Most slow quotes are measurement problems, not wood problems. An island or table that is beautiful in the abstract fails when stools cannot pull out, when the refrigerator door hits the overhang, or when the assembled piece cannot turn the stair. This checklist is what Bradley Brand asks for so a series build or commission can be sized without guesswork — and without invented “standard” prices on the page.
Use this with the broader quote checklist and kitchen islands that work like furniture. Photos still matter; numbers make photos useful.
Room footprint
Measure the rectangle where the piece will live: width and depth on the floor, not the wall tile line. Note islands that must align with a cooktop, sink, or peninsula. Mark north/south if natural light matters for finish color — oak reads differently in cool north light than in warm west sun.
Leave working clearances: typically enough aisle for two people to pass on the primary path, and enough stool pull-out if the piece hosts. We do not publish a single magic inch count for every house; we size from your plan.
Height and overhang
Counter height vs gathering/pub height changes stool choice and apron design. Say which you want. Overhang for seating needs depth for knees and a structure that does not tip the aesthetic into a thin restaurant table unless that is the brief. For butcher-block working faces, say whether the top is primarily prep, serve, or both — that affects finish advice (film vs oil) more than marketing adjectives.
Delivery path (do not skip)
Measure every choke point from curb to final placement: door clear width, stair turn, elevator diagonal, hallway width. If the assembled piece cannot pass, say so early. Assembled USA shipping is a feature; it is also a constraint — see shipping assembled USA pieces.
What to send in one packet
- Floor plan sketch or marked photo with width × depth × desired height
- Seat count or stool count, if any
- Adjacent appliance swing (fridge, dishwasher, oven)
- Delivery path measurements
- Wood preference and finish constraints (match existing cabinets? food-contact top?)
- Hard dates and decision-makers
Series pieces from Saline Creek, Lumberjack, and related hubs can often be sized within a known language. Commissions absorb the rest — start there when the room is the odd one.
Photos that help (and photos that waste time)
Helpful: wide shot of the room from two corners, close-up of the floor area with a tape in frame, doorway and stair shots with a tape at the narrowest point, and a photo of adjacent cabinets if finish matching matters. Wasteful: only lifestyle crops with no scale, or screenshots of someone else’s island with “something like this” and no dimensions.
If you have a CAD plan or designer drawing, send it. If you do not, a phone photo with dimensions written on a notepad in the frame is enough to start. We would rather correct a rough sketch than invent a size that fights your fridge swing.
Series sizing vs commission sizing
Named series carry known proportions — Lumberjack dining presence, RattleSnake living forms, Moro sofa-table language, Saline Creek island stance. Within a series we can often stretch length or adjust overhang inside a coherent visual grammar. When the room demands a hybrid (island height with dining-table length, or a console that must clear a vent), that is commission territory. Series vs custom explains the choose-point; measuring tells us which door you are walking through.
Budget bands belong in the quote thread, not as fake storefront prices. Hourly shop context Keith has published ($150/hr) and institutional project bands ($50k–$500k) are orientation, not a menu. Your packet should still include a realistic range so we do not design past what you will approve.
