A Courtyard, a Rooftop and Street Parking Only

Outdoor furniture for a shared roof deck arrives as hundreds of cartons, and a city apartment building usually has nowhere to put them. For an apartment community in Brooklyn, 255 pieces went to our warehouse first, and from there to a courtyard and a rooftop.

The project at a glance

Receiving and the inventory check

All of the furniture was shipped to our Long Island City warehouse rather than to the building. Each delivery was photographed in its packaging as it arrived and checked against the list the client sent us. Opening cartons for a piece-by-piece inspection is done on request.

Before anything left the warehouse, we sent our inventory to the client's design lead to compare with hers.

"I've reviewed and cross referenced and can confirm, your inventory list matches mine. We are good to go."

That reply is the point of holding goods before delivery. Any gap between what was ordered and what arrived shows up in the warehouse, where there is time to fix it, and not on a roof on install day.

Planning around the building

A 30-minute call on December 18, followed by a written recap, set the plan:

• a 9 to 10 a.m. arrival window on each day;
• six handlers and two trucks planned for the first day, three handlers and one truck for the second;
• street parking only, so the trucks were unloaded at the curb;
• which pieces went to the courtyard and which to the roof;
• assembly on site, and all packaging taken away by the crew.

Splitting the list by space mattered as much as the truck count. With one building, two outdoor spaces and a curb to clear, settling which pieces went where before install day means each one can go from the truck straight to the space it belongs in.

Install days

The crew worked across the two days in December and came back on January 2 for a second visit. Pieces were assembled on site, in the space where each one belonged, and the cartons and wrapping left with the crew.

The roof deck

The roof is laid out in zones, and each one needed something different:

• Daybeds. The daybeds are built into the deck's wood planters, some set on artificial turf. They got green-and-white striped cushions and black bolsters.
• Dining. A long white communal table sits under a slatted pergola, lined with chairs on both sides, with the Manhattan skyline in the distance.
• Fire pit. Beside a long, low fire pit, lounge chairs with gray cushions were set in place.
• Bistro seating. A small round bistro table with a woven rope chair went along a planter bench at the edge of the deck, looking out over the low-rise rooftops.

The courtyard

At ground level, a round wood-top table with two rope chairs and an umbrella went into the curve of a built-in bench, and Adirondack-style chairs were set out in the courtyard as well.

What made it work

• The cartons never sat at the building. They were held at our warehouse until install day.
• Two inventories that matched. The client checked our list against hers before anything moved.
• A plan built around the curb. Crew and trucks were sized for the access.
• A list for each space. Every piece had a destination, the courtyard or the roof, agreed before install day.

Buildings in New York often ask for a certificate of insurance before a crew can work on site, and we provide one on request. Our white glove delivery and installation page covers the service in full, and our guide to what white glove delivery includes explains each step.