With the average cost of new kitchen countertops ranging from $1,900 to $4,300, before you embark on your kitchen renovation, it’s crucial to ensure you’re hiring the best countertop fabricator. It should be one with an attention to craftsmanship and with years of experience behind them.
While it might be fun and exciting to select your new countertop, , hiring the best countertop fabricator can be challenging. Wondering what red flags you should watch out for when hiring someone to fabricate and install your new countertops? Read on for ten things to be aware of when you decide who to hire!
1. Company vs. Individual
The saying ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ applies to the countertop industry, too. You should be concerned if the individual selling you the countertop is the same person templating, fabricating, and installing your project, plus running the business. While it might seem like a very hands-on approach, you’re unfortunately dealing with a fabricator, not a fabrication company. When trying to do too many things, it’s a proven fact that nothing will get done well.
Alps Craftsman is a professional fabrication company. We have a team of people who manage, sell, and execute projects with a wide range of customers. Plus, all our employees are legally documented to work, so you never have to be concerned with who is entering your home.
2. Lack of Experience
If you expect high-quality results, you want to hire someone who has experience in the industry. Don’t be afraid to ask how long the fabricator has been doing this type of work.
Alps Craftsman has been in business for over 30 years, having installed over 100,000 countertops in both new construction and existing residential dwellings. Our expertise is demonstrated by our longevity and continuously growing customer list.
3. High-Pressure Sales Tactics
Making any kind of investment in your home is a big deal. With the high cost of new countertops, you need information and patience from your sales team, not high-pressure sales tactics and forced decision-making. Such tactics tell you the company cares more about the sale than helping you make the best decision.
At Alps Craftsman, we don’t limit your number of design appointments. We’re your partners along your journey and respect that everyone’s creative process is different.
4. No Showroom or Factory
Another warning sign is when the fabricator runs an unprofessional job site or has no factory/showroom to present options. The Alps Craftsman design center is an investment we made so that our customers are able to work alongside our design team in a professional setting. Many fabricators don’t make the same type of investment in their customers.
Sometimes fabricators sell you a countertop but have another company make it. This is not an ideal situation as you have no information about this third party. Our large production facility allows us to make all the countertops we sell so that the Alps Craftsman quality expectations are met every step of the way.
5. Unrealistically Low Prices
Often one of the important goals of a remodel project is to keep costs low. Yet, the old adage applies—if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
Shop around so you know what to expect to spend. If someone is offering products and services for significantly less than other companies, it’s a red flag. It often means they are using lesser quality materials, but selling them as Grade-A slabs. Or they could be cutting corners in another manner.
We price our services extremely competitively at Alps Craftsman. We’re often not the cheapest out there, nor do we want to be. Our professional team and over 30 years of experience allow us to charge fair prices so you can trust the job will be done correctly the first time, truly investing in your home.
6. Fabrication Procedures
There’s a right way to do things and then there’s not. Many fabricators rely on only their experience with making countertops and don’t focus on the education side of the industry that’s needed to stay up to date with current guidelines. Materials and techniques constantly change so the Alps Craftsman team networks with multiple industry organizations to always stay on top of our craft.
Certain material manufacturers also have strict guidelines that need to be followed when fabricating or installing countertops so that their warranty will be upheld in the event of an incident down the line. Most fabricators don’t follow said guidelines because they believe they know better. Unfortunately, you will be the one with a broken countertop that won’t get fixed because your fabricator did things wrong. Alps Craftsman always follows these manufacturer guidelines so that any warranty issues are resolved appropriately.