The Heavy Lift

It’s always troubling to me when the most challenging part of a project is the where and not the how or what.

The three flights of exterior fire escape were without a doubt the most troublesome part of this project. I fretted over the load out and the load in but in the end I had blown it all out of proportion in my head.

I will have to say that I felt spared by the granite fabricator since delivery and installation were an option I could avoid.!

THE PROJECT

Remove the existing built in island from the wall, add 10” in depth to allow for seating on one side. Include 4 small drawers under the overhang and put the entire piece on castors, with a 1.5” thick granite top.

A granite top on an off center base – on wheels. OK there were a few design concerns.

After taking to the granite supplier I was relieved to find that the top could overhand the edge by 10” without support, so after extending the sides by 10” and adding the columns I was less concerned with both the support and balance.

CONSTRUCTION

The 8” slides by the same manufacturer as the original cabinet were a bit tricky to come by. Thank you Gods of the Internets. These are not standard store shelf items.

The side of the original cabinet that was attached to the wall didn’t leave enough material at the corners to allow for me to skin over the entire side in one piece, while still having the same dimension and proportion at the front. So I had to patch in and join the faces on that side. And yes – It was about as much fun as it sounds.

COMPLETION

All done! and without the excruciating back pain I was anticipating.
I do have to remind myself to talk to the client about building them an elevator.

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