Carolina Custom Kitchens & Bath LLC
About us
Carolina Custom Kitchen and Bath is a full service installer of stone, tile, cabinet and other decorative surfaces, both our experience and prices are unmatched by the competition. We have been in business for 5+ years and are members of the Better Business Bureau and the Home Builders Association. For several years, our mission has been to provide superior services at affordable prices, which is why our promise to you is that we will finish every job on time, at the price quoted, and to your complete satisfaction. Additional email - [email protected].
Services we offer
Kitchen and bath, cabinet & other decorative surfaces., stone, tile
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 67% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 11% | ||
| 11% | ||
| 11% |
-I asked the Carolina Custom Kitchen staff about pricing on a particular quartz countertop, and the lady was silent on the phone. ??? Every other vendor in our area readily disclosed prices. We went with the granite because we could not get a quote from Carolina Custom Kitchens on quartz, and the store staff was so difficult to get definitive information from.
-They lied to us about the timing of the installation.
-We noticed when we moved in that water around the sink went right into the granite. My husband was told by this firm that "they don't seal the granite." We had never lived anywhere with granite not sealed, so this was strange. Water dries from under the surface, but was obvious that any colorant, or oil droplets, were going to be a problem with these countertops. I started contacting the firm in the February about oil stains that were appearing from use, being that they did not recommend the surface be sealed (?). No definitive recommendation from the store personnel, which again, is SO strange compared to other vendors in our area.
-Have tried to have them come to house to remediate the damage from stains, and possibly re-seal (am waiting - is now July).
Conclusion: there are great vendors in the Raleigh-Durham area for countertops, wonderful staff at other businesses, and competitive prices. Among them, Home Depot and Lowe's are easy to deal with and offer frequent sale prices, and when you have problems like we did, their services have some type of guarantee.
At first, Gresham provided an estimate via email - just a general pricing for me - which was great because it gave me an idea of what to save up for - when NO ONE else would do this. VERY helpful!!
Then, later, when we got more interested, he came out and did a full estimate, and it was within $100 of his general estimate, so I was very pleased.
It still took us a while from that point to decide to move forward, just because it IS a lot of money for countertop replacement when we really didn't need it. Key word: need.
Because of our personal hesitation, we went back and forth on selection, process, if we could cancel and when; we were probably the most annoying customers ever, but Kate (in the showroom) and Gresham, never once even hinted we were 'that customer'. For that, I totally appreciate all the pre-installation work and the professionalism.
Once we decided, we moved forward and selected our granite by going out to the warehouse on our own (they let us with no hesitation) and picking out what we wanted on our time, scheduled on our time, etc. Again, ALL wonderful.
The ONLY problem came down to the install day itself. The guys came - a team of 3 or 4 (I can't remember) and ripped out the countertops as expected, except in the butler's pantry, there was a LOT of banging. Once everything was in, they told us they were done, and we found one nick in the granite - which we had to ask them to fix, and they tried to tell us it was 'normal' (odd, but we made them fix it), and then we noticed hammer-head sized dents along the backsplash in the wall. This was the problem. When Gresham had come out for the estimate, he said the walls would look like nothing had ever transpired, and everywhere EXCEPT the butler's pantry, it did.
We decided to ignore it and just fix it, but it ate at us a little bit - not because it was messed up, but because the guys that did the install ignored it. They said nothing about it - as if they didn't even noticed - which couldn't have been true. That is why professionalism gets a B. The install team ignored the problem.
So … when we found another nick in the granite, I asked about whether that could be fixed and told them about the banged up wall. I didn't expect anything to happen as we did say we are handy and can/could fix it. HERE is where true professionalism comes in. Upon receipt of my email, I had a very quick reply that 1) they would come out and fix the granite and shared with us more about the warranty and 2) they credited us some of our purchase price. That was both unexpected and very welcome.
Yes, I still leave professionalism at a B (and not quality because the granite is just beautiful) because the damage shouldn't have happened, or it should have been commented upon, and unfortunately, the company is represented not only by Kate and Gresham and Zac (who came out after the fact to see the damage) but the installers, too. They *all* would have had to be 'perfect' to get an A.
We are VERY pleased with the granite, though, (it's truly BEAUTIFUL) and are already looking to working with them again on our next house!
Some of the cutting was done outside, but the saw was positioned such that the slurry sprayed all over the front of the house. The rest of the cutting was done IN the house. Sealer was put on the granite while the dust was still spewing in the air. I had to SCUBB it all off because the dust was imbedded into the sealer. When they were finally done, the installers made it clear that they did not expect to clean up as and quot;this was the way they always did new home installationsand quot;. They told me they expected the builder to hire a cleaner after they finished. Since I was my own general contractor for the house, that meant me. One installer did do some clean up, but it was minimal and only after I called Gresham Riggs and had a few words with him. Every room in which granite was installed suffered dings in the just painted walls and/or trim. It took 8 man-hours just to clean the floors. Every single surface in the house - every wall, piece of trim, door, window, and cabinet (inside and out) had to be cleaned when these people were done. This took many days. And I have pictures to prove it.
The granite was not the same thickness on the left and right side of the stove necessitating raising the adjoining slab to match the height. The meant that the window trim had to be cut off. There is an obvious height difference on each side of the stove. Four of the 6 slabs used in the kitchen have divots in the surface; one in particular is immediately obvious.
I did mail the check the following day after receiving the invoice by email, but received a call from the sales person, Tim Koester, wanting to come by and pick up the check. I told him I had already mailed it and I did not agree to put a hold on the check and reissue another one that he could pick up.
I wouldn't have these people put granite in a dog house.
Licensing
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