Is installing a broken granite countertop without the client’s previous knowledge or approval common practice.

By on September 13th, 2011

I am having my kitchen remodeled, no new appliances supplied by the contractor, except for a microwave hood. It is costing just under $30,000, so I was really expecting a beautiful and functional kitchen. And I don’t have a dishwasher, so my sink will be very important to me. My contractor broke my granite counter top in two, right through the hole for my drop in sink, but installed it anyway while I was at work. No warning or discussion before he did this. The two pieces are misaligned by 1/16 of an inch in front and the crack itself is 1/8 inch wide with a large, unevenly filled chipped out area in front . He says it will look great, once he polishes it, but he had already installed the sink and plumbing without polishing it. There is already a prominent joint in the counter top, but unlike the joint, the crack is in a highly visible, very high use area. My contractor says all granite breaks like that and he absolutely refuses to replace it. He claims this is standard practice, that broken granite is no big deal. Is this really true. Is it really common practice to install broken counter tops without even telling the client you are going to do so before you do. I would never have agreed to a granite counter top if I had known granite was so fragile. The crack looks ugly and I worry that as time goes by, it will get wider and that the glue will wear down faster than the granite itself.