New Jersey Rocks (Granite and Marble)

Tis the week before Thanksgiving and all through the house tis a goddamn mess! ‘Scuse the French.

We have entered that middle period in the renovation where the optimism and raw energy of beginning the project has eroded, and the doubt, drudgery, and daily brushes with ones limits are the order of the day. Reminds me of week three in rehearsals.

The kitchen has become less of the focus as the work has moved to other areas. Currently I am hanging the last of the sheet rock in the livingroom. Drudgery.

Leigh and I went to the Zanadu of granite and marble places in search of a countertop. I have been concerned that the price of granite would drive us away, and I have kept the name of the folks that supplied us with the marble for the bathroom close at hand, thinking I would get a deal on the granite. But these Brooklyn folks never had much of a selection.

Check this out!



And the price? Well, when I got the first estimate I gulped. Not hard, but it wasn’t just a swallow, ok? Then I said, “Hey guys. What if I bring you templates, so you don’t have to send out someone to measure the place, and what if I pick up the slabs so you don’t have to send a couple of mooks to install? All of a sudden the guy gave a knowing look, punched a button and out came a completely different sheet. Everything was miraculously forty percent less and what was barely doable was nice and comfortable thank you very much. We brought home four samples.



I’m taking votes. We’ll tally the results and the winner will be announced. There is nothing I would like better than to have the selection of our kitchen countertop decided by a popular vote. The results will be tallied following the methods used in the ninth district of Florida in 2000 or state-wide in Ohio in 2004, so fear not.