ABQ Granite & More

This price was great by comparison. They were courteous and flexible to work with and did what we asked. They followed up quickly. There are more professional shops in town but you will pay for the difference.

Did not go well. The original estimate was vague--both footage and cost were quoted as ranges. Quoted $35 or $45 per sq. ft. depending on category 2 or 4 stone. This estimate was later raised to "we charge $35 per sq. ft. plus our cost for the stone divided by your square footage." Ended up costing about $55.Workers came out right away for templates (after $1725 down), then someone showed up at the granite wholesaler to select the stone, then they vanished. I would call for an installation date, or to follow up on their offer to help position the templates on the slabs in their shop, and I would get a fictitious date like "next Tuesday" or "next Wednesday." Nearly 3 weeks transpired before things got moving, when it should have been half that at most, according to their initial pitch. At one point I was asked: "what can we do for you--for free--to make it better?" I declined to trade favors for more schedule slippage, and pressed for a date.Added backsplash to the project--there was no need to buy more stone, but we ended up renegotiating the cost of the entire project. Lesson learned: don't change the project scope after the stone is picked out and purchased--you are committed and vulnerable at that point. This is when the per sq. ft. cost jumped from $35 to $55.The crew came out for installation and proceeded to demolish the kitchen counters, doing a little too much damage to the walls. I had signed a waiver allowing that there would be cosmetic problems that ABQ Granite could not or would not fix. Don't sign that waiver. They proceeded to install the countertops, and I listed to singing (not radio) at top volume for several hours. Strange. The stonework is not bad, although I have seen better. See pictures (when I figure out how to attach them here). The hatchet job on the existing cabinet was amazing. They did not clean up all the demolition debris. They did not connect any plumbing although we were told they would. They were in a hurry to caulk up all the joints where the stone meets the wall, before allowing anyone to fix the wall. Who wants to patch drywall over caulk? The crew left, and after that experience I would probably not let them back in my house for any reason, even if ABQ Granite offered to send them.Here's another gem: they took my disposal without asking, and we arranged for me to get it at their shop the next day. When I went across town to their shop it was not there, and I was told the crew foreman had it in his possession. One wonders why. The owner promised to get it back to the shop and to call me to come and pick it up, but you guessed it: nobody ever called.After I shared these pictures with the owner, there were some mea culpas but zero action. At one point, the owner offered his crew foreman as a former "drywall guy" who could fix things up for a nominal charge. I was amenable, but the foreman said before leaving the installation job that he was nothing of the kind. Go figure. And the owner started talking about his waiver. Did I mention? Don't sign that waiver.Fortunately I know about kitchen cabinets, carpentry, plumbing, drywall repair, and painting, and have my own tools. But it has been 2 weeks and I am just finishing up in my free time. I want to send them a bill for my time, and a new disposal.