Our Services

Onsite Services

We begin by obtaining field dimensions, templates and mold impressions when original elements still exist. Our tool kit ranges from tape measures and plumb bobs, to the use of laser scanning of individual parts or entire facades as the situation requires. With our experience on jobsites, we understand the complexities of construction and the importance of on-time, on-budget delivery and installation.

We work with our clients to ensure our packaging, delivery, and assembly methods best support the needs of each job. We supply installation drawings, connection systems, integrated sub-assemblies and, when necessary, partial or complete in-shop mock ups and trial assemblies to ensure trouble-free installation.

Design and Engineering

Much of our work involves delegated-design formats, where we’re responsible for the engineering of parts and connection systems, but we’re also engaged on many projects with fully developed construction documents. In a business where the costs of access and field labor can often exceed the part costs, coming up with functional installation approaches can make or break a budget. We focus on designing effective and workable connections tailored to the skills and resources available, and our years of creative problem solving have resulted in a catalog of connection options and methods. If needed, our designer can create assembly and 3-D detailing to aid in installation strategy, or

combine discrete elements into modular components with false joints to further streamline the installation process.

We have a well-earned reputation for efficient and comprehensive design and detailing of our work. Some of our most successful projects have evolved from a group consensus of the design, involving the project architect and engineer, masonry restoration contractor, and our design team. Unlike most construction documents that depict the general design intent, our final drawings attempt to capture all of the relevant information in a thorough and finite manner, from the bill of materials to the last joint.

Get a better look at our part detailing by scrolling over the plans above.

Tooling

Since almost all of the thousands of molds we’ve created have been for custom work, we are particularly adept at developing tooling options that provide the best combination of economy and performance for the specific requirements of each project. Our skill at creating complex shapes allows us to accommodate your project needs in many different capacities, including providing our design and model/mold services to other pre-casters, contractors, and producers, sometimes in other parts of the country, when their production and/or transportation costs may yield savings, LEED credits, or both.

Molding and Fabrication

Our in-house production methods utilize Portland-cement based GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete), and we can also provide FRP (fiberglass) and PGRG (polymer-modified glass fiber reinforced gypsum) moldings for weight-sensitive applications such as large projecting cornices. We also often fabricate framing and connection systems, as well as integrated sub-assemblies developed by our designers and our engineering consultant.

Finishing

Our finishing department excels at providing a final finish that will not only stand the test of time, but that also fits cohesively with the existing parts around it. It can be very challenging to blend the old with the new, especially because historic materials are often very weathered after years of exposure, and often differ from one elevation to another. After many years of experience customizing and sourcing appropriate colors, sizes and shapes of aggregates, and in media-blasting or etching techniques, we are extremely skilled at reproducing a variety of finishes and textures - for both integral finishes and applied finish coatings. Duplicating terra cotta glaze with modern water-born urethane is one of our particular specialties.