Hi Sam,
let me try and take your question apart a bit.
In this case, as with all my projects for my clients, I did go in and take all those measurements myself. As the one who not only designs the project, but also builds it, I want to have as many measurements as possible. How many it end up being, is different from site to site.
After a visual inspection the first thing I usually do is throw a long level at the wall and see what I'm working with. From there I then look at what the idea for the project is and how that correlates with the measurements I need. With that in mind I then decide how many measurements to take.
Of course there will always be the need for adjustments on site during installation. It's one of the reasons for trim panels on the sides. There's many variable that can play into this, like slight differences in material thickness and cut tolerances for example.
That's the case when designing and building. And I never, ever rely on client's dimension.
Now let's assume you're just a designer and are given the measurements, be it from someone in a company you work at, or someone else who just needs a design.
Ideally again the measurements are as detailed as possible. Especially when taken by a professional site assessor, you should be able to rely on it. At least if they're doing their job right. During the design process you should still compensate for possible inconsistencies, but again that's where trim comes in.
The responsibility for the fit in such a case should never be on the designer. In this case the designer is just the person who makes it look good. Whoever takes the measurements and builds it, is responsible to a) give you the right information and b) make sure that the design fits the site.
There's no real industry standard on how many measurements you should take. As mentioned it should be at least top and bottom width, depth in two to three places and height too. But it all depends on the site and the project.
Hope this helps. 🙂
Omar: No, Germans don't wing it. Too pedantic. I should know, I used to be one. 😁
