One material and color
A single quartz color, or a single laminate pattern for the budget tier, bought for the whole project. Quartz needs no sealing, which matters when nobody in the unit will ever reseal a stone.
Apartment and Rental Property Countertops, Priced Per Unit Type
Buncombe Custom Countertops is a trusted supplier of rental property countertops in Asheville, NC, and throughout Buncombe County, specializing in apartment unit turns, whole-building renovations and short-term rental kitchens. We offer quartz and laminate packages priced per unit type.
- Free in-home measure
- Slab approved before any cut
- Licensed, bonded & insured
Send your drawings for a bid
Or call (828) 470-1105. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
About our multifamily & rental property countertops
Our team provides matching vanity tops for every bath, delivering one countertop standard across a building so repairs stay simple for both residential and commercial projects. Our own templater measures every unit on its installed cabinets, and we return a unit-type schedule of shop drawings for sign-off before anything is fabricated.
From a single vacant unit between leases to a phased renovation of every floor, our team handles every detail. Serving Asheville, Candler, Swannanoa and Fairview, we time each turn to the gap between move-out and move-in so the unit goes back on the market quickly.
Why Buncombe Custom Countertops
How We Work
The crew that measures your kitchen is the crew that sets the tops.
Written quoteSlab, edge profile, cutouts and seams listed line by line
Slab firstYou approve the slab, or the quartz sample, before we cut
Templated on siteMeasured on your cabinets after they are set and level
Access checkedThe drive, the steps and the carry path looked at before install day
Unit-turn countertops between tenants
A unit-turn countertop replacement in an Asheville rental is scheduled around the vacancy, not around our calendar: we template as soon as the old tenant is out, fabricate while the painters and cleaners work, and install before the new lease starts. The goal is one fewer day the unit sits empty.
Turns come to us in two ways. Some owners replace tops only when a unit is vacant and the old surface is burned, chipped or delaminating. Others run a rolling program, upgrading every unit as it turns over until the whole building carries the new spec. Either way, we keep a record of each unit type's layout, so the second and third turn of the same floor plan move faster than the first.
- Vacancy notice. The manager sends the unit number, type and target move-in date.
- Tear-out and template. We remove the old top and measure the cabinets as they stand.
- Fabricate and install. The new top goes in, sinks we are given are set, and the plumber reconnects.
Whole-building renovation packages
When an owner renovates a whole apartment building or complex, the countertop package is bid once and delivered in phases, floor by floor or building by building. A rental building is owned by one entity and rented to many, unlike a condominium, so a single decision covers every unit and the spec can be truly uniform.
Occupied renovations need more planning than vacant ones. Residents need notice, kitchens are out of use for as short a window as possible, and carries through shared hallways and stairwells are protected. We plan the sequence with the property manager so each unit loses its kitchen for the fewest days the work allows, and we price that phasing openly in the bid.
Renovations after flood damage are part of the picture in this county. Where rental kitchens sat in water during Hurricane Helene, the cabinets usually have to be replaced before any top goes on, and we template only once the new boxes are in and level.
Standardising one spec across every unit
One material spec across a building keeps repairs simple, because a damaged top in unit 12 can be matched from the same color, edge and thickness already used in units 1 through 40. Owners who mix specs unit by unit end up with a building nobody can repair quickly.
One edge profile
A simple eased or bevelled edge chips less and is quicker to match than a decorative one.
One sink and cutout
Standardising the sink model means every cutout is the same, and a replacement sink drops straight in.
Matching vanity tops
Bath vanities in the same material as the kitchen let one order cover both rooms of every unit type.
A documented spec sheet
We hand the manager a written spec listing the material, color, edge and sink, so the next turn, or the next contractor, orders the same thing.
Short-term rental and small landlord kitchens
Not every rental owner has a hundred units. Buncombe County counted 5,268 short-term rentals in 2022, about 4.5 percent of its housing stock, and many belong to owners with one to five properties. The county sets rules for them only in unincorporated areas, while Asheville has kept whole-home short-term rentals inside the city under tight limits from 2018 onward.
A guest kitchen takes the same abuse as a long-term rental, compressed into shorter stays: hot pans set down without a trivet, wine and coffee left to sit, and cleaners scrubbing between check-ins. For these owners we price a single kitchen and bath the same way we price a building, by unit type, and recommend a non-porous surface that turns over clean between guests.
Choosing a surface by rental tier
The right rental surface depends on the rent the unit commands and how hard its tenants are on a kitchen, so we price at least two tiers on every building bid and let the owner compare them side by side.
Laminate for the value tier
Postform laminate is the most economical top made, and the thin sheet on a particleboard core keeps each unit-turn swap light and quick for the crew carrying it up the stairs.
Quartz for the mid and upper tier
No sealing, strong stain resistance and a consistent pattern from slab to slab, which makes matching across a building straightforward. Tenants still need trivets for hot pans.
Solid surface where repairs happen in place
Scratches can be sanded out on site, and its glue joints are sanded until almost no seam shows, so a patched top still looks whole.
Granite where heat is the worry
A dense natural stone that shrugs off a hot pan, with its sealer renewed every several years rather than every turn.
How per-unit-type pricing is estimated
Rental countertop work in Buncombe County is priced per unit type, not per job: a one-bedroom plan, a two-bedroom plan and a townhouse plan each get their own price, multiplied by how many of each the building holds. Whole multifamily packages of roughly 20 to 300 units are typically estimated at $50,000 to $500,000 per project in the trade ranges we price from.
- Unit type and count. Square footage of kitchen and bath tops in each plan, times the number of units of that plan.
- Material tier. Laminate, the most economical surface on the market, sits at the bottom; quartz and granite above it.
- Vanity tops. A single bath vanity top is generally estimated at roughly $500 to $2,000 depending on size and material.
- Tear-out and disposal of the old tops.
- Phasing. A vacant-building job runs in one push; unit turns and occupied renovations need repeated trips.
- Sinks and fixtures. We cut openings and set supplied sinks; faucets and drains go to the licensed plumber.
These per-unit and per-project figures are budgetary estimates only and are subject to change with the unit plans, material pick and slab pricing when the order is released. The written bid, built from your unit counts and a site walk, sets the final price. Send the unit mix and plans for a bid.
Send the unit counts for a bid
Property managers and owners send us the unit mix, a floor plan for each unit type, the material and color if one is already chosen, and whether the work is a rolling turn program or a single renovation. We walk a sample unit of each type, then return a bid priced per unit type with the phasing laid out.
Same Cabinets, New Countertops
Drag the handle. The cabinets stayed; only the top changed.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfterThe process
How a Countertop Job Runs
The measure
We come to the house, look at the cabinets, the walls and the way in from the driveway, and talk through materials and edges.
The written quote
You get the slab, the edge, the cutouts, the seam plan and the dates in writing. Nothing is cut until you sign off.
Template and fabrication
Once the cabinets are set and level, we template them, then cut and finish the tops in the shop to that template.
Install and walk-through
We set and join the tops, then walk the finished kitchen with you before we call it done.
Questions
Multifamily & Rental Property Countertops: Common Questions
Can you price countertops per unit type?
Yes, and we recommend it. Each floor plan gets its own price, so a manager can budget a turn the day a vacancy notice lands, and the building total is simply each price times its unit count.
How quickly can a vacant unit be turned?
The dates are set when the unit is measured and written on the order, and they are timed to the move-in date the manager gives us. Repeat unit types move faster because their layout is already on file.
Can you replace one damaged top to match the rest of the building?
Yes, when the building runs a documented spec. With the same material, color, edge and sink on file, a single replacement top matches its neighbors.
Which material holds up best to tenant turnover?
Quartz is the usual choice for mid and upper tier rentals because it needs no sealing and resists stains. Laminate suits the budget tier, and solid surface is worth a look where scratches should be sanded out in place.
Do residents have to move out during a renovation?
Usually not. The kitchen is out of use while the old top comes off and the new one goes in, and we plan the sequence with the manager so that window is as short as the unit allows.
What do you need for a whole-building bid?
The unit mix, a plan for each unit type, the chosen material or a budget tier, and access to walk one unit of each type. Occupancy status and any phasing constraints help us price the schedule accurately.
Who disconnects and reconnects the sinks?
A licensed plumber disconnects and reconnects sinks and faucets. We remove the old top, cut the new openings and set the sinks supplied for the job.
Do you offer repeat pricing for property managers with several buildings?
Managers who send steady turn volume under one spec are cheaper to serve, because the layouts, material and sink are already on file. That shows up in the per-unit prices on the bid.
Free in-home measure
Talk to us about multifamily & rental property countertops
Free measures across Buncombe County. Builders, cabinet shops and property owners can send drawings for a bid.
Licensed, bonded & insured. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.