Penthouse Plunge: Sudden Stone Sale Brings Countertops Into Focus

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The framing is almost complete in the A-unit of this Penthouse Plunge renovation project. For the newbies, this is the latest installment of a series chronicling the absurdity of my purchasing a double penthouse at The Claridge on Turtle Creek. I’m separating it back into two units and gutting and renovating the corner A-unit and live in the other myself (eventually renovating it too, in time).

Framing is a big deal in the process. It’s when you can measure for cabinets (which have a HUGE lead-time – typically between two and four months). I’ve been scampering around town in between the holidays looking at cabinets, configurations and comparing prices (more on that coming up).

And what goes with cabinets?  Countertops.

Last Friday was the last “slow day” in the holiday season whereby things were open but traffic hadn’t returned to its natural levels. So I decided to visit stone yards furthest away from home and checked their hours Thursday night.  And to my wondering eyes did appear … a closing down sale – at one of the largest stone yards in Dallas!

Plenty of bargains left as of Friday

IMC is located at Royal and Zodiac (just east of Harry Hines).

Since I had no idea when the sale had begun, or how picked-clean the warehouse was, I was there before 9am. Turned out it was filthy with bargains – 12 slabs in my shopping cart later – it was pretty stupendous. In the process I found the sale had been running for nearly a month (clearly their PR people didn’t think to tell CandysDirt.com readers). Lord knows what I missed – but for anyone looking for countertops, stop reading and get in your car before it really is picked clean.

Anyway, for those with longer memories, you might be curious or terrified about what I’m going to write about countertop materials. I say that because my column about countertops from 2015 had 107 comments (and counting) from across the country – the latest was posted on December 3rd.  Clearly it struck (and strikes) a chord. We also had stone yards and designers begging us to take it down.

Onyx Almond

So back to my whirlwind day at IMC.

I had a shopping list that included the A-unit entry floor medallion, kitchen and master bathroom – anything beyond that was a bonus. The entry floor medallion is a 10-foot by 6-foot oval that matches a recess in the ceiling – a very elegant entry. But the current stone is BORING beige Crema Marfil marble. It’s the stone equivalent of the “builder’s beige” paint found in most apartments (“goes with everything” – not).

I chose (Ooo-la-la) Onyx Almond for the entry. Since the oval is so large, two slabs are required which lets me create this semi book-matched look – it even has its own medallion in the center. Of course it’s in the entry and so rotated 90-degrees but our size constraints made this the best way to show (so turn your head sideways to get the full effect – ha!). Pics don’t do it great justice, but it’s a “wow” entry at 75-percent off.

Princess White Quartzite

Next up is the kitchen. I’ve decided I liked the sleekness of a more modern kitchen this time around. I’m DONE with Shaker cabinets. This quartzite is a lot more dramatic in person (taking pics of shiny stone in a very bright warehouse isn’t my forte). It’s not the higher-contrast of the Calacatta marbles that are so popular these days. But I feel overly busy stone ages faster than more subtle patination. For example, when you watch HGTV renovate, they’re too often groaning about out of date patterns.

Black Wood

This next selection looks really elegant in person. It’s called Black Wood and I’ve zoomed in and heightened the contrast to capture the wood-like striations that flow horizontally throughout the slab (and are clearly visible when standing there). I’m going to use this in the master bathroom. Before you freak, the rest of the room will be in Carrara marble (Ann Sacks tile floors and mosaic walls) so this and the vanities (his and hers) will be the only contrast in the room. White sinks will also diminish the darkness (which doesn’t concern me).

And just to prove there is a Santa Claus, I found this beauty. While it’s now called Botanica, I’ve seen it slightly greener and called Esmeralda. Regardless, I’ve always loved it. And like many loves, I could never afford it – until this sale. I paid less for their three remaining slabs than a single slab of Esmeralda. Considering all the other stonework needed in the Penthouse Plunge, the fabricator agreed to store it until I was ready – (Merry Christmas to me).

Who’s this fabricator?  Stonecraft of Dallas and its owner Jennifer Voss.

After I’d toured IMC, compared prices and whittled down my selections to the best of the best, I called Voss. She’d been recommended by the Dallas outpost of Leicht – the best-selling high-end cabinet maker in Germany. She was on her way to another job but could meet me later.

I drove home with pictures of several options for that floor medallion. It gave me time to spin the slabs around on the computer and see which ones looked the best and from what angles. Hours later, I drove back to IMC to meet.

One of my original selections for the master bathroom countertops was a price too good to be true. It was $493 for the slab but as Voss pointed out, there was a lot of scratching and a fairly significant crack. This limited how much of the slab was actually usable. And with only a single slab available, there simply wasn’t enough there.

Even though I’m comfortable picking stuff out, an added set of eyes, trained to see what excitement blinds me/us to, was invaluable – and part of the service.

Some of the kabillion counter edge options available

Voss and Stonecraft have been in business for six years and do a brisk business fabricating stone for residential and commercial use. In the biz it’s called fabricating, but you and I call it cutting.

Sales are great things when renovating. While they’re unlikely to lower your overall budget, they let you spend more elsewhere or recover from unexpected costs elsewhere.


Remember:  High-rises, HOAs and renovation are my beat. But I also appreciate modern and historical architecture balanced against the YIMBY movement. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, the National Association of Real Estate Editors recognized my writing with three Bronze (2016, 2017, 2018) and two Silver (2016, 2017) awards.  Have a story to tell or a marriage proposal to make?  Shoot me an email [email protected]. Be sure to look for me on Facebook and Twitter. You won’t find me, but you’re welcome to look.

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Jon Anderson is CandysDirt.com's condo/HOA and developer columnist, but also covers second home trends on SecondShelters.com. An award-winning columnist, Jon has earned silver and bronze awards for his columns from the National Association of Real Estate Editors in both 2016, 2017 and 2018. When he isn't in Hawaii, Jon enjoys life in the sky in Dallas.

2 Comments

  1. Renee Barfoot on January 7, 2020 at 11:08 am

    we used Jennifer Voss/Stonecraft on our personal home rebuild after a fire. she was amazing and made the process so easy. her warehouse and slab choices are the only thing that makes it difficult… SO MANY choices! ❤️ i’ve referred her to real estate clients as well, bc she’s the absolute best!

  2. Julie Johnston on January 7, 2020 at 11:36 am

    Stonecraft Dallas is THE countertop company to go with! No other company goes the extra mile like they do. The owner, Jennifer Voss, understands what a huge thing having the right countertops is in a home or business and she’s great at what she does.
    If you’re looking for a company that stands behind its quality of work and customer service, then look no further.

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