A WEBSITE JOB
Every now and again we get what I call a website job. This is the type of job that is so cool and different in every way that it goes straight on social media and the website to be flaunted in all its glory. Don’t get me wrong, we love and are proud of every job we do but every so often one just blows us away.
On Thursday the whole team travelled up to Hucknall near Nottingham to fit 3 Breakout Huts. I wasn’t sure what a Breakout was especially one that could be in a hut, so I asked some friends who informed me it was an area away from you’re usual work space to relax or have an informal meeting. Cementing the fact that the construction industry is a very different environment to the office world.
IN THE BEGINNING
In the early stages of 2021 I was asked to price a job for a company who had seen our quality of work at one of the Ben’s Cookies stores, they were impressed by what Danny had done there and needed a bespoke cabinetmaker to make a reception counter and some other items, one of which was these breakout huts.
The initial request was for solid Oak huts, I priced as such but made a note that savings could be made if they went for a veneer option. The cost was obviously out of budget so they opted for the veneered option, so I put some proposals together of how to assemble and secure the huts and they approved and ordered. The next step was to develop the design into the working drawings, because of the thickness of the sections we had to make up the sections from various layers of boards, because we were using layers we could use a method of assembly which wouldn’t show any fixings. Combining old school dowels and modern lamello and Festool fixings we would build them up in our workshop and disassemble for transportation and reassembly on site.
The plan I had for making them up would involve millimetre perfect accuracy and the best way to achieve this is using a computer operated machine. So I produced my drawings, layouts and set outs and sent them out for the components to be cut, drilled and grooved by a CNC.
Using these drawings the company we work closely with could cut out the components quicker and more accurate than a person could. Once collected the fun can begin.
WE NEED A BIGGER WORKSHOP
Dexter was the man for the job of building up the components to form the roof and support frames, carefully gluing them all together in the correct configuration so that when paired up the joining rails would all meet and be square. Meanwhile Lee made up the seat frames and Danny liaised with the upholsterer to sort out how we would make up the seat cushions.
With the help of Charlie, Dexter had all the components together and was applying the edging, which for the straight sections was easy as they would go through our edgebander, but the roof sections had to be done by hand. Thankfully Dexter loves a fiddly job.
We always say we need a bigger workshop and with the purchase of Unit 4 we are getting there, but when you have 3 big huts built up, there really is little room to do anything else. Once satisfied everything was perfect we took them apart and stored them ready for installation.
ALL HANDS ON DECK
We started early to get on site to be inducted at the required time. All available hands were needed, we had to get the very large components up the stairs to both the first and second floor, and you know what they say, many hands and all that…….
After a lot of huffing, puffing and maneuvering everything was where it should be and like a perfectly well oiled machine everyone cracked on with what they needed to do!
By the time we had done two we were flying and knew the crack.
This really is a prime example of a website job, I can’t wait to get some feedback for this and hopefully get to produce some similar items in the future. Would you like something like this in your office?
Have a great Weekend!!
Adam