HP Granite Inc.

Prior to visiting HP Granite, we checked out several local granite showrooms. HP lacks the fancy showroom, but Tammy knows her business well and will bend over backwards to please her customers. Pricewise, they were comparable to most of the competition. Most offered a free sink with countertop purchase---usually a choice between one or two, and usually the lighter 18 gauge stainless steel. Tammy offers a wide selection of styles, and only in the heavier 16 gauge stainless. To save us the trip to Chicago to select our slab, she suggested we let her have a slab delivered to her shop for our approval, and if we weren't happy with it, she would send it back, no strings attached. No one else offered to do this without a contract and deposit first. She ordered it on a Friday; it was there on Monday. We viewed it and approved it and signed the contract. I can't say the installation was without problems. The day of installation, the crew arrived promptly, but it was determined that our water pipes sat too high, so a plumber would have to be called to lower them before the countertop could be installed. Installation took place the following day. Due to the cabinets not being level, shims were inserted on one end, though we believed them to be too few and too loose, which we feel played a part in the countertop cracking at the sink about a month later. Unable to repair it, Tammy replaced it at her cost. The installer tried to tell us that our cabinets had settled since the first countertop had been installed and told us that was why it had cracked. He, at first, refused to install the second one without us first having a contractor raise and level the cabinets. He said he could prove they had moved because of a gap where a cabinet insert had been originally installed. We pointed out that the gap had paint in it from our painting the cabinets prior to the first installation which proved it had already been there. The house is almost 35 years old. It settled a long time ago. With that, the installation continued. This time, shims were solidly placed and, now, several months later, all seems to be fine. We love the granite and how much it has improved the look of our kitchen and wouldn't think twice about dealing with Tammy again. She definitely puts the customer first. She was very responsive to any concerns we had and was determined to please. One thing we WOULD think twice about is the lifetime sealant offered by the former owner, who is also an employee. We had opted to pay the additional $225 to have it done. This is not a service performed by HP Granite, but Tammy is obligated to inform you of the availability. Upon replacement of the first countertop, the former owner refused to seal the replacement without being reimbursed again, which we opted against. We've since learned that denser granite may not even need to be sealed right away, if at all, and ours passes the and quot;water testand quot; as is. When necessary, we'll do it ourselves.

quality of work was superb, the cratsman were on time, cleaned up after themselves, qulity of work exceed out expectations. the overall cost was significantly higher then quoted. we did not understand in advance that if our counter tops were not completely level there would be additonal cost involved with making that right before installing new counter tops. this was the only area where we were unhappy with this contractor.