It’s a dual-milestone day at Emerald Hill. The first is the arrival of the carpenters. The second is … “Dimensional R” is in the house to measure for kitchen countertops.

R asks Steven to not use his name — and to not “capture his soul” by photographing his face. He stays off the Net.

Steven complies by posting the photo above, the back of R’s head as he templates for the quartz countertop at the run of cabinets for the dishwasher, sink and cooktop.

R uses strips of white plastic — not easily visible against the white cabinets — to template the counter. The first step is to determine what the overhang will be — 1/2 inch past the face of the cabinets, or 1/4-inch. Steven chooses the larger overhang to help keep dripping liquids further away from the front of the cabinet drawers and doors.

Next, R lays out the strips — and discovers that the cabinets are not perfectly square. Instead, they bow inward toward the wall all of 1/16th of an inch. He computes the math and compensates with a series of strips that are first tacked into place with a staple-gun and then glued together. Ron offers to ask Aaron to reinstall the cabinets — but R says that variance is nothing compared to what he has had to work around on other jobs.

Step by step, strip by strip, R lays out what will become the guide that Austin Stone will use to cut the quartz to size, deliver, and install.

One big step closer to finishing this remodel. Milestone!