Well, got two jobs done between yesterday and today. The second job is one I've been wanting to get installed. This was a previous client and he was the one that got me going on the colonial style handrail. Enjoyed working with this client, I shoot him ideas and he works with me to change it or give it a thumbs up. Took us a few drawings and shuffling to get it but after a few emails we got the design hammered out. This rail will not be going anywhere for awhile. The only tube we had were the two posts holding up the awning. Everything else was solid steel. Solid cap, solid balusters, solid posts. No channel, no channeled caprail. This thing was heavy! This was the first time I used the rolled volutes, kinda like them.
I think I have bid out 6-8 handrail jobs in the last month and bidding more. Most residential and most as usual don't know what it costs to have custom handrail. Had one guy tell me, "just shoot me a price in the email and I'll go over it with the other three bids I'm getting". I asked about design ideas, balusters and he said, just price your standard handrail. That's when I thought in my head that this guy called the wrong guy. Told him I don't really have a standard rail. Usually it's whatever you want, I design, you agree, I build and install. He had about 4-6 feet of rail for two steps. Don't even know why I bothered to go by and check out the stairs and work up a price. Four bids for 6 feet of rail?
I had a stainless rail job to bid for a pool. I did standard rail for the ladders, they had a jacuzzi so I designed something for it and then they had a beach landing. They wanted something over the top. So, I designed something over the top, out of stainless with some things done to the stainless that I had no idea on how I would pull off. Then they talked with the designer and she said she was worried that the handrail would become the focal point of the pool and she did not want that. Guess she was worried my rail was gonna outshine her pool design!! Hahaha!! So we went from over the top "custom rail" to basic pool rail built by a guy instead of ordered on the internet. Shot them a price and have not heard back from them. People talk "custom" all day long but it seems like there are not many out there that really want to pull the trigger.
Anyhow, enjoy the pictures, oh, the fourth picture you can see an old anchor insert, that is not my "oops" anchor. Those were from an existing rail that was not there when I got on the job.