Stone-Cold Stunner

Irick’s StoneFab creates beautiful bathrooms, kitchens and more

by Alaena HostetteR / photography by HOLGER OBENAUS

Nothing sets the stage for a beautiful kitchen or bathroom quite like a stunning stone counter, backsplash and shower enclosure.

Whether you’re in the market for quartz, granite, marble or porcelain to create that wow effect, people who are in the know rely on Irick’s StoneFab, a one-stop shop that sources, fabricates and installs gorgeous stone features in homes and businesses.

“I do stone countertops for anyone who calls me,” proprietor Lance Irick says, whether they’re home or business owners or the cadre of custom homebuilders, remodelers and commercial contractors who use Irick’s StoneFab for projects like car dealerships, schools and fitness centers.

Irick has been in the business for 30 years—first with his father, who began a countertop company in the 1960s, then branching out on his own. After many decades in the industry, Irick has mastered a winning formula for running a viable business built on customer satisfaction—values that are passed down from his father.

“My father said, ‘If you take care of your customers, you’ll have a business forever and be successful,’” Irick says, adding his own wisdom: “If you make a mistake, don’t argue and pass it off to someone else. Just take accountability and fix it.”

This simple (yet oftentimes rare) philosophy keeps Irick’s StoneFab in high demand.

Irick recounts some recent feedback from one of his customers, who said: “I liked you as soon as you walked into my home and started to talk. You charge more than this other guy, but I’m going to use you because I feel like you’ll do the right thing.”

Irick takes pride in his customers’ satisfaction. “We’ll address any issue,” he states. “I’m not finished until they love it, and I don’t get paid until they are satisfied.” He just asks that clients trust the process and see the final result before making any judgments.

Irick launched a spin-off business, Irick’s Kitchen and Bath, after his customers kept requesting that he do their remodels in addition to installing stone.

“So many of my clients were asking if I could do their tile, plumbing, electrical, get their cabinets painted,” Irick says. “For years I said, ‘No, I really don’t do that,’ but one day I thought, ‘Why am I turning this work away?’”

He had already developed general contractor skills when he worked with his dad. “I did everything in the field, meeting with customers, etc.,” he says.

Irick assembled a team of top-notch tradesmen that he trusts with his clients’ projects. “I’m only as successful as my subcontractors,” he says. “I use quality guys who show up on time and do a good job.”

In fact, Irick gives his subcontractors the same consideration that he gives his clients. “I pay their asking price, and I pay them as soon as I get their invoice. When they’re paid on time, it gets them back to my jobs quicker,” Irick emphasizes. “I treat them how I’d want to be treated.”

One recent standout project required a complete gut and remodel of the master bathroom in a home in Prosper, Texas. The finished result features a gray and white palette, a porcelain slab enclosed shower and a matching porcelain slab accent wall behind the freestanding tub. “It looks amazing—like a spa,” Irick says.

He acknowledges that he’s not the cheapest in the business, but you get what you pay for. “I promise my clients that they’re going to be happy with the end result,” he says. “I promise that I’m not going to leave them hanging with something unfinished on their projects.”

Irick is immediately likable and treats people well. “I enjoy what I do, and I enjoy making my customers happy,” he says. It’s no wonder his customers keep coming back and referring him to people they know. *

Alaena Hostetter is a content strategist, editor and journalist who writes about art, design, culture, music, entertainment and food. She can be reached via her website alaenahostetter.com.

More Information

Irick’s StoneFab

Irick’s Kitchen and Bath

469.865.4000