When the Shell Is Off, Everything Is Off

As the glazing consultant on hundreds of luxury homes, I’m often on site step-by-step helping to lay out and correct the shell before any window layout can begin. I act as the GC’s expert assistant — bridging the gap between architectural intent and the messy realities of construction.

This residence in Boca Raton actually had a solid shell overall — but this angled corner was a miss. The overhead beam was nearly 2" outside the foundation (which was pretty obvious once you looked at the column). Getting the shell right matters, especially when you’re aligning 12' tall storefront windows. Even small misalignments compound into major layout headaches later for the installers, framers, and finish trades.

Laying out true symmetry and frame alignment at this level is never plug-and-play. It takes laser correction, field coordination, and someone who knows exactly what the end result is supposed to look like.