- Work
- Gates, handrails, fences
- Materials
- Steel, aluminum
- Residential
- Yes, this category only
- Where
- Made here, installed on site
Handrails, gates and fences are the one place a residential address is welcome.
Everywhere else the work is commercial and industrial. Here it is simply a fabrication job with a different setting.
Gates, handrails and fences are made here in steel or aluminum and installed on site, and this is the single category where we will take residential work as well as commercial.
Everywhere else on this site we are clear that the work is commercial and industrial. This page is the exception, and it is worth stating plainly rather than burying it: if you need a handrail, a gate or a fence, it does not matter whether the address is a plant or a house. Handrails in aluminum, which is most of the rail work we do now, have their own page.
The reason is simple. These are fabrication jobs. They are cut, welded and finished the same way a piece of plant steelwork is, and they are installed by the same people. A handrail on a loading dock and a handrail on a set of front steps are the same job with a different setting.
We build to the opening or the run that actually exists, measured on site, rather than to a catalog size that nearly fits. Steel or aluminum, and we do the surface preparation before finishing so it holds up outdoors.
A gate that needs rehanging is a different request from a gate that needs making, and we will tell you honestly which one you have and whether it is worth doing.
For a quote, the useful things are photographs of the opening or the run, a rough measurement, and whether there is an existing post, footing or wall the piece has to land on. If it is going outdoors, tell us how exposed the location is, because that changes both the material and how we prepare it before finishing.
How a rail or gate job runs
The same sequence every time, so you know what you are buying.
Built to the run and the opening that exist, not to a standard size that nearly works.
Chosen for the setting and how much weather the piece has to take.
Cut, welded and finished in the Piketon shop.
Set and fastened in place, not dropped off for somebody else to hang.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What is the opening or run | Built to what exists, measured on site, not to a catalog size |
| What does it land on | Existing post, footing, wall or slab. This decides the fixing |
| Indoors or outdoors | Exposure decides material and how it is prepared before finishing |
| Steel or aluminum | Weight, weather and the look you want |
| Is it commercial or residential | This is the one category where either is fine |
Questions about gates and handrails
Do you really take residential work for this?
Yes, for handrails, gates and fences specifically. It is the stated exception to our commercial and industrial scope.
Will you repair an existing gate or rail?
If a piece needs making, replacing or re-hanging properly, that is work for us. We will tell you if a repair is not worth the money.
Steel or aluminum, and which should I choose?
Both are available. It depends on the setting, the weather it takes and the look you want. Tell us where it is going and we will advise.
Do you install, or only fabricate?
We install. A handrail that is not set properly is not finished, so we treat installation as part of the job.
Send us a rail or gate job
Tell us the opening or the run, the finish you want, and whether it is commercial. Photographs of what is there now save a site visit.
Commercial, industrial and fleet work, plus awnings, handrails, gates and fences for anyone. We do not take farm work or home improvement jobs.
What to send about the opening
Everything you leave out becomes an assumption, and assumptions are what make an invoice differ from a quote. None of this has to be formal.
With a rough measurement, and the existing post or footing if there is one.
Weather decides both the material and the preparation before finishing.
A sentence is enough to start. Precision comes later.
At your facility, or can it come to the shop.
Including any shutdown or outage window, and whether the date is fixed.
For anything that already exists, a photo does more than several paragraphs.
