Reply by DS

- LeeRoyMan

Some version of this looks like a solution to the mattress fitment issue.
As for the attachment brackets versus the old world through bolts you asked for;

Bed joints are fairly difficult to design and implement in a way that will hold up to the rigors they will be subjected to. There is a high risk of failure inherent in a newly designed joint.
The metal bracket is a tried and true, safe solution for a shop building a one-off bed.

I’m not saying I agree with the substitution without discussing it with you first, but, I understand the decision they made.

If the design intent was for aesthetics, you could apply fake bolts to the rails and achieve that goal.
If the intent was for functionality, the brackets you have are indeed functional.

There obviously was some miscommunication between yourself and the shop building the bed.
To avoid this, we always do detailed design drawings and get them signed off by the client before work begins.
This goes a long way to communicate what will be built.

If you truly feel the shop did not fulfill the contract design intent, I would think you could request them to remedy the issues as part of your original agreement, which is technically still unfulfilled.

For our shop, no cost is spared to satisfy a client’s design intent. If we screwed up, it is our loss. We don’t cut corners and we don’t accept subpar work from our craftsmen.

We would do a custom bed with custom bed rail joints, but we would be charging appropriately for prototyping and testing, because the liability for a failed joint is high.

Like I said before, the metal brackets are the safe and easy option. If they work in the design, I would choose to use them as well.

-- "Hard work is not defined by the difficulty of the task as much as a person's desire to perform it.", DS251