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Designers: Did You Ever Watch the Team That Must Install What You Design?

Frank Howarth shows us the tricky, razor-blade-heavy task of installing quartz countertops

By Rain Noe - August 4, 2015

in Furniture Design | Interior/Exhibition Design | Video

Imagine you're an architect, or an industrial designer or an interior designer, and you're designing someone's kitchen right down to the cabinets. So you draw your plans up in your perfect little CAD world, where everything is level, plumb and square. Then you spec out quartz countertops, because the material is as attractive and durable as granite, just without the maintenance. There are some irregular cuts to make, but those are easy to draw with your mouse.

Then you send the dimensions off to the fabrication house, kick your feet up and crack a beer.

What happens next is a team of guys have to come into the actual space to measure it precisely. Your dimensions were good enough to calculate square footage and an estimate, but not good enough to set tool to material. Said guys come back two weeks later with the finished surfaces, and are now faced with the fiendish task of getting it all level, square, and most importantly, seamless.

We've been following Frank Howarth's kitchen remodeling project for quite some time, and as talented a builder as he is, architect Howarth knew it was better to call in pros to handle the quartz countertops. Though he didn't do this part of the job himself, he did document all of it, giving you some idea of what these three dudes go through to get kitchens looking purty. He also explains why he really liked watching them do what they do:

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How cool are those cam-lever-equipped vacuum clamps? I can't decide which I like more, that or the string-not-laser measuring contraption.

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Mike Aaskov

9 years ago

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Totally selfish question here - Anyone know what that "string-not-laser measuring contraption" is? It'd be perfect for replacing the missing brace on an old timber-frame structure...

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Jeremy Lacy

9 years ago

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I'm fortunate enough to be an Industrial Designer that gets to be a part of the entire process from start to finish. I'll do the initial client meeting & concept design work (sketches & 3d modeling, field measurements, shop/engineering drawings, Project manage, help fabricate in the shop when needed and am a part of the installation process. The most satisfying feeling is when you can hold up your original concept sketch or 3d model to show the client at the end of the process and can be satisfied that you were able to carry that concept through the different steps of the process and make it a reality. I think I'd really miss being a part of the final installation process... That's when you can learn the most about what you've created and can apply that knowledge to your next design project.

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- Rain Noe
  
  Jeremy Lacy
  
  9 years ago
  
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  Jeremy, that sounds pretty awesome! For my first ID job we did exhibitions and retail installations, and traveling to the jobsites was really eye-opening. Primarily in terms of the amount of things that can go wrong with real-world vs. CAD-world, and how you have to work with the tradesmen to solve those problems on-the-fly. Every ID job I had after that, I was completely removed from the manufacturing/fabrication process, which is definitely less satisfying.
  
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  - Jeremy Lacy
    
    Rain Noe
    
    9 years ago
    
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    "traveling to the jobsites was really eye-opening. Primarily in terms of the amount of things that can go wrong with real-world vs. CAD-world, and how you have to work with the tradesmen to solve those problems on-the-fly." Exactly Rain! I really liked this post. You often see the final glistening product but never all of the pain, small battles and triumphs that happen along the way... Thanks for posting this.
    
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  - Jeremy Lacy
    
    Rain Noe
    
    9 years ago
    
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    Oh, and as Frank says in the video - the banter that goes on between all of us during the install is priceless. It's a weird sort of team bonding, stress relief that is an essential part of the installation process! :)
    
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Peter Middleton

9 years ago

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I can climb a building with those?

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