When working with materials like the French porcelain countertops in the Santa Barbara estate dry bar, measurements must be accurate to the millimeter because the finished product cannot be trimmed or adjusted after fabrication. Lincoln describes how John McDonough’s team built wood templates on-site and shipped them to the workshop in France so the artisans could fabricate the slabs to exact dimensions. A single measurement error would mean scrapping an irreplaceable piece and starting over with months of additional lead time. This level of precision is one reason a design-build approach is essential for projects that involve internationally sourced, custom-fabricated materials.