MAPLETON – A little more than a year has passed since Extreme Granite opened its doors for business in Mars Hill, and a lot has happened since then. The philosophy of allowing the public to buy tops direct from the person who makes them – eliminating middlemen markups – has really paid off.
In addition to installing nearly 100 sets of granite countertops in that period, the Extreme team also found time to build and move into their new facility in Mapleton.
“The Mars Hill shop was just what we needed at the time,” said owner Jeff Beaulieu. “We had just returned from working in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and needed a shop that was ready to go. But the lost time in travel, not to mention the price of gas, soon made it attractive to build a new shop and showroom on land near my house in Mapleton.
“The new shop was built specifically for the fabrication of granite so it has made our job a lot easier and more efficient, and we’ve also added a showroom,” he said. “Now the public can see some of the different things that can be done with granite. The new showroom is chock full of kitchen countertops, desktops and fireplace trim, and the largest selection of granite vanity tops in New England.”
Since space is no longer an issue, Extreme Granite is also stocking over 50 slabs of granite in the yard.
“Now, in most cases, the customer can pick out the slab that their countertops will be made of, rather than selecting from small samples that don’t always tell the whole story,” said Beaulieu. “We’ve also expanded our line. Being granite people to the core, we remain convinced that granite is and always will be the gold standard in countertop material.
“However, we also realize that granite might not be for everyone, so we’re now offering solid surface by Corian and Hi-Macs, and quartz countertops by Caesarstone. We’re also selling cabinets. We’ve got an excellent line of all wood cabinets that are available in several styles and finishes, which are extremely affordable, all the way up to custom cabinets by Michael J. Brown Cabinetmakers.”
Beaulieu said another big change is the company has added financing options for its products – either through a local bank or a national finance company.
“We’re pretty excited about this,” he said. “Given the fact that we start by saving the customer $20 to $25 a square foot over traditional sources by offering affordable monthly payments, we expect to be able to put granite and sold surface in reach of people who might otherwise have opted for laminate countertops.
“In fact, we can now install granite in an average 50-square-foot kitchen and offer payments as low as $77 a month,” said Beaulieu.
The Extreme team consists of Beaulieu, his son, Chris, and right hand man, Bill Hafford.
Extreme Granite’s new shop and showroom is located at 79 Flagstone Ridge Road in Mapleton.
Contributed photo
THE EXTREME TEAM at Extreme Granite consists of, from left, Bill Hafford, Jeff Beaulieu, owner; and Chris Beaulieu. Extreme Granite’s new shop and showroom is located at 79 Flagstone Ridge Road in Mapleton.
