Stephanie in the Kitchen department was very low-pressure in her salesmanship, and when we returned the sample that we had borrowed for an extended period of time, she asked if we wanted a quote from Niece's. She got back to us the same day with her quote, which was about the same or less than competing kitchen places in the area.
We chose Niece's for their excellent reputation, and we are very happy we did. We did not know at the time that they farm out their stone fabrication to a company called Prestige Marble & Granite in Emmaus, PA. So the majority of this review pertains to Prestige, even though Niece's called to check up at every step.
The measurer from Prestige called to schedule our template and arrived on-time. He was very patient and answered all of our questions satisfactorily while he worked. He used pieces of luan plywood instead of lasers or measuring tape so that we could visualize the countertop and he could perfectly contour the plywood to our imperfect walls. He also used the luan to show us where the seam would be in our extra-long countertop so that we could visualize it together.
Prestige is the only fabricator of the 10 or so we talked to that did not seam the countertop at the sink. He and the installer explained that it would be a weak point at a spot that needed strength if they had seamed it where EVERYONE else wants to seam it. This is the spot holding up a very heavy quartz sink -- not a good spot to have a break in the quartz! We were also concerned with the seam being very visible in such a high-traffic area (everyone uses the sink and lingers there while they wash their hands or dishes -- why look at a seam while you're there?) and we were concerned about a seam in such a wet area. The measurer and the installer agreed with our points and said that is also why Prestige seams their stone in other locations.
He was also very thoughtful in his questions to us, asking if we wanted the beveled edge we had selected to end before it met our door trim/would-be tile backsplash so that it would not look like it was missing something once we installed the backsplash. He also noticed that we had small children and asked if he could round the corners on all the countertops so that they would not bump their heads on a sharp corner. We agreed to both, and we are so happy we did!
When he was finished, he explained that even though there were holidays involved (New Year's), they always have the countertops fabricated in 7-10 CALENDAR days, not business days. He said they were very busy, and that they would work holidays if they could just to get everything finished for everyone. They clearly aim to please!
True to his word, 7 days after the measure, the installer called and asked to come out the next morning. Rich and his team of two other guys arrived at 10am and stayed for 2 hours, making sure we were 100% happy with our new countertops. He would have been done much sooner, but I had selected a sink that was too large for the cabinet. The sink manufacturer had said it would just barely fit if it were undermounted and would definitely fit if it were mounted above the countertops. We were set on undermounting the sink.
The measurer had taken the sink with him to cut the hole for it at their shop. We were very nervous about that, knowing that there would be little tolerance for moving it in that cabinet. Sure enough, when the countertop and sink arrived, the sink would not fit in the cabinet. However, Rich and his team cut bits of the cabinet and the sink until it fit. They then worked and worked to properly mount the sink using the manufacturer provided clips. My husband and I both remarked that any other fabricator would have told us to mount the sink above the countertop just to be done with the job. Rich and his team kept trying until the sink fit PERFECTLY under the counter and we were happy with the fit.
He asked our opinion on the color of the glue used to seam the countertop, and it was also PERFECT. I would warn anyone who needs a countertop seamed that the smell of the glue is outrageously bad, and we had to keep the windows open in January just to rid the house of the smell. But we know that it would be like that no matter who was seaming our countertop.
Rich showed us how to care for any stains on our countertops and validated our choice of quartz: he said it's one of the easiest to care for and the strongest to install. Quartz is his favorite, and he is clearly an expert in installing it.
Then it was time to drill the hole for the faucet. I thought they would use the hole that came pre-drilled in the sink, but they declined. Rich explained that the hole would put the faucet over our dishwasher, making it impossible to install ANY faucet, especially the large one I had chosen. Instead, he and his team worked together again to find a perfect spot for the faucet that would be convenient to use every day, easiest to install given our limitations within the cabinet, and would not hit the window trim above it. When he finally drilled the hole and dropped the faucet in to check his measurements, the fit was PERFECT. However, he explained that he would like to drill it slightly larger to allow the faucet to move just a bit more so that it would never rub the window trim no matter where it swiveled. We agreed, and when I later installed the faucet, I was so thankful that he did. We also later remarked that no other installer would have taken the time to check the fit AND re-drill for our convenience even though the original hole was perfectly placed.
Niece Lumber called later in the day to make sure everything had gone smoothly with the install. You can be sure we'll be calling them for the rest of the renovations in our old house, and we HIGHLY recommend Prestige for the stone work!