How does this work, and what kind of property benefits the most?
Apartment Granite provides precision-engineered, pre-cut and sized, polished, and bored granite and quartz counter tops, complete with fixture cut-outs where required, ready to install. At most properties, the same cabinets have been used in all units, so if measurements are correct, no trimming will be required at all. Each order is custom-fabricated to the specifications of the project, and our deep discount pricing structure relies on bulk quantities and commonality. Therefore, in order to provide the highest quality granite at the lowest price to our customers, a minimum order of 25-50 units is required.
The typical Apartment Granite customer is a multi-family property owner with more than 100 doors, looking to renovate and upgrade his property. Orders are delivered to the property address, and typically stored on site until needed during normal turnover events. Since you are not likely to take all of your target remodel units out of commission at the same time, and will renovate as they become vacant, you'll need to store the product until it is needed. Most multi-family owners will use their on-site maintenance staff for installation, which should require no more than about two hours for a typical galley kitchen.
If your intent is to upgrade just a few units, and have the product delivered as needed, this is probably not the service for you. Apartment Granite, LLC does not offer storage or installation services. However, for those willing to make a commitment to upgrading their entire property as their units turn over, the savings, rent increases, and valuation benefits are simply tremendous.
You made the right decision to upgrade your facilities to granite. Now . . . how do we proceed?
1. Identify - a. Your first order of business is to identify what you would like to upgrade: Kitchen only? Kitchen + all bathrooms? Kitchen + bathrooms + breakfast bar? Are you going to add under-mount sinks with new single handle faucets? Apartment Granite can supply all at outstanding prices once you decide what to include. b. Select your product (Click here to go to our product page): Granite? Quartz? Each will provide for an upgraded solution, but colors have to coordinate with your entire remodel strategy. c. Once you have a handle on what you would like to upgrade, you need to identify the units you are going to target. Perhaps you only want to upgrade your worst case units, regardless of where they are located in the property, or maybe one building at a time. If your property was developed in phases, floor plans and kitchens may not be identical, and it is important to identify your target units for commonality. 2. Estimate - Send us floor plans of your existing kitchens and baths (marketing floor plans on your website are usually good enough), along with product color/style and a unit count (i.e. how many of each model do you have?), and we'll provide an estimate of your total cost, delivered to your door. 3. Measure - Once the estimate is approved, a 25% deposit is required, at which point we will send a skilled technician to your property to take precise field dimensions of a sufficiently large number of units to provide the critical parameters for your final product. You will need to identify mirrored configurations and exceptions so they may be taken into account as the project drawings are engineered. 4. Shop drawings - We will create precision CAD shop drawings and product schedules for your review. Only when you approve do we move forward. 5. Final order - Your order is placed, and manufacturing begins. At this point, a second 25% deposit is required. 6.. Fabrication - Your order is fabricated (cut, bored, sized and polished) in state-of-the-art facilities to precision tolerances. The final product is then carefully crated and is ready to ship. When the shipment is ready, the balance (50%) of your order is due. 7: Shipping and delivery - Your granite will arrive crated in a shipping container at your property, ready to be installed. 8. Vacate & Renovate - You're not likely to take every unit out of commission in order to work your upgrade for all at the same time, so as your tenants vacate, you renovate. Your granite will be stored on-site, ready to install as needed. Once you have used your allocation, you're ready for your next order, and we start the process all over again.
FAQ: 1. What is the normal lead time? Typically, lead times are 45-60 days from processing of the order. 2. How is payment made? Payment is made through corporate check, cashier's check, or wire transfer. 3. When can I expect my shipment to arrive? Your product will arrive at your property within 45-60 days from date of shop drawing approval. We will keep you up to date on the progress of your order, and will provide you a hard delivery date and time window generally a couple of days prior to its arrival. 4. What will I need when it arrives? The container will need to be unloaded upon arrival, so you will need a place to store the product until you're ready to install during unit renovation. The preferred method is to rent warehouse space with a dock-high receiving platform. The warehouse will have forklifts to easily offload the materials, then you can pull materials as-needed. Typically, warehouse space is very cost-effective. Alternatively, some property owners store the granite on-site in an empty unit, an on-site storage facility, or a mobile temporary moving unit such as MobileMini. In this case you will need to perform the offload yourself using a rented forklift. We will send you an Apartment Granite Client Manual that provides details for off-loading, materials handling, installation, maintenance, etc. Container delivery allows a two-hour window to unload, which is achievable with a forklift and a couple of laborers. 5. How do I install? Precision shop drawings and prefabrication make the installation of your granite a breeze. Typically, installation of the counter tops does not require craftsmen with high skill levels, and can almost always be handled by your on-site maintenance team. In order to engineer for multi-family properties for granite, we take into account the variances from unit to unit. Typically, for a particular floor plan, the cabinets are relatively consistent, while dimensional variances tend to occur at framing. This occasionally impacts the design (not always), so we engineer for the worst case scenario then add material allowances in anticipation of greater variances. It is better to have too much material than too little, and the installers then trim in the field as required. (Often the trimming is not even bothered with because it means there may be an 1-1/4" overhang instead of 1", and most will trade that off against additional labor.) There exist several good YouTube videos available that demonstrate how to install prefabricated granite counter tops. Start here for a good primer: Granite Install Demo 6. What is the payment structure? There is an initial 25% Order Deposit required, then a subsequent Fabrication Deposit of 25% once engineering shop drawings have been completed, and reviewed, and then approved by you. The final 50% Balance is due when fabrication is complete and ready to ship. 7. How are dimensions taken? We will send a skilled technician to your property to take the required dimensions. 8. What if I cancel my order? All product is custom fabricated to the specific requirements of the customer's project, so all deposits are non-refundable. (See complete Terms and Conditions by clicking here: Purchase Order Terms and Conditions