installed. Your down payment (as well as your final payment) can be paid using a personal check or credit/debit card. For the credit/debit card option, a 3.5% processing fee will be added to cover the cost of the credit/debit card transaction from our merchant processing agent.

In some cases, we will request a larger down payment. This will be done if the stone material that is requested for the job is an unusually expensive material. In this case we will simply need a larger down payment in order to be able to buy the stone.

Slab Selection:

After the estimate has been accepted, we will work with you to pick out the stone slabs for your job. This step is sometimes done before and sometimes after the Templating Step. Those customers who want to can personally pick out the exact slabs that will be used for their job. This is done by meeting with one of our sales representatives at one of the local stone slab companies. The slabs are then put on hold pending the job down payment. Such a hold will last for two to four weeks. After this time period, the slab company will expect payment in full.

Other customers prefer not to go through this slab picking process. They can simply tell us what stone type they want and we’ll order the slabs for their job from one of the slab companies.

Fabrication:

Once the slabs have been decided on, the templates have been made and the down payment has been received, the process goes into the fabrication stage. After the templating and down payment, jobs can typically be ready to install within one to two weeks. Current lead times may vary. Please check with our staff on when your project may be installed. We can also usually accommodate any special time requirements or constraints. Please discuss your particular circumstance with a sales representative and we will do all we can to accommodate you. There is usually no customer interaction during the fabrication part of the process other than for the scheduling of the installation.

Installation:

After the countertops have been fabricated, they wait for the installation date. We will work with you throughout the process to find a good day and time for the installation. Installations can range from a few hours to a complete day or two depending on the size of the project. A typical kitchen takes six to ten hours from start to finish.

The Granite Mill installers will demolition and dispose of (as needed and agreed on in the sales agreement) your old counters if there are any and install the new ones. They will fasten the counters and backsplash and set all the seams. They will drill holes for your sink hardware and your cooktop stove as needed. They will also mount your sink(s) and attach it to the countertop. However, you will need to arrange for the hookup of your plumbing and electrical.

Once the installation is done, we conduct a final walkthrough with you. After this is done, the outstanding balance on the job is due and the job completion forms are signed. Then we leave and you get to enjoy your new countertops!

Sales Support:

The Granite Mill sales staff will be there every step of the way to answer any questions that you may have and to take you through this process. Please contact us with additional questions. We appreciate you giving us the opportunity to serve you!

Sincerely,

Granite Mill Sales Staff

EMAIL: customerservice@granitemill.net

PHONE: 206.212.0440

FAX: 866.435.3299

Download a PDF of this information for easy printing and emailing here.