Most of the custom metalwork you see in Manhattan restaurants and hotels was not built in Manhattan. Shop space in the city is scarce, so the work is fabricated outside it and brought in. Our shop is in Vernon, NJ, roughly 50 miles northwest of Midtown. Here is how a job gets from our floor to your space.
1. Measure the space, not just the drawings
Old buildings are rarely square. Before anything is cut, we confirm the dimensions that matter: the opening the piece has to pass through, the wall and floor it attaches to, and anything already installed around it.
2. Shop drawings that include the route in
Our CAD team details the piece and plans how it travels: the size of the freight elevator, the width of the stair, the turn at the top of the hall. Large pieces are designed in sections with joints that disappear once assembled.
3. Build and test-fit in the shop
Cutting, forming, welding and finishing all happen on one floor. Sections are assembled and test-fit in the shop, where adjusting is easy, so install day is assembly and not fabrication.
4. Plan the delivery with the building
Every building has rules. Delivery hours, loading dock bookings, freight elevator reservations and floor protection are common requirements. Send us the building's rules when you request a quote and we schedule around them. Our installs run during regular business hours.
5. Install with the crew that built it
The people who fabricated the piece install it. They know how it goes together, they bring the tools and hardware it needs, and if something on site is different from the drawings they can solve it on the spot.
6. Walk it with you
Before we leave, we walk the installation with you or your contractor and take care of anything on the punch list.
What we need from you
- Drawings, a model or a dimensioned sketch
- Photos of the space and the route in
- The building's delivery rules
- Your opening or turnover date
Send them through the quote form and you get a price back in 24 to 48 hours. See also on-site fabrication and installation and hospitality metal fabrication.
