When you're filling the role as the general contractor, you need to find subcontractors. For the last few months, I've been searching for the right person to fabricate and install our counter tops. Along the way, I've learned I need to decide on the fixtures and the edge or "profile" of the counter top before I can commit to hiring someone.
Allison and I started out with the easiest part, picking the fixtures. They are the kitchen sink, faucet, and water purification system because these items will be installed into the counter top. For the sink, I think I'm going to go with the Kraus Outlast MicroShield because it's the thickest gauge sink I could find (16 gauge) so it won't make a lot of noise when being used and it's scratch resistant. We cook a lot at home so I figure this sink is going to get a lot of wear and tear so it should be built to last. For the kitchen faucet, I'm leaning towards the Delta Essa. It's got a sleek look and the Delta brand is very reliable. For the water purification system, I'm planning on going with the iSpring RCC7 because it got good reviews on Amazon and the included faucet matches the rest of our appliances. Even though this was supposed to be the "easiest part," it still took a few weeks of research to pick them out.
The profile we've decided on our quartz counter top is the mitered edge. It's flat with small rounded corners. This is the most basic profile and the cheapest. Anything else and the price just goes up from there.
The biggest lesson I've learned from this process is the difference in response times from various sized companies. The small established businesses with nice looking websites and YouTube channels take longer to get back to your questions and requests for estimates. If they're really on it, they'll get back to you in 24 hours with an email or a call. And after a few exchanges, you might not hear from them anymore and you'll have to call and follow up with them. These guys are also more expensive.
Whereas the people who run their own small business, the owner/operator with a few people working for them, will get back to you immediately and keep following up. They get your call or text and they immediately get right back to you. They keep in touch. They'll also come out to your place and meet you in person. I so appreciate this because it gives me the chance to meet them and talk to them face-to-face and they can actually see and assess the project with their own eyes. These are the folks that I like to work with an in the end, I think I'm going to go with someone like this.
Allison and I started out with the easiest part, picking the fixtures. They are the kitchen sink, faucet, and water purification system because these items will be installed into the counter top. For the sink, I think I'm going to go with the Kraus Outlast MicroShield because it's the thickest gauge sink I could find (16 gauge) so it won't make a lot of noise when being used and it's scratch resistant. We cook a lot at home so I figure this sink is going to get a lot of wear and tear so it should be built to last. For the kitchen faucet, I'm leaning towards the Delta Essa. It's got a sleek look and the Delta brand is very reliable. For the water purification system, I'm planning on going with the iSpring RCC7 because it got good reviews on Amazon and the included faucet matches the rest of our appliances. Even though this was supposed to be the "easiest part," it still took a few weeks of research to pick them out.
The profile we've decided on our quartz counter top is the mitered edge. It's flat with small rounded corners. This is the most basic profile and the cheapest. Anything else and the price just goes up from there.
The biggest lesson I've learned from this process is the difference in response times from various sized companies. The small established businesses with nice looking websites and YouTube channels take longer to get back to your questions and requests for estimates. If they're really on it, they'll get back to you in 24 hours with an email or a call. And after a few exchanges, you might not hear from them anymore and you'll have to call and follow up with them. These guys are also more expensive.
Whereas the people who run their own small business, the owner/operator with a few people working for them, will get back to you immediately and keep following up. They get your call or text and they immediately get right back to you. They keep in touch. They'll also come out to your place and meet you in person. I so appreciate this because it gives me the chance to meet them and talk to them face-to-face and they can actually see and assess the project with their own eyes. These are the folks that I like to work with an in the end, I think I'm going to go with someone like this.
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