Our companion email list, the
Cleveland Park Listserv, is a treasure trove of recommendations. We want to share on All Life Is Local, on a periodic basis, the best recommendations that have been posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv. You'll be able to search All Life Is Local for "contractor," "plumber," "computer tech," "auto body shop" -- whatever you need.
I can't recommend fabricators since I'm new to town. But having redone two kitchens back home in LA in the past few years, I wanted to pass along the tip that you should ensure the granite you wind up choosing is among the densest/hardest/most durable varieties. Granite's great for kitchens but not all stones/varieties are the same and ones that are more porous and softer will stain or get cloudy (a fuzzy ring or blotch) much like marble does in bathrooms. I believe that the granites with smaller flecks rather than those with larger ones are denser, but it's been a while. Reputable dealers will advise you or you can research the particular stone (have the stone's name and country of origin) online. Also, there's a school of thought that green granite shouldn't be used in kitchens because of toxicity in the particular minerals that produce the color and which naturally leach out. There are arguments for both sides of that debate but worth reading if you're leaning toward green.
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My wife and I just went through a really challenging kitchen remodeling experience. The one truly easy and pleasant part of that whole process was the countertop. We got our granite piece from Abka in Rockville, MD. We dealt with a guy named Vadood who was super helpful, understanding, and very patient when other aspects of our remodeling forced us to delay him several times. We bought a remnant piece of granite -- a part of a larger slab that was leftover from someone else's project. I don't know how large your kitchen is, but ours isn't too big so that worked out very well for us. We only needed 25 square feet. They charged us just $35 per square for the remnant, which was a great deal. That price also included measuring and installation. The piece is beautiful and unique and everyone who has seen it loves it. They have many different options. And if you need a full slab I think the price is around $75 or $80 per square foot, which is also very competitive.
