fence and railing: how to
I know it sounds very stupid but: We have this very cheap looking fence and railing that was probably installed in 70s and it looks really bad. Most of the houses on our block have this very decorative heavy cast iron fences and railing. our neighbor told us that it cost them 8K to fix…
I know it sounds very stupid but:
We have this very cheap looking fence and railing that was probably installed in 70s and it looks really bad.
Most of the houses on our block have this very decorative heavy cast iron fences and railing. our neighbor told us that it cost them 8K to fix and restore fence. well, ours is gone anyway. but it sounds like crazy price. And it sounds that everybody is paying those crazy prices.
Based on what I read it looks like Vinny dominates the market and if you want something that looks relatively good you should pay high price.
I did some very brief research and found company that supples parts to build fence: posts, panels and other components. I really liked what I saw. And I liked prices even more:
http://www.kingmetals.com/
Obviously, you have to know what to order and how to put all the parts together. And who can assemble all of this?
Did anybody try this? Or the price to build from components is still prohibitive and you do not come ahead? Could it be done under 3K (materials, delivery and work for 10′ wide fence + gate + posts + railing for 7 stairs)? what do you think?
Paul, I sent you an email last Friday.
i own a fab shop in Pa and can handle any custom wrought iron needs you may have. please email me at peverwine@frontiernet.net
you are a plumber too (718)745-2923
I am a welder. You may call me if interested. (718)745-2923. We can then discuss the details.
thank you very much for your comments.
It is a good time for us to install new fence because we redo the front yard. Our stairs to the basement were really bad. Plus we are upgrading electrical service, it means we had to dig to bring new service. And we are finishing basement inside. So, we do everything at once. Obviously this is more efficient. but at the same time you spend your money all at the same time instead of spreading expences over time.
Our contractor could install fence for us, since he will be installing limestone steps and our old fence will need some repair that he will do if we decide to keep our old fence.
So now we are looking for an optimal decision. We would like to take an opportunity to upgrade our fence to something nicer, but we could not withstand big additional expense now.
The main issue with this and other diy projects is time and mistakes. Sure you can order. Then you have to find someone to install it. They may be familar or more likely not. That means it will take them longer to install. Or if you order the parts and are missing critical items and don’t realize until the guy assembles and installs, that is more time while you wait for additional parts. So you will be paying extra for labor. It also takes extra time. Also you order the parts and then have to wait for your contractor to be available, or the weather. Where is all the fence sitting? Your house or yard. The nice thing about a fence contractor, they arrive, install and leave. You will also have to drill into the concrete, that takes a special tool, maybe a special tool to dismantle the old fence.
There are other options than cast iron, which is more expensive. I just had a fence installed in aluminum. I think it looks nice, very simple and no maintenance. But also it is not in a brownstone neighborhood where every one has cast iron.
I have been redoing my kitchen myself, I saved money but I haven’t had a kitchen for three months!
I would think if you spend the time working out your design with the help of a local welder you could put something together. However it may look really new . I’m not sure you can match the Iron work that’s on your block but you could do something nice. I used original antique iron work from a salvage yard. I was able to put together a fence & gate design that’s right for the age of our house ( 1910 ) for less than $2000. If your house is from the same time frame I’m sure you could do the same. If you have an older house with those large newl posts, that will be much harder to replace.