Installation terms.

01

Custom made, from design drawings

We design every partition for its opening and show it to you as a design drawing and a rendering. The partition is then built to those drawings by hand.

• The rendering shows the design intent. The finished partition matches it closely, and can differ in small ways: the exact profile dimensions, how the glass and its tint read in your light, the detailing of the hardware. That is the nature of custom work, and it is not a defect.
• Most hardware finishes match the frame. Some custom finishes, such as brass, bronze or special powder coats, come from different manufacturers and may not match the frame or each other exactly. We tell you when that is the case.
• A design drawing shows how the partition is laid out: where the door sits, which way it opens, where the handle goes, the grid design. It does not carry exact dimensions. Those we take ourselves on site, once construction is finished, and they are our responsibility.

02

Made in Brooklyn

Our glass is fabricated locally in Brooklyn, which keeps lead times short and lets us keep an eye on every piece.

• The regular lead time is about three to four weeks from the deposit, and most jobs are done sooner. More complex projects can take a little longer, and we tell you when they will.
• If a member of our team said your order can be expedited, it will be.
• Occasionally a piece breaks or scratches in fabrication, at pick-up or during installation. When that happens we remake it and reschedule the installation, and we tell you as soon as we know.

03

Gaps are part of a working door

A door has to move. Swing doors need clearance to swing, sliding doors need clearance to slide, and the glass needs room for silicone and seasonal movement. Those small gaps are what make the partition work.

• Typical clearances are about 1/4" under a door and about 1/8" where two edges meet. They are designed in, and they are not a defect.
• If your opening is out of level or out of square, the gaps grow with it. We measure carefully, and we do our best to accommodate an uneven opening with trim and covers, and the result will still not be perfect where the opening is far off level. The best time to fix that is before we measure: a contractor can square and level the opening, and we are happy to tell them what we need.
• Where a gap cannot be covered well, we say so on site and agree on the approach with you, rather than leave a fix that will not last.

04

Your opening has to carry the glass

Tempered glass is heavy, and a door is heavy glass that moves. A well-built opening is what keeps a partition working smoothly for decades.

• For large openings and for every sliding or swinging configuration we recommend reinforced structural support, tied into the building's existing structure. It gives the best long-term result, and we can advise your contractor on what to build.
• Wooden blocking behind every point where a door, track, pivot or lock fastens is the single most useful thing your contractor can add. It is what keeps a door operating smoothly year after year.
• Metal studs and sheetrock alone are not structural. We can install into them when that is all there is, and the partition will hold, but we cannot warrant how it stands up over time; blocking or structural support solves that.
• Tell us about anything hidden inside the opening before we drill: heating pipes, radiator lines, electrical, plumbing. With that knowledge we work around it; without it, we cannot be responsible for what we could not see.

05

Exact dimensions

Once the opening is finished we take exact dimensions ourselves, and the glass is cut to them. Getting those dimensions right is our responsibility. From that moment the opening stays as it was measured, and the partition fits the way it was drawn.

• If construction is still going on when we visit, we come back to measure once the opening is finished. The design drawing is done from the visit; the exact dimensions wait for the finished opening.
• By approving your proposal you agree not to change the opening after the exact dimensions were taken: no new flooring, tile, sheetrock, trim or built-up paint around it. Planned construction is fine, as long as it was discussed with our engineer before the measure.
• The finished floor is in place when we measure. If the floor height changes afterwards, with a rug under a swing door, new tile or a threshold, the door will touch it; that is a floor change, not a defect, and we can adjust the door as a service call.
• If the opening does change, tell us before the glass is ordered and we re-measure. After that, a piece that no longer fits is new glass at your cost, with a new lead time.

06

Before installation day

We arrive with the glass, the frames and the crew for the day, and most installations are done by the evening. A ready opening and a clear path are what make that possible.

• The opening is finished: framing, sheetrock, paint and flooring are done, and no painting, sanding, plastering or other dust work is happening in the space that day.
• The way is clear and personal belongings are moved out of the work area, so the crew can bring the glass in safely; we cannot take responsibility for items left in it.
• We use plastic covers and clean up after ourselves. It is still construction work, so expect some dust and noise on the day.
• You arrange building approval, the certificate of insurance if your building needs one, and an elevator booking for the delivery. Tell us the building's work hours, noise rules and freight elevator windows in advance and we plan around them.
• Mag locks and any other low-voltage or electrical work are wired by your electrician; we install the hardware and show them where it connects.
• If we arrive and cannot install for one of these reasons, or the building turns us away, we reschedule. A lost labour day is charged as an additional fee of up to $900, so it is worth a quick check the day before.
• Walk-ups, long carries from the truck, loading zones and parking in Manhattan can add to the day. Where they do, a surcharge may apply at our discretion, and we tell you before the day whenever we can.

07

Deposit, balance and validity

The proposal is a fixed price for the work described on the page. This is how the money side works.

• A proposal is valid for 30 days from the day it is sent. After that, glass and hardware prices may have moved and we refresh the quote for you.
• The deposit secures your place in the schedule and lets us order glass and hardware. It is non-refundable once the fabrication of your glass has started.
• The balance is due on completion, on the day of installation, before the crew leaves the site. An unpaid balance may lead to a mechanic's lien on the property.
• A change after you have approved and signed, whether to the glass, the hardware or the configuration, is an additional charge that depends on the project. Once the glass is ordered, a change means new glass and a new lead time.
• If you cancel after fabrication has started, the deposit covers the glass already cut for you.

08

About the glass and the hardware

Every piece is tempered for safety and polished by hand. A few things about the materials are worth knowing.

• Tempering can leave faint traces that are part of the material rather than flaws in it: a slight wave or bow, a soft rainbow in polarised light or through sunglasses, an occasional tiny pinpoint. They are rare, and they are not defects.
• Reeded glass is installed with the ridges running vertically, and frosted glass with its etched face away from the side that is touched most, unless you tell us otherwise before the glass is ordered.
• Hardware finishes live with use. Brass and bronze develop a patina, and black can mark at the points a hand touches every day. That is character and wear, not a warranty matter.
• Frames are sealed with silicone, which stays visible as a fine, clean line. The wall around a new frame may need your painter afterwards; wall touch-ups are not part of the installation.

09

Warranty and care

We stand behind the partition for two years. Here is what that covers and how to keep it working like new.

• The partition and its hardware are warranted for two years from the day of installation against defects in materials and workmanship, as long as the partition has not been deliberately damaged or misused.
• Glass breakage after installation, damage by other trades (a frame moved, a hole drilled), and the wear described above are outside the warranty. Adjustments within the warranty are free; after it, we come out as a service call.
• Clean the glass with a mild glass cleaner; keep ammonia off the frames and abrasive pads off frosted or reeded glass. Doors can need a small seasonal adjustment as a building moves; that is normal, and it is quick.
• We are proud of our work and may photograph the finished partition for our portfolio and social media, without your name or address, unless you tell us not to.

How you agree