Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, and this is a regular situation for us in the North End and Stadium District.

It comes down to the look you want. A simple vertical design reads clean and modern and suits a contemporary Seattle home or apartment. An ornamental design with scrollwork or a pattern fits the city's classic and period homes. Both provide the same security; the difference is style, and we build either to your entrance.

Floating stairs are open, modern staircases designed to look “light” and minimal, typically with open risers and a concealed or streamlined structural support (stringer). They create more visual space and allow more light to pass through.

Floating stairs are open, modern staircases designed to look light and minimal, typically with open risers and a concealed or streamlined structural support. Because there is no solid riser between treads, light passes through the staircase and the space around it reads as larger, which is a real advantage in a Seattle home with limited daylight.

It starts with the volume rather than a catalog configuration. We work from architect drawings, confirm what the structure can carry, then design the stringer, tread, and railing details around the finishes already specified for the house. Shop drawings go out for approval before fabrication, and the railings are drawn alongside the stair rather than added afterward.

It means the decorative detail is finished by hand, element by element, rather than sprayed a single color. A painter picks out individual florals, leaves, and scroll ends, and can apply gold leaf, silver leaf, or a rubbed patina over the forged work. The subtle variation between elements is what makes the railing read as a made object, and it is why a hand finished piece cannot be exactly reproduced.

The traditional houses up the hill in Norkirk and the established neighborhoods suit ornamental steel, with pickets and custom patterns that define a yard without closing it off. The lakeside contemporary homes lean toward horizontal slat screens. We match the style to the home and finish either for the lakeside air.

We powder-coat in a range of tones, with matte black, bronze, gray, and wood-tone finishes being the most popular on the Eastside. Powder-coat is durable and holds up to the damp winters, and we can show you samples against your home's palette before you commit.

Powder coat in any standard color for a clean, durable base, plus hand applied options: painted detailing on individual elements, gold or silver leaf, and rubbed patinas that add depth to forged work. We show samples against your stair and your home's palette before committing to a direction.

The hardware is the part that has to be specified correctly for a marine environment, and when we get it right the first time you are unlikely to ever replace the railing. We have seen what happens on jobs where someone used the wrong grade near the water, and we do not repeat that mistake.