our 7 year old house needs new countertops.
the cabinets are fine but we have the standard cheap kitchen counters.
we want to replace them with corian. granite would be too expensive for our neighborhood.
itthe average house noe sells for 165,000. not much but still gaining some value.

i am going off the cost of a contractor from a local home show this past winter of approx $35 per sqft. i am guestimating around $1500.

this includes measuring, production and installation.

i just want to know if this is worth the investment?

 

Kitchen upgrades will give you the best ROI.

 

How long do you plan to stay in the house? If you plan to stay there 5 or more years then make the decision for you, not for resale. Most kitchen upgrades get back around 70-80% in resale value.

 

Kitchen upgrades under $20,000 recover 97% of the cost of the project!

 

http://www.remodeling.hw.net/content...&sectionID=256

Cost vs. value report on remodeling.

 

In todays difficult market I don't know how much value kitchen upgrades return but I bet they help your house sell faster.

 

nice site, thanks

 

if i could help it sell quicker
we plan on selling in 2010

 

How much sq ft do you have of countertop? If you're looking to pay for Corian, I would really look at granite. Much better value for the dollar, IMHO.


We're pulling the trigger on granite and I think it's worth it. Should be in by labor day.

 

I was speaking my realtor about this very subject a month ago.

She said that I would get my money back on granite (~$3.5-$4.5 installed), but that is because we are in a booming market. However our counter is < 2 years old, and my Scottish blood won't let me rip it out until it needs replacing. I'd rather spend the $ on a deck and a fenced yard, even though the ROI is lower, I will get more use of that.

Granite counters are one of those funny things in a house that people seem to go gaga over. Don't get me wrong - I would love to have them, but a lot of people I have spoken to seem to put on blinders to the rest of the kitchen as soon as those two magic words are spoken. They really create a halo effect on a house, which is great when it comes time to sell, especially if the competition does not have them.

The $1500 for granite you got quoted is a really good price, is that for a slab, or the tiles? Because I would def go for the solid slab over the tiles. It's less than 1% of the overall value of your house, and you will get 3 years of mileage out of it in the meantime. I would not spend much more than 1% of the value of my house on countertops. I say go for it & post pics!

 

Buy what you like with only slight consideration for ROI. It's smart to not pay for granite in a not granite neighborhood. You are wise, nothing fits in everywhere. If and when you sell price accordingly. I would tend to stay away from extreme colors.

All real estate is local so only glance at national or general statistics. They may not mean jack in your area. Most 'improvements' will not return 100% of what you spend. Why guarantee that you will lose money if your not going to enjoy some benefit?

Nobody can guarantee that you will get your money back at some future point, styles and desires change over time. Any of you remember avacado green, harvest gold and shag carpet?

 

When my mom passed away, I got all of her old photos. Looking at the base housing we use to live in. From the white that EVERYBODY had to the greens and the golds and the blue and white shag we had.

 

 

out where I am at I found some nice granite slabs at a liquidation auction for 100 bucks a slab 8 foot by 2 foot wide with finished edges and a bullnosed front. I bought 3 slabs and found a local place that will cut it for 335, so I paid 650 and I did it all myself and saved about a grand doing it all and it felt great to say you did it, then again my counters have no weird angles to cut.

if you want to see pictures email me joseph.j.giguere@erac.com

 

dallison - how big and what shape is your kitchen? As 97Acura points out, you can have prefabricated granite installed if your kitchen is pretty basic (either L-shaped or galley style - no islands). That's what we're planning on doing. Slabs generally run $200-$400 for 2'x8' sections, depending on color. Installation around here runs about $300-$500 each slab depending on overmount vs undermount sink and other things. It's definitely worth looking into, as the costs may even be cheaper than corian. Honestly, if we weren't going to do Granite, I'd consider doing Laminate countertops as a cheap alternative.

 

42.3 sqft. that includes the counter, backsplash, and island

i thought that granite would be more expensive, but if it's the same cost...............

 

we have an L shape kitchen, plus an island that is 34"x45"

 

The island throws a wrench in the prefab idea. Your L-shape would be fine, but the island couldn't be done with the prefab and it would be somewhat difficult to match a "raw" slab to a prefab, since they won't be from the same quarry. This is a tough one. Honestly, if you can get the color you want for $35/sf installed, that is a good deal - especially if its custom. Wait, is the 35 for corian or for granite?

 

35 for corian, always thought granite was a ton more

 

Since you couldn't use the prefab (at least on the island), granite would run you around $60/sf. Corian may be the way to go. There's also Silestone and a couple of other similar type things. Good luck and post pics.

 

Anyone have any decent pics of concrete countertops? I've heard its pretty nice as a finished product, depending on your decor, and you can get it tinted to whatever shade you want. Might be an option!

 

^^ I've seen this done on TV a lot, it looks really nice. Do a search with Google "concrete countertops" then select the images opition. There are a lot of pictures.

 

I don't have picks, but have seen it done on a few of those home improvement shows. It can come out looking pretty good, but I'm not sure how "attractive" it would be for a potential buyer. It is a fairly inexpensive alternative, though.

 

I'm paying about $10 more for granite...

 

No way... Maybe if you go to Home Depot. Easily done for $42-$48 for the common granite colors like Uba Tuba, etc.

 

It really depends on what's there now. The numbers I quoted also includes demolishing existing tiles, placing new plywood and all the fabrication and installation. Removing laminate counters would be much easier and cheaper. Also, an undermount sink will add to the cost vs and overmount (self rimming) sink. Not to mention that regional prices will vary based on local factors such as demand and labor rates. Don't forget the cost of (re)installing all of the appliances.

 

Perhaps California charges you for every little bit, but I'm going to pay $46 installed which includes a radius edge, removal and disposal of existing laminate tops and installation of the new sink, which is another $250. All in a Chicago suburb. And what appliances to re-install? Likely just a dishwasher?

I'm guessing in his location, he'll be able to do similar, if not better.

If I'm looking to pay $35 for corian, I'd certainly explore other solid surface options.

 

Like I said, laminate is easy to get rid of. Tile is a bit more labor intensive and messy to remove.

As for appliances, it's roughly 50/50 between ranges and cooktops, so a cooktop cutout adds another $100 +/-.

It will depend on the kitchen layout, too. Fabricating an island can be more time/labor intensive than a standard counter if there are curves.

I'm not trying to say you're wrong, as I don't doubt your numbers for your application in your area. Just saying that each kitchen has to be compared to a similar kitchen and area.

And I agree - if I was quoted $35 for Corian, I would also look into other options.

 

If you would enjoy and be happier each day seeing and using one material over the other, then do whichever you'd prefer, even if it means spending a bit more money (within reason).

BUT, if you don't really have a preference and you already know it just wouldn't suit the neighbourhood upon selling (too "high end"), then I wouldn't bother installing the more expensive material --- especially since you already have set plans to move within a few years. Keep the renos to within reason for the target selling price of your particular neighbourhood (or be okay with not getting your return on investment upon selling).

 

All of these number spewed out by everyone are pretty worthless IMO... the ones speaking to how much return you get upgrading your kitchen. They just don't apply to every house and or neighborhood.

If the average house is $165k I'd have to say NO you will not get your $$ back. Do a lot of your neighbors or similar prices houses have granite? I'll bet the answer is no...

If luxury kitchens are normal in the $165k range then you'll see the $$ back. But I kinda doubt they are...

As someone else said, if you are going to stay in the house for many years yet and you want the counters go for it. But it's not going to enhance your selling price in the $165k market.

I'm going through the same dilemma; I'm in the $250k houses here in KC.

 

It's odd how $$ Corian is in some areas....

I personally wouldn't go with corian anyway, it's a bit of a pain in the ass if your not totally anal taking care of it.

 

One thing I dont' see any of you mentioning in your price quotes is the thickness of the granite... they have cheap cuts of it and $$ cuts. Don't go cheap on the thickness, if someone decides to sit on your counter it will crack.

 

^^^^^

w0rd

 

The cost between granite and corian can be a local issue, depending upon the local availability of granite.

There is an alternative that is gaining some popularity, which is a compsite stone that consists of stone bits in a polymer matrix. The stuff looks like stone, but has a more durable surface (granite can be damaged by strong acids, such as lime or lemon juice, left on it for some time...) and can be easily repaired if scratched.

Dupont, who held the first patent on dense synthetic surface material (Corian) now also make such a composite material, referred to in their lineup as Zodiac http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_U...aq_colors.html. The stuff looks, feels and acts like stone, because it is, but is generally cheaper. It also tends to be thinner, thus lighter, and thus easier/cheaper to install. It cuts easily, with simple shop tools, and can be premanufactured with a number of edge details.

For institutional use, the Corian and Zodiac are roughly comperable. keep in mind that the patent for corian has lapsed, and there are other manufacturers out there of parallel products, some of whom have a more attractive color lineup. Same is true for composite stone, Zodiac is one of four or five lines out there. I have not done residential work for a couple of decades, so I don't know what the retail market is like out there for this stuff, but I would suspect that the parity between synthetic polymer surface products and "blended" stone products is pretty close. Frankly, the color and texture availability of some of the composite stone materials is pretty impressive, nicer than some of the more basic granites.

And yep, thin granite is deadly. It will crack, the edges can spall, and it tends to wick moisture more comprehensively.......

 

^^ That Zodiaq stuff looks very impressive.

 

Good point. I forgot about the 2 cm (3/4") vs 3 cm (1 1/4") thicknesses. But I think that even with the 2 cm, if you put plywood underneath, as you should for either, cracking shoud not be a problem.

 

Pulled the trigger on the granite this afternoon. They also carry the Zodiaq stuff, but it was actually more expensive than the granite. Went with Uba Tuba.

Anyhoo... It's coming on the 31st.

 

 

It also scratches, which makes it look like crap. We had it in our old bathroom and it scratched up pretty easily.

After looking into many choices, from Silestone to Corian to Granite, etc., my mom chose granite. She just hasn't narrowed it down to "the one" just yet. I think it's down to just two now, but that could change tomorrow.

 

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