Bella Stone, Inc.

Absolute perfection. Fast & efficient. Very Professional & cleaned up after the job. We loved Mario.

Mario was able to come 2 days after I called inquiring about doing the work. He worked quickly and did an amazing job. My range fit perfectly one he put it in place. He cleaned up very well, getting most of the dust from sawing the granite. He also cleaned the counter tops around the range and gave me recommendations for cleaner and sealer. His price was more than reasonable and I would definitely recommend and hire again.

Counter tops are so beautiful, that every time I go into the kitchen, looking at them makes me smile! There was a limited selection for the price, but the end result is beautiful. We had a bit of a delay due to the kitchen sink that I ordered, but Mario and his crew installed the counter tops in one day, once the sink arrived.

Overall, everything went very well. I must say that this whole thing was somewhat of a learning experience for me. Unless you've done this before on your own, you probably don't know how the industry works. At some places, you go there, pick from a selection of granite styles/looks, and the price is posted on each granite slab or sample and includes installation. Pretty easy to compare styles & prices. However, I didn't go that route. On the initial ratings questions, I chose "N/A" for price. I'll explain below. I had previously worked with ProSource on a bathroom project and decided to go there first. If I remember correctly, their samples were mostly or only quartz material and we wanted to see more choices. They suggested I go to Omicron which sells only granite, so I did. My wife and I went there and found a slab we liked. We then contacted ProSource again and told them the slab we wanted, gave them some preliminary measurements of our kitchen and they gave us a quote. This was done all through email. Their quote was a little more than I had expected so I decided to get another quote through Angie's List. I found Bella Stone, read the few reviews that were there and decided to get a quote from them. I sent Mario the same measurements I had sent to ProSource and he gave me an estimate which was about $3K less. It was then when I started to discover that it's not easy to figure out just what you're paying for and how the industry works. Omicron is a supplier/distributor of granite. They only sell to "fabricators/Installers" and not to the general public and they won't tell you how much they charge the fabricator for an individual slab. So because of that, we didn't know if the slab we had picked was the least expensive, most expensive or somewhere in the middle of what they offered. As a result, it was impossible to tell exactly how much we were paying for installation. Different fabricators mark up the product differently and charge different prices for their work. In our situation, due to our measurements, we were at the point where we didn't know if we needed 1 or 2 slabs for the project. That meant the fabricator might have to buy both slabs from Omicron even though they may use very little of the 2nd slab for our project. I later asked what happens to the part of the slab that isn't used for our kitchen and Mario told me that he keeps that and can possibly use it for smaller jobs that may come up for him. That gave me a little more insight into how the supplier/fabricator relationship works. I chose "N/A" for price in the ratings but overall, I think I got a fair price, although I only got 2 quotes so there may be cheaper prices out there. When reading the reviews for Bella Stone, one of them stated that Mario had recently re-located from the northeast and had only been doing business in Jacksonville for a short time, but the reviewer's friend worked in a related field in Massachusetts so he asked if he had heard of Mario. He had and had also heard good things about him so it was then I decided to go with Bella Stone. Mario came to my house, took measurements and answered a few questions and everything went well. He did all the measurements by hand and not by laser which apparently a lot of installers use. He was there for about an hour doing the measurements. He indicated that based on his schedule it would be about a week before the actual installation, which was fine, we weren't in any particular hurry. I asked about the type of edge that would be on the granite and he compared it to a slightly curved edge that was on my microwave oven. After he left, I started thinking and remembering images in my head that I had seen in various showrooms over the years and I went online and researched. It turns out the there are MANY edge types out there, and with some of those types, there are additional costs associated with them. Again, this depends on the fabricator. I had specifically remembered one called "Full Bullnose". I contacted Mario and told him that I would prefer that edge instead of the one he described to me earlier. He said OK, but it would cost about $900 more. This seemed to be similar to what I had researched online. Being just before the week of July 4th, and due to both of our work schedules, we ended up delaying the installation for a few more days. Day of installation went very well. Taking out the old laminate countertops (this was not included in the original estimate but early on he had told me he could do that for $350, which sounded reasonable) went smoother than I had anticipated. They were very careful to get them out without damaging the cabinets. It was pretty much an all-day process. There was a separate part of the granite installation where a backsplash was required and the wall where it was to go was not exactly flat, so he had to take a chisel and carefully chip away part of the sheetrock so the backsplash would fit flush along the entire length of the backsplash. That went well also. Mario did seem like he really cared about the quality of his work. He took his time during the installation and at one point after he and his helper brought in the biggest piece of granite and put it in place, he saw that something wasn't exactly right so they carried it back outside, trimmed it up a bit and brought it back in. Along with the new countertops, we also got a new sink which came from Omicron as well. Mario said he knew a plumber that he works with and asked if I wanted him to get me a quote. His quote was reasonable so I went with him. That worked out very well as they talked to each other and coordinated when he needed to get there for the plumbing part. I didn't need to get a plumber on my own and worry about having him get there too early, or not show up at all and have it cost more money. Most of the installation did not include a backsplash, as we wanted to explore some tile alternatives. I asked him to bring me a decent size scrap piece that we could take with us when shopping for tile, and he did, and he even made us a very nice granite cutting board from some of the left over granite! So I guess the overall message here is that we were very pleased with Mario's work. The secondary message is do your research and ask about any variables that you can think of that may apply to your situation like edge type, demo/removal of existing items, plumbing/electrical. Ask the fabricator/installer if there are any variables that HE can think of that may come into play. Our installation was a fairly simple one. In all fairness, the first quote I got from ProSource didn't indicate an edge type either, so if I had gone with them, their revised quote may have ultimately been higher as well. I would hire again and recommend Bella Stone for any granite installation.

Mario fixed my big granite countertop cracks near the sink. He did fabulous job and provided a thorough solution. He is very professional and responsive. It is a true pleasure to work with him.

From beginning to end, everything went perfectly. Picked out my stone and Mario Montes coordinated with the supplier. He was meticulous with his measurements for the template so there were no surprises on the day of installation. He and his crew were friendly, professional and conscientious. He answered design questions and explained everything about the installation as it progressed. When I hired Mario Montes and Bella Stone, I asked my cousin in MA if he had every heard of him. (Mr. Montes has just moved to the Jacksonville area within the last few months). My cousin, who is a tile installer said he had heard of Mario Montes in MA, and that he had a great reputation for quality and detailed work, and that I couldn't go wrong by hiring him. Mario definitely lived up to his reputation. His granite work is artistry and I would recommend everyone in the Jax area hire him!

Mario does exceptional work. From Templating, fabricating and installation. Beautiful work and extremely professional ... I would recommend his company to anyone!!!

We are privileged to have one of the best granite countertop fabricators of Florida in Bella Stone's Mario Montes. I watched his work firsthand. Mario turned our kitchen from the ordinary to the unique, from average to stunning. What makes Mario and his company so unusual and unique? The answer is the soul of an artist, that special touch which no one else can do. Mario is a genius in mastering the art of working with granite. I more than recommend Mario and Bella Stone. Their work is above and beyond the ordinary.