Our Process: Measure to Install

Our Process

Moffat Glass has built custom glass for Northern Colorado homes and projects since 1921, and the same in-house team owns every step from the first measurement to the final walkthrough. Our 4-step process is anchored by in-house fabrication and tempering in our Larimer and Weld County shop, which is what lets us deliver custom heavy-glass projects on a schedule most regional vendors cannot match. The four sections below walk through exactly what happens at each step, in the order it happens, on every project we build.

On-Site Measure

Every custom glass project starts at your property. A Moffat technician arrives on site, walks the space with you, and templates the actual opening: out-of-plumb walls, non-square corners, tile transitions, header dimensions, and any sloping floors or unusual framing the room has picked up over time. Custom glass is measured to fit the room as built, not pulled from a catalog.

Design intent gets locked at this step too. Configuration, glass thickness (3/8" or 1/2" on most heavy-glass builds), hinge layout, and hardware finish are all chosen before anything heads to the shop. The same approach applies on commercial sites and restaurant projects, where existing conditions matter just as much as new specs.

Nothing gets cut until the measure is signed off. That protects you from re-spec downstream and protects the glass from a costly trip back through the kiln. (See: Custom Frameless Shower Doors and Heavy Glass Fabrication & Tempering.)

In-House Fabrication & Tempering

Step 2 is where Moffat is structurally different from most Northern Colorado competitors. Custom heavy-glass shower enclosures, wine walls, and partitions install in 1-2 weeks from approved measurement, versus 2-3 weeks for vendors who outsource to out-of-state fabricators. Because we fabricate and temper every panel in our Northern Colorado shop, there is no shipping leg between cut and install. The glass moves from kiln to template to install under one roof, on our schedule, with the same team owning each step.

The tempering science is precise. Each panel is cut to spec, edge-worked, drilled for hardware, then heated to roughly 600-700°C and rapidly quenched with high-pressure air jets. The result is glass that is 4-5× stronger than annealed and produces the small-pebble break pattern required by safety code on showers, doors, partitions, and overhead applications (ANSI Z97.1 / CPSC 16 CFR 1201).

Every panel is inspected in-shop before it leaves: edge polish, hole and notch placement, hardware-cutout dimensions, optical clarity. Premium hardware specified to load, including CRL for residential heavy glass, is paired to every panel before install. If something is off, we re-temper in-shop. No shipping delay is built into a correction.

Moffat has been doing this in our Northern Colorado shop since 1921: over a century of in-house glass craft. (See: In-House Fabrication & Tempering: The Moffat Glass Heavy-Glass Advantage.)

Schedule & Install

Once your glass is fabricated, tempered, and inspected, we schedule the install at your convenience, not on our calendar pressure. Moffat technicians, never subcontracted, handle every install. The technician arriving at your home is from the same Moffat team that measured the opening, so the panel meets the room exactly as templated.

A typical residential frameless shower enclosure installs in 2-4 hours on site. Wine walls, partitions, mirrors, and railings vary by scope; commercial install timelines flex to the project. Premium hardware is set, leveled, and shimmed to the tolerance the panel was cut to: hinge alignment, seal placement, and panel plumb are all verified before we move to the walkthrough. (See also: Glass Railing Installation.)

That single-team continuity from measure through install is what separates Moffat from installers who hand off pieces of the job to subcontractors.

Final Walkthrough

Before we leave, we walk every detail of the finished install with you: finish, fit, function. On showers that includes door swing, hardware feel, seal placement, and a water test. On railings, partitions, and wine walls it includes panel plumb, hardware torque, and how each piece operates. Honest care guidance is shared at the walkthrough too: squeegee after every shower, mild non-abrasive cleaners only, and a periodic torque check on premium hardware keeps the install looking the way it did on day one.

We don’t consider the job complete until it’s right.

Moffat’s residential workmanship warranty is 1 year on labor from installation, covering adjustments and operational issues with the hardware and glass we installed. Response time on warranty service is within 2 business days. When something needs adjusting, the same Moffat team that built it returns to make it right.

Why This Process Matters

The 4 steps work because the same Moffat team owns all of them. There are no out-of-state hand-offs, no third-party fabricator queue, and no subcontracted install crew. That is the structural reason custom heavy-glass projects install in 1-2 weeks instead of 2-3, and it is the reason the panel that arrives on install day matches the room that was measured.

The process fits high-end residential remodels, designer spec work, and architect-led builds across our three Northern Colorado locations in Evans, Loveland, and Fort Collins. Since 1921, the same in-house standard has carried every project we build. (Learn more about our century of Northern Colorado glass craftsmanship.)

Start Your Custom Glass Project

Every custom glass project at Moffat starts with the on-site measure. Bring us your bathroom, wine room, partition, railing, or mirror project, and we’ll spec the right configuration, glass thickness, and hardware finish for the space. From there, your glass is fabricated and tempered in our Northern Colorado shop for install in 1-2 weeks from approved measurement, walked through with you at the end, and backed by the same team that built it.

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What People Are Saying

Awesome company, quick response time, and friendly people!

"Our business main window glass broke in the morning as we were coming in, Moffat was called and they replaced the glass the same day. Awesome company, quick response time, and friendly people!"

I am so happy with my finished job!

"I am so happy with my finished job! They did amazing and were very responsive with any questions or issues that came up. Amber was absolutely phenomenal! She was right on top of everything and making sure that I was satisfied."

Thank you

"Rene did an amazing job with a huge, double pane window on our porch. He was courteous, professional, and took the time to answer all my questions. He put everything back in place perfectly when the job was complete. I appreciate his dedication to duty and craftsmanship. Thank you."

Highly recommend the company.

"From the people on the phone to the service technician, everyone was courteous and professional. Everything went exactly as was told me. The service technician, Daniel, was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable. He did a terrific job. Highly recommend the company."

Moffat has delivered!

"Absolutely love Moffat Glass. We have worked with them for over 20 years and have always received great customer services and quality install on our items—from creating a new glass table top for our living room coffee table, to updating all our house screens, to installing screens and storm windows on our wrap-around porch, Moffat has delivered!"

We've used Moffat Glass in the past and will continue our loyalty to them based on their high quality service and products.

"JR and Anthony installed our shower doors and they look AWESOME!! They were timely, friendly, thorough, clean and took time to explain how to care for shower doors. We are very pleased with the service from Moffat Glass. It was exactly 3 weeks from the time we called in to have someone come measure to having the doors installed. We've used Moffat Glass in the past and will continue our loyalty to them based on their high quality service and products."

Thank you guys for your nice work!

"Anthony and Jr did an awesome job! They are very professional and get the work done quick while leaving it looking nice. We are very happy with the glass they put in our shower. It definitely was the missing piece and now it is complete! Thank you guys for your nice work!"

We are very happy with Moffat Glass

"We wanted to let everyone know that Anthony & Junior did an Amazing job on installing our shower door. The workmanship was great. Very professional. We love our shower door. They took the time to tell us how to clean the door. We are very happy with Moffat Glass. Thank you Amber for all your help with our shower door. David & Linda"

I do not hesitate to recommend Moffat Glass

"We needed our patio screen door replaced. Moffat answered the phone (something that 3 other businesses did not do), scheduled someone to come measure the same day, manufactured our non-standard sized door and installed it within a week. We have yet to hear from the other businesses we contacted who told us they would 'get right back' to us. The quality of customer service was very good. Everyone was friendly, professional, and expressed appreciation for our business. I do not hesitate to recommend Moffat Glass. They have been in Greeley for a long time and I can see why they have lasted."

I will absolutely be using Moffat again and I highly recommend them!

"I'm very thankful to have worked with Moffat glass. I needed a large piece of glass for my hotel with special cuts and Moffat nailed it perfectly! The installers are very careful and did an amazing job. Amber was the one always taking my phone calls and she is a pleasure to work with. Very knowledgeable and patient. I will absolutely be using Moffat again and I highly recommend them!"

Thank you Moffat, for another job well done.

"Anytime I have a project that requires a skill level greater than I can provide, I call Moffat. I've relied on them for many years. They're always on time and always get the job done in a most efficient manner. The workmanship is always second to none. Thank you Moffat, for another job well done."

I highly recommend Moffat Glass!

"Anthony and John did a great job installing our shower frame and glass! They answered my questions before starting their work. We thoroughly enjoyed working with Moffat Glass. Amber was a great help on the phone and took the time to answer my questions and concerns. I highly recommend Moffat Glass!"