Rustic collar wrought iron railings in Evanston

We recently had a client in the historic city of Evanston reach out to us to fabricate a beautiful exterior custom railing for the entrance to their basement from the garage side. They sent over some designs they loved as well as some rough estimates on the measurements, and we were able to quickly provide them with a competitive quote. Once they had agreed on the pricing, we followed up with a visit to the home to take all the final measurements. This particular client was looking for a railing and a handrail to ensure that they be able to traverse the stairs safely, especially in the winter time. Chicago winters tend to be pretty severe and the constantly change in temperature, combined with rain and snow, often turns exterior stairs into a safety hazard if you don’t have a rail to hold onto. We believe that even if the city code does not require you to put one in – you should strongly consider adding a handrail for you and your family’s safety.

This particular client was looking for a bronze look with hammered out pickets to match the rest of the home look. We are often provided with design elements to ensure that the Chicago custom railing not only matches the design of the space, but also helps to improve the overall curb appeal of the home. We created a custom wrought iron set in a Rustic style, incorporated collar elements and finished off the piece by painting it black and applying a copper patina. The railing and the matching handrail were installed in just a few hours, and the client loved the final outcome of this project. For exterior railings we often recommend painting the railing with a high quality oil based paint and primer, but we do offer maintenance free alternatives such as powder coating or aluminum as well. Both options do increase the cost of the railing substantially, but both also ensure that the railing will never rust and you never have to worry about maintenance. If you decide to go with a simple paint finish, which is also a popular choice, the paint will hold up for a couple years or maybe even longer depending on the weather and salt conditions, but might eventually need to be freshened up to maintain the look.

Next time you’re looking for an exterior custom railing for your home in the Chicago area – give us a call!