As is often the case it isn't until you sit down and think about things and take a good, long look at what's before you that you see just what you have. Putting these blogs together has not only shown us just how far Philip Cowan Interiors have come from the early days of no plush toilets to the now half-fancy coffee machine (yes we’re still working on the ‘fully fancy’ version!) but also just what skill and experience we’re fortunate enough to have on hand every day of the week from the team we have around us.
‘Dramatic’ van photo featuring a beautiful landscape backdrop - the fitters getting all ‘arty!’
Our skilled fitting team are no different. We currently have a team of 5 fitters and a fleet of 4 vans - 2 ‘big’ and 2 ‘small.’ This is the full extent of my motor knowledge! If it's motor knowledge you're here for Sams your man! Together, Greg, Dan, Connor, Blake and Callum play an integral part in the entire process. They’re the ones who enable the original vision to come alive, they make it happen over and over again.
Like with our in-house workroom having our own fitting team enables us to see the whole project through from start to finish and has many benefits. One of these is that the majority of jobs we undertake are measured by us from the very beginning. We know what level of detail is required to ensure our products can be manufactured accurately to achieve a precise fit during the final stages.
A bit to the left…
Our fitters know what keynotes will aid the workroom to tailor a specific fit or to be able to work around an unusual space. It might require some practice runs and considerable head-scratching but being able to discuss across departments and share knowledge means we always find a solution and invariably it will usually come in handy on another project too. I think inevitably this is what sets us apart from all the rest.
The fitters are the ones who load up with the help of Matt in our workshop, fetch and carry from van to property and who often find much to their annoyance that on the day of a big installation, the lift is out of order! Our fitters don’t only need to ‘fit’ on days like this but they also need to BE ‘fit!’ No pressure lads!
How many fitters will it take to sort this hole in the roof out?
Although the finished look, the quality and precision of the installation are key, planning around how this is executed in the first place plays an important role too. Access and parking on some project sites can be tricky or non-existent and it will see the fitting team have to park in as close a proximity as possible and walk their tools and whatever it is they’re fitting that day into the site. It’s not always ideal, far from it but another obstacle they take in their stride….on most days anyway! They invented taking a deep breath and counting to ten!
Our team are headed up by our head surveyor Greg. He’s a familiar face to many of our long-standing clients and our most experienced fitter who has been with Philip Cowan Interiors for over 40 years - pretty much since it all began. So long ago is it that he remembers how our Managing Director Sam was only 4 or 5 years old at the time! He’s not only watched the company evolve but Sam grow up too, you just don’t get that in businesses any more. That kind of knowledge and loyalty takes time and nurturing, it can’t be bought and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. Greg tells me that it’s never really felt like a job - I think Mark Twain might have beat him to it on that particular quote!
'Head scratch' incoming...!!
There aren’t many projects Greg can’t tell you something about should you have a query, however long ago they might have been completed. He can remember a tricky bay window that turned out to be lengthy to install or a recess that just didn’t work.
He’s seen it all and figured out a way around it, all whilst wearing his shorts - come rain, shine or snow as many of our clients will know! It’s no wonder that in recent weeks he’s had to have a few ‘adjustments’ made himself in the form of a new hip. With any luck his new ‘component’ will see him measuring up for us until retirement and beyond!
Lovely job Greg!
Recently Greg has taken a bit more of a back seat where fitting and installation are concerned and is concentrating on travelling the length and breadth of the country measuring up projects and assessing what will and won’t work concerning what the client is looking to achieve. He can make suggestions, provide alternatives and most importantly ensure the final measure is as accurate as possible for the production process and in turn the final installation. One won’t work without the other that's for sure.
Heading up our installation side is Dan who’s been with Philip Cowan’s for just over 7 years and is Greg’s protege - but don’t tell him or Greg that! He’s got the ‘leave it with me’ down to a fine art and leave it with him we do! He loves a well-stocked van much to Emma in the office’s disappointment because she has no idea what the difference between a drill bit and a drywall anchor is and his van shopping lists fill her with dread!
Dan and Blake take a well-earned break whilst Dan ponders his next move…
Dan has played a big role in training up the fitters who have joined since. His dry sense of humour and the quick wit he has become known for both on and off-site makes every day an interesting one! If you don’t want an honest answer then don’t ask Dan! But then sometimes nothing but the truth as brutally as he may deliver it will do.. It all leads to the end goal - a fantastic-looking fit and a very happy client. Job done.
The days in the life of a fitter are long and will often see them staying out overnight. It means they can get back to a lengthy install as soon as the site re-opens the next morning or onto the next job in the same area of the country to save travelling home to do the repeat trip the following day. It makes for a varied working week, with no two the same!
‘Stayovers’ can have their perks!
Last week for example our vans covered large parts of the country visiting Islington, Ilford, Shrewsbury, Coventry, Solihull, Matlock, Barnsley, Oldham, Reigate, Bristol, Oxford, Ruislip, Slough, Colchester, Lowestoft, Blackburn, Troon, Glasgow, Lambeth, Godalming, Orpington, Crowborough, Surbiton, Hampton and Chertsey! There is no rest for the wicked.
It’s easy to forget from the comfort of your desk back at Philip Cowan HQ how hard work days and weeks like this can be for the fitters. Navigating the country, adhering to site protocols and restrictions, meeting with the client and sometimes installing in semi-building sites dependent on how far on the project is and at what point we are required. On other days the lads can be fitting within a busy hotel or residential home and they’ll need to wait for areas to be clear and rooms to be vacant before they can ‘crack on’ with the job at hand.
When working for Philip Cowan Interiors is a ‘family affair!’
Very often there is no ‘ideal’ situation because the job and the circumstances don’t always lend themselves to it. The lads have to get the job done to the best of their ability in any given situation with a smile on their faces whilst being professional and representing Philip Cowan Interiors at all times - no mean feat when the heat is on.
In addition to our five full-time fitters, we also have the benefit of being able to call on our Project Manager Mark’s fitting experience. Mark joined Philip Cowan Interiors 14 years ago as a fitter and has reached the dizzy heights of the office in the years since! He spends most of his days quoting on projects for clients and managing those which are in progress. He's handy to have in the ‘wings’ on the days when it's all ‘hands on deck’ to get the job done. It stops him from getting ‘rusty’ where fitting is concerned and gives us all a bit of peace and quiet in the office!
Sam concentrating!
And let's not forget our very own Managing Director Sam who’s been fitting since he could walk and hold a tape measure at the same time! It's not unknown for him to still carry out an installation should the occasion call for it or should the client be willing to pay that bit extra for a ‘guest appearance!’ We're very much about everyone ‘mucking in’ to get the job done here.
Teamwork makes the dream work after all!
Another ‘dramatic’ shot taken at the end of a long day in the capital
- our fitters are getting good at these!
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