The apartment was built in 1961 and nothing in it is square. The longest wall of the kitchen is 13 ft 8½ in at the floor and 13 ft 9½ in at countertop height, and the floor falls about ⅞ in from one end to the other.

A catalog kitchen would have been fitted with filler strips at both ends and a countertop that visibly sloped. We measured the room at three heights, drew it as it actually is, and cut every carcass to its own depth.

The drawing was approved before anything was cut, together with a wood sample and the hardware. That drawing is what we build to, and it is also what the client holds us to.

Fitting took two days. The countertop was scribed on site, which is slow and cannot be avoided: a wall that leans 1 in over thirteen feet will not accept a straight edge.

What the client sees at the end is a kitchen with no filler strips and a level countertop. What that costs is four extra hours of measuring and about a day of workshop time.