European Stone Concepts, Inc.

When I decided to remodel my kitchen and a small apartment kitchen in my house in June, I contacted 3 area companies to get estimates since I knew I wanted granite or quartz to replace my old countertops but didn't know what would be involved in the replacement. One of the companies was European Stone. I ended up choosing ESC because of their excellent customer service. Their staff was all very helpful and knowledgeable. The owner, Glenn Laskin, was extremely responsive even when I would think of questions in the evenings and send him emails to clarify. He would respond almost immediately and was very patient when I had to change something and/or coordinate responsibilities with the remodeler. Their pricing was competitive and their workmanship was excellent. It was evident that even the installers took pride in their work. I love my new countertops and highly recommend European Stone!

European Stone Concepts replaced our kitchen counters a few years ago and we were very happy with them, so when we wanted to replace Formica counters in two bathrooms, we didn't hesitate to contact Glenn Laskin & co. They came and measured within a few days, then came back to install the counters and sinks a week or two later after custom cutting the counters. Everyone we have dealt with at European Stone Concepts has been professional and caring. I highly recommend them.

The owner, Glenn Laskin’s was wonderful to work with in their sales office for the estimates and sales processes. He was able to answer all of our questions in a timely manner as well. Phil came to complete our templates when scheduled, he was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. We were able to have the same installer for both of our projects, Jose was absolutely fantastic to work with. He had a great sense of humor and always had a smile on his face. Jose was so pleased with how beautiful our kitchen had turned out, he actually took pictures of the finished product to show others how beautiful this project had turned out. In all of the years of remodeling I have never had an installer take so much pride in their work and then ask permission to take pictures to show them to others. Since we chose a new stone that European had just started carrying for our kitchen, we were naturally nervous and I have to say Glenn did a fantastic job recommending this stone. My husband and I were so pleased with the entire team at European Stone Concepts during these projects. We cannot wait to complete our last two bathroom remodeling projects over the next two months in which European Stone will once again install the new granite vanity tops. Thank you Glenn, Phil and Jose for all your assistance. We are looking forward to using them for many years to come as we will be building our next home in the near future.

First we visited the yard to view the slabs and picked out one we liked. After measuring, we received an estimate for the work. The estimate was received promptly and was complete. Glenn (owner) anticipated some difficulty in removing our old counter top but that went smoothly. Two days later our new counter tops were installed by a team of 5 professionals who were in an out in 4 hours. It looks fantastic--much more beautiful than expected! The whole process was absolutely effortless. We can't say enough about the courtesy and professionalism of the installation team. The carpenters who took out the old counter top were FAST and professional. The construction mess from both removal and installation was minimal. Next we plan to have our bathroom shower and bathroom counter tops redone and will definitely use European Stone concepts.

They provided a really great product which was installed without any fuss. It's been 2 years since our renovations of everything is still in great shape.

Nice folks, willing to help and dig through old inventory. Just didn't give up like the other shops that I went to.

Went great. They are open on Saturday (unlike most competitors) and have a yard full of stone and people willing to help. We exchanged several emails leading up to purchase and same with lead-up to installation. Very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly

The work that European Stone Concepts did was top quality! Kitchen was transformed instantly. There were some hiccups in communication along the way but overall, the overall work made up for it and then some. I would definitely hire them again.

Sent an email asking about inventory and within 30 days this project was completed...WOW! Large selection in stock. The installers were prompt, courteous and efficient with their time and for that I am grateful. This bathroom vanity looks fantastic! This company is at the top of our list for our next project.

European stone did a great job -- as someone who had never gone through this process before, however, it was a learning experience for us. Essentially, we had to have the right expectations going in. Their price was better than the competitors and they were more responsive overall. Glen is very professional and courteous as are the installers. If you have never had countertops installed before, here are the steps: 1. Measure your counters, take pictures if needed, and ask for a quote (Glen will probably respond within the week if not sooner) 2. OK the quote that you get (may need a deposit) 3. Pick out the store -- you go to the European Concepts lot and pick out the actual slab(s) that you will use 4. Pick faucets (European Stone has a good catalog; generic ones are available at Lowes or Amazon; Specialty faucets can be found at Ferguson's on 29 North ) -- this can add $200 - $800 to the price, depending on what you pick. 5. Templating -- folks from European Stone will visit to measure everything, including the faucet dimensions and style to make sure they drill the right holes. So this happens after you have the faucets. After templating, they will schedule your stone to be cut. 6. Once the install date is set, you have to get your old appliances, faucets etc. unhooked prior to the removal of the old countertops. This may require an electrician (electric range) , plumber (faucets), etc. You can ask Glen about specifics. This will add another set of expenses. Sometimes lead times for such services can be pretty long; we have found Rooterman in Charlottesville to have the shortest lead times. 7. On the day of the install, European Stone installers will pull out the old countertops and backsplash and put in the new countertop. At that time, they will glue the new sink (often included in the quote) to the countertop. This sink will need 24 hours to set before you can have the new faucets installed. 8. Backsplashes will likely take a second visit to install. The specific measurements of the backsplash are not always even (they may be 3'5/8 on one edge and 3'3/4 on the other edge). After installing the counters, installers will remeasure the backsplash heights. Both times, we had the installers return on a later date (a few days to a week later) with the correct sized backsplashes. So, you should keep in mind that the counters may not be finished in one day. 9. Get a plumber, electrician, etc. back to hook up the new faucets and any appliances, 24 hours after the install. And you're done! As I mentioned, we had no idea about these steps before we started. A few pain points include: Scheduling with European Stone: The scheduling for appointments is not very smooth. They will put in a tentative date for the templating and the person coming in for that appointment doesn't realize that the date was not confirmed by you. Instead, you can be proactive and call in to set what day you want the templating to be (once you have the faucets). Similarly for the install and the second visit (backsplash install). Coordinating multiple service people: Between the plumber/electrician before, the installers the day of, and the plumber/electrician after, you are juggling multiple service calls and appointments. Unusable/unfinished periods: It may be 2-3 days while you cannot use the sink (you can use the countertops after an hour) and, depending on the backsplash install, you may have a few days where the drywall is an eyesore before the new backsplashes are installed. So you don't want the install date a day or two before you are going to have guests arrive at the house. Lead times from quote to finished install. European Stone is usually busy (a good problem to have) but as a customer this means you do not have a good handle on when the actual install will happen. Our jobs were relatively small and we were willing to wait (we had no constraints). That said, it may be anywhere between 1 - 3 months from start to finish of the process described in the 9 steps listed above. Hopefully, this helps first-time customers; I wish I had known all this before I started because it would have saved us from learning this on the go through the process. Now, we have used them twice (and we have two more jobs scheduled) and have a better idea of what to expect.