Building terminology- no returns? What does this mean

it usually means side walls.

This is what strannik means by side walls - the walls I've marked in the image below are the returns.

As for the height of the splashback - read your contract, plan and images - where is Elevation D defined in the plans/drawings? Talk to your builder.

You have removed the standard tiles and replaced it with stone. Unless the spec's said full height (to ceiling) for the stone with rangehood mounted to stone then I would expect the stone to stop at the underside of the rangehood as per standard tiling. The plans provide dimensional representation of what is referred to in the tender.
Yes the $8k price for the splashback seems expensive.

Unfortunately the time to question the price is when negotiating all your extras not after you have signed and construction is completed.
I'm not quite sure what you mean with regards to the rangehood. Is it installed with a gap behind the rangehood like it should be screwed back to the wall or are you referring to the height and where stone meets it under?

I need to check but from memory I think that stone is around $600/sqm so maybe check the measurements.

I am going to ask my joiner for a price on that

Your drawings do show stone at 680 high at Elevation D so it is being built according to your contract.



I've seen kitchens where the splashback goes all the way up behind the rangehood and also ones where it stops at the bottom of the rangehood. Definitely agree that it looks way better when it goes up behind, especially in your case where you have upper cabinets on both sides. Perhaps you could consider putting in a couple of open shelves on either side of your rangehood flue so its not just a stark empty space. For example:

going by the area it sounds about right. if i'm not mistaken, you've chosen the most expensive range so it will definitely cost a lot. we were considering doing the bathrooms in one of the stones from that range, and we were quoted about 2k for 450x1600 piece

"no returns" in building terminology is like "no backsies". You give them money for something and regardless of what you get, no returns

So the plan shows the stone going in at 680mm and rangehood at 700. There will be a 20mm gap between the stone and rangehood. Do the overheads sit on the stone or is there a gap under those as well?
You can't just add a little 20mm strip of stone as it will look silly and the graining on the marble won't match. It would most likely be easier to drop the rangehood 20mm as long as they haven't cut the duct cover and have left it so it can adjust in length.

I spoke to Adam my joiner and he literally choked on his lunch! true story

Then he said that we could become millionaires charging that much for one slab.

Should have an exact price tomorrow or the day after so watch this space

cheers

Simeon

Sorry I forgot to answer , the gap is under the cupboards and the range hood /quote]

I can't speak to what volume builders and their cabinet makers do, but all kitchens I build have the splashback go to the bottom of the overheads and rangehood.
I expect they install with a gap because it makes the installation easier.

The splashback price is definitely on the high side but it is expensive stone. A slab is somewhere in the vicinity of $5k on its own. It then has to be cut, finished and installed. A project builder tends to price each item at a stand alone price. Truth is the stone mason was already going to manufacture your stone and do an installation so the real cost would be less that if they were just going to do a splashback, but unfortunately you will be charged like it's a one off and by the time you add builder's margin it is very expensive.

A small builder or a cabinet maker like myself would normally just be passing on the additional cost (plus margin) so the extra price would be a fair bit lower than you paid. That is just the difference in pricing models between project builders and smaller builders or by OB.

Project builders tend to be cheap for the basic cookie cutter build but then claw back a fat margin on every little extra, whereas smaller builders generally charge more for the basic build but offer far more flexibility and reasonableness for extra's and variations.

Unfortunately it looks like you have added plenty of extras so have paid a premium for them. There is nothing you can do about the price now. Ultimately you were given prices and have signed off on them so it's to late to try and claim it back now.

All the best with everything

Okay, I have a price on your splashback from my joiner Adam

To supply and install the 3100mm x 700mm slab ( Calacutta Nuvo) including cutting, delivery and installation is $5,000. Before negotiating.

So as we were saying yesterday, you are only supposed to be paying for the upgrade, so if you take out $1500 for installation and approximately $1500 for the standard range slab, that leaves you with an upgrade price of $2000.

You could then allow a 30% margin and the upgrade cost would be $2600.

Doesn't come close to $8,900.

I hope this doesn't sadden you too much but that is how these guys make money....sucker clients in with a cheap base price and then smash them on the variations.

Cheers

Simeon

yep

Interesting question! Can you get your contract out and see what the variation clause says?

But yes they probably can charge what they want as people are between a rock and a hard place. It's hard to change your stone after handover, if not impossible without destroying your cabinets.

Hi Simeon, that's not quite correct.
The original contract has a refund for a tiled splashback so the OP is paying the complete price for the supply and install of the new stone splashback.
It's definitely overpriced but nowhere near the price you have said.
The poor OP is now convinced that they have been completely and utterly r1pped off when in reality it was only a medium level overprice.

If you read the contract you got a refund for the tiled splashback of $200 odd dollars.
So the $8900 is the price you paid for a splashback. It's not an upgrade on top of another price

Hi Chippy

Thanks for the correction. You are on point with the details as always

So the actual price should be $6500 - $257 = $6,243

However that $257 credit is a bit light on. looks like they are crediting the cost of the tiles without the labour.

Anyway, I really appreciate you pointing out my error

Thanks

Simeon

Hey Simeon
There was 2.5m² of tiled splashback so the $257 credit is $100 per m² which actually isn't to bad but like most project builders they have kept their margin on the credit and then recharged it on the additional extra.
I would have expected maybe $7500-$7800 as the cost from a builder for that particular slab cut and installed (they will charge for the whole slab plus labour). It still means that the OP has been gouged but the price that you and I would charge a client for the same thing is very different to what I would expect from a project builder.