I wanted to give you a quick update on the working pantry. It arrived on schedule and the driver was very accommodating, even helping move the pieces into the house. Unfortunately, we (my brother in-law, the driver and me) determined that we couldn’t bring the upper piece up the 10 stairs without risking injury to the pantry or ourselves so we ended up putting it in the garage.

The good news is that I’ve been working on a remodel of my home office and have a carpenter who was able to schedule some time to come over on Saturday to put it together – it looks wonderful (though it appears as if the lower left door cracked but it’s not really noticeable unless you are looking for it).

I’ve attached a couple of pictures of the unit in its new home – we LOVE it! Thank you for all of your hard work and artistry.

A couple of notes for you – one on a missing piece and the other points are feedback on the whole process.

• The light that was sent doesn’t have a cord (and there is no hole cut for the cord, but my carpenter will make one in an appropriate spot, could you send one to me when you have a chance?
• Shipping/Delivery
  • You did a really good job of letting me know what to expect regarding delivery. As help to future customers, I think that reiterating a) the size of the truck, b) the fact that there is no gate to lower the pieces (so one may have to lift over one’s head) and c) the truck has no dolly in it.
  • On the size – you really prepared me for the size and when the driver called, I told him how big the moving truck I used was and that reassured him that a truck of that size could fit on the streets (which isn’t the case in a lot of San Francisco).
  • Gate height – if I had to do it again, I’d have gotten a few more helping hands.
  • Regarding the dolly, honestly, I would have purchased/rented a furniture dolly just to help with maneuverability (and the garage storage – though we improvised with boards under the unit).
  • I think my only advice would be if you know the approximate weight of the unit – that would help in determining how many people are needed to move and assemble each piece.
• Assembly
  • Again, you explained everything pretty well. The only things which seemed unclear when we were assembling it were;
  • Where the light should go including where the cord would go through the back (but I think since the light came later, maybe you forgot to make a hole for the cord?)
  • How to connect the top to the bottom (ok, this wasn’t obvious to me, but my carpenter figured it out pretty easily)
  • What the extra pieces were:
    • Several thin strips
    • Trim pieces – assuming those go around the marble top (but they are not cut to size or at an angle to fit together so it’s not something I would be comfortable doing)

So, all in all – you did a great job preparing me for what needed to be done. I have to admit though that I was still overwhelmed and was really grateful that my carpenter was available to handle the assembly. And that’s the reason I thought I’d send you this feedback, not as criticism, of course, but to give you an idea of what went on over here. Hopefully you can use the feedback for future long-distance customers who may have um, well, pretty weak carpentry/building skills like me. J

Ok, that’s my update for you. I hope you like the pictures. Let me know about the light cord and thank you again for everything.

YT piece #325