Leave No Stone Uninspected: How A Stone Specialist Adds Value To A Building Project

When GI Stone President Sandya Dandamudi saw that a client was planning to buy decorative stone for a luxury condo conversion of a landmark Chicago high-rise, alarm bells went off for her.

“They were going to work with a local distributor, but on a project of this scale, you need to maintain direct control over the quality of the stone,” Dandamudi said. “Local distributors are great for many project types, but in this case, the client would have had to rely on a third party to inspect and ship tens of thousands of square feet of material, a risky process that could also add to their costs.” 

GI Stone, which was founded by Dandamudi's mother in 1995, is a supplier, fabricator and installer of ​​interior and exterior stone cladding, floors, countertops, furniture and custom projects. Under Dandamudi’s leadership, the Chicago-based company has developed a reputation as a hands-on stone consultant to developers, architects and designers.

Dandamudi said she is a believer in going out to see and touch the raw materials at the source, if possible, to ensure quality for her clients, as well as talking to the team quarrying it to confirm it can deliver exactly what it promises. 

That is the approach she applied to the high-profile Chicago Tribune Tower project.

“We and the client went directly to a quarry in Brazil to select blocks and to approve the color range in person,” she said. “We also selected the size of the stone block so that they could get wider kitchen island countertops without too much waste and save thousands of dollars.”

That approach worked well on the project, which required GI Stone to source and then fabricate 120K SF of stone materials. Dandamudi said that meeting with and buying directly from the source allowed the client to purchase its materials for approximately half the cost of sourcing through a local distributor, even accounting for shipping costs.

Not every project requires the team to jump on an international flight, however, and Dandamudi said there are simple ways to ensure that a building owner and residents will be pleased with the stone long after it is installed.

Bisnow asked her to share her advice on how a project team can work with a stone consultant to find the best materials at the best price.

Dandamudi recommended including the stone consultant early in the planning process, long before architectural drawings are put out for bids and the specifications are set in stone, so to speak. This isn't meant to interfere with the architect or designer’s vision but to help ensure the vision is attainable.

“We can bring tremendous value when we are brought on early enough in the process,” she said. “We can source the material directly from the source, thus eliminating distributors and getting more control over color and other considerations as well as better pricing for the owner.”

Dandamudi recalled another high-profile project where the architect insisted on sourcing stone from an out-of-state distributor, even after GI Stone raised concerns about working through a middleman.

The costly result of that decision: The slabs weren't sized correctly, meaning the client had to purchase even more stone to make up for the difference. In addition, some slabs’ integrity was damaged during transport, further adding to the bill.

It might be tempting to source from a distributor that promises good value on its website. But Dandamudi said she has learned through experience that what is ordered over the phone or online isn’t always what is delivered.

“It's up to us as the consultant to do the due diligence, and I visit every single source that we purchase from,” she said. “I never buy anything sight unseen because we need to understand not only their best practices but whether they are capable of delivering what they say they are.”

It took millions of years for that marble or travertine to form, and the owner will expect the finished product to add value to a building’s interior for generations to come. Why rush the selection process and risk taking ownership of materials that don’t meet expectations or standards?

Dandamudi said sourcing the right decorative stone takes time. This is why it is important to involve the expert early rather than scrambling later to get materials to the job site, only to find they aren't what was hoped for.  

“Sourcing takes about six months to a year because you're inspecting samples, you're bringing them back, and then perhaps rejecting them and getting more samples,” she said. “It’s a very time-consuming process, but for good reasons.”

Since Dandamudi joined GI Stone nearly 30 years ago, clients and the stone industry have become more global and sophisticated in their technology and customer service. Even so, some clients might be surprised to know that Italy is no longer at the center of the marble universe.

In addition to Brazil, GI Stone works closely with sources in China, India, Turkey, Spain, Italy and elsewhere. Dandamudi has developed relationships with suppliers around the world whose quality control efforts and commitment to fair labor practices can rival or even exceed those of some U.S. companies, she said.

“We don’t buy anything from facilities we haven’t inspected,” she said.

Clients don’t always join GI Stone on these visits, but when they do, they often are stunned by the sophistication and scale of the local operations, Dandamudi said. 

“Whenever I take people to China, they come back in shock because those operations are so big,” she said. “Sometimes you have to drive from one end of the warehouse to the other because walking would take too long.” 

Getting to know vendors around the world allows GI Stone to find the best deals for its growing list of clients, she said. In addition to many high-profile multifamily buildings in its hometown, GI Stone’s projects include the Obama Presidential Center under construction on Chicago’s South Side. The firm also plans to expand nationally, including to Nashville. 

“Stone and other surfaces will be an enduring feature of a building, and they need to be thought of well in advance of a project for better aesthetic and financial outcomes,” Dandamudi said. “We think we're better at it than many because we understand the client and what they want, and we understand stone suppliers too.”

This article was produced in collaboration between GI Stone and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.