For Owner’s Representatives
Independent Oversight for the Scope Where the Stakes Are Highest.
Your job is to protect the owner’s investment. On a project with a $300,000 stone scope, that means ensuring the material that was specified is the material that gets installed, at the quality level that was approved, on the timeline that was promised. You need someone on the stone scope who has no financial relationship with the supplier, the fabricator, or the contractor — someone whose only incentive is getting it right.
No independent verification of material quality
The contractor reports that stone has been procured. But who verified that the delivered slabs match the approved specification? Who confirmed the block number, the finish quality, the structural integrity? Without independent eyes, you’re trusting the supply chain to police itself.
Procurement substitutions made without owner awareness
A material becomes unavailable. The contractor finds a “substitute.” The substitute is approved based on a sample that doesn’t represent the full lot. The owner discovers the substitution at installation, when it’s too late to change course.
Budget overruns driven by procurement mismanagement
Change orders for stone rework, material reselection, schedule delays caused by procurement failures — these costs accumulate and often exceed the original stone budget by 20 to 40 percent. The owner bears the cost.
No documentation trail for the stone scope
If a dispute arises — quality issue, damage claim, specification compliance question — there’s often no documentation of what was approved, what was delivered, and what condition it arrived in.
We provide independent stone procurement oversight with no financial relationship to any supplier, fabricator, or contractor on the project. Our only incentive is protecting the owner’s investment.
We verify material at every stage: slab evaluation at the yard, delivery inspection at the fabricator, and install-stage quality review. Every verification is documented with photographs and written reports.
We review and approve all material substitutions against the original design intent, providing written analysis of quality equivalency, visual impact, and cost implications before the owner makes a decision.
We produce a complete documentation trail: slab identification records, condition reports, design intent documentation, delivery inspections, and fabrication layout approvals. This documentation protects the owner in any dispute.
The Situation
An owner’s rep managing a $4.2 million residential renovation in Manhattan was overseeing a stone scope that included Italian marble throughout the primary living spaces, kitchen, and bathrooms. The GC had proposed a fabricator and was ready to begin procurement. The owner’s rep wanted independent verification before authorizing the $380,000 stone spend.
What Happened
Our scope review identified three concerns: the GC’s fabricator had never handled bookmatched work at the scale the master bath required, the procurement timeline assumed domestic slab availability for a material that would need to be sourced from Italy, and the specification lacked block-level identification for two of the four materials. We recommended a different fabricator with verified bookmatching capability, revised the procurement timeline to account for the 12-week international lead time, and tightened the specification to prevent lot substitution. The owner’s rep authorized procurement with confidence in the plan, and the project completed without a single stone-related change order.
Embedded Advisory
Ongoing independent oversight from procurement authorization through installation acceptance. Regular status reporting to the owner’s rep with documented verification at every stage.
Stone Scope Review
Independent assessment of the proposed stone scope, procurement plan, and fabricator selection before the owner authorizes spend.
Stone Strategy Engagement
Fabricator vetting, risk assessment, and procurement planning that gives the owner’s rep documented basis for procurement authorization.
How do you work with the GC and design team?+
Collaboratively. We’re not adversarial. We provide independent verification and expertise that benefits the entire team. The GC gets clearer procurement direction. The designer gets design intent protection. The owner gets documented accountability.
What kind of reporting does the owner’s rep receive?+
Regular written reports at agreed milestones: scope review findings, procurement status, delivery inspection reports, fabrication layout approval documentation, and install-stage verification. All with photographs and specific findings.
Is your advisory independent from all project vendors?+
Yes. We have no financial relationship with any stone supplier, fabricator, or contractor. We don’t earn commissions on material sales. Our fee is paid by the owner or owner’s rep, and our only incentive is protecting the investment.
18 Years
in Luxury Natural Stone
Former Antolini
Luigi & C Spa — 9 Years
Co-Founder
Stone Trend (Seattle)
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Show me the project.
Start with a free 15-minute sanity check. If the project needs deeper work, we can decide that together.