The Iron Shop designs, builds and installs railings for homes in Avon. Each one starts with a measurement at your house and is fabricated by our metalworkers in West Hartford, so it fits your stairs, your masonry and your architecture instead of an off the shelf kit.
Open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm. You get a written proposal with images within two to three days of the measurement visit.
A custom railing starts with a visit, not a catalog page. We come to your Avon home, measure the stairs, porch or deck, and photograph the space. From that we write a proposal, build the railing in our shop, finish it, and install it at your house.
Because the railing is made to your measurements, it can follow an odd stair angle, sit on a stone cheek wall, or match the scrollwork you already have on the front gate.
Most calls from Avon fall into a handful of jobs. Here is what each one usually looks like.
New stairs, a remodel, or a builder rail that never felt solid. We make the railing to fit your staircase, from plain flat bar balusters on a wood stair to scrollwork on a main hall stair. Posts can mount to the treads, the stringer or the floor, and we check what is underneath on the measurement visit.
The railing on your front steps is the first thing a visitor touches. We build porch railings for wood, brick, bluestone, granite and poured concrete steps, and we fasten them into the masonry in the way that suits the material.
Rails around raised decks, patios and balconies have to meet guard height and spacing rules, and they live outside all year. We design around the view as well. Cable and flat bar keep sightlines open. Pickets or scrollwork suit a house that wants more detail.
Steps cut into a slope and walkways along a retaining wall need handrails that follow the grade. We lay out posts so they land in solid footing, and we curve the rail where the steps turn.
A rusted or loose railing can often be replaced to fit the same steps, and some can be restored. How far the corrosion has gone decides which. Our guide on the signs it is time to replace a rusted exterior railing explains what we look for.
Offices, lobbies and entrances in Avon, and builders, architects and designers who need metalwork coordinated with other trades. We work from drawings and plan the install around the rest of the job.
Avon has farmhouses and Colonials from the 1700s and 1800s alongside a lot of newer construction. They ask for different railings. This is how we usually think it through.
| Your house | What tends to work | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Colonials, capes and saltboxes | Black steel with square pickets and a simple top rail. Scroll detail only at the ends or on a single panel. | Clapboard, shutters and small porches already have plenty going on. A quiet railing sits well beside them. |
| Brick and stone fronts, larger entries | Ornamental railings with scrollwork, forged style details and a heavier top rail. | Masonry has weight. A light railing can look like an afterthought next to it, and an ornamental one holds its own. |
| Newer and contemporary builds | Flat bar, stainless cable, or glass infill with slim posts. | Fewer parts and cleaner joints keep the lines open and keep attention on the architecture. |
| Farmhouse and wood heavy exteriors | Black powder coated pickets or horizontal cable against timber. | Dark metal against wood reads as deliberate and ages well. |
| Hillside lots and long walkways | A continuous handrail with posts set into stone or footings, curved where the steps turn. | Grade changes make fixed catalog lengths awkward. Measured sections follow the slope. |
Not sure which row you are? Send photos of the house and the area to be railed. We can usually tell you what we would draw before we visit. The ornamental versus modern railing styles post shows the two directions side by side.
People ask us for wrought iron railings and usually mean a black, handmade looking railing with pickets or scrolls. We take that seriously and we are also precise about the metal.
| Metal | Where it fits | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Steel | Interior and exterior railings, most picket and scroll designs. | Strong and easy to shape into curves and scrolls. Outdoors it needs a protective finish. |
| Wrought iron | Matching or restoring older ironwork, traditional detail. | True wrought iron is a low carbon iron rarely used for new work. Ask us if you need to match a railing that already exists. |
| Stainless steel | Cable systems, modern handrails, stair and deck railings with a clean look. | Resists corrosion well and usually costs more than painted steel. |
| Aluminum | Exterior railings where weight and corrosion are the concern. | Does not rust the way steel does. Design options are narrower than with steel. |
A baked on dry finish that is hard and even. It resists chipping, scratching and fading better than ordinary paint, which is why we recommend it for most exterior railings. It is not permanent, and edges and welds see wear first.
A zinc coating for steel that sits outside in Connecticut weather. It can go under a powder coat for extra protection against rust.
A chemical finish that colors the metal itself. Good for interior pieces and for railings meant to look aged.
A brush applied finish for custom colors, restoration work and details that a coating line cannot reach.
These are Iron Shop projects, from first welds to finished installs.
More finished work is in the Iron Shop portfolio.
Railings are safety equipment, so they fall under the Connecticut State Building Code, which Avon applies through its Building Department. Requirements depend on the railing, the drop and the house, and codes get updated. Treat the figures below as typical values and confirm yours with the town.
| Item | Typical residential figure | What it means for your railing |
|---|---|---|
| Guard height | Commonly 36 inches minimum on decks, porches and balconies | The top rail sits at or above that height, measured from the walking surface. |
| When a guard is needed | Commonly where a walking surface is more than 30 inches above the ground below | Low steps may only need a handrail. A raised deck or porch needs a guard. |
| Openings | Commonly small enough that a 4 inch sphere cannot pass | Picket spacing and cable spacing are set to stay under that limit. |
| Stair handrail height | Commonly 34 to 38 inches above the stair nosings | We set the handrail to that range and keep it continuous along the flight. |
| Handrail grip | Commonly a profile you can wrap your hand around, such as a round rail about 1.25 to 2 inches across | A decorative top rail still needs a graspable handrail on stairs. |
These are common values for single family homes. The Avon Building Official decides what applies to your project. Avon posts its building permit information online, and Town Hall at 60 West Main Street can answer whether a railing only job needs a permit. We design to the code that applies to your project and point out anything unusual on the measurement visit.
Four steps, in this order, with no pressure to decide anything until you have the proposal in hand.
Call, or send a short note through the contact page. Tell us what you want railed and roughly where you are in Avon.
We ask for a few photos of the stairs, porch or deck so we know what we are walking into before we drive out.
We visit, measure the space and take photos and video. We check what the railing will fasten to and talk through style, metal and finish.
Within two to three days you receive a detailed proposal with images. When you approve it, we fabricate, finish and install.
You do not need a drawing or a finished idea. A photo of the area and a sentence about what you are after is enough to begin.
The contact page takes about a minute.
Prefer to talk? Call (860) 323-4430.
We do not give a price from a phone call, and a website that does is guessing. Stair angles, the number of posts and what the railing mounts into all move the number. We measure first, then quote in writing.
A kit can make sense for a short, straight run on a tight budget. A custom railing makes sense when the stairs turn, the steps are masonry, the house has character to match, or you want the railing to last and look right.
Both have a place. This is where they differ.
| Question | The Iron Shop, custom | Prefabricated kit |
|---|---|---|
| Fit to your stairs | Made from measurements of your stairs, including odd angles and landings. | Standard lengths and angles, cut and adjusted on site. |
| Design | Flat bar, pickets, cable or scrollwork, drawn for your house. | Limited to the styles in the catalog. |
| Metal and finish | Steel, wrought iron, stainless or aluminum with a finish you choose. | Usually one metal in a few colors. |
| Mounting | Designed for your treads, masonry or deck framing. | Standard hardware that may need workarounds. |
| Who you call later | The shop that built it. | A retailer, a manufacturer and a separate installer. |
The Iron Shop is a custom metal fabricator at 2575 Albany Avenue in West Hartford. The building has housed metalworkers for well over a century. Your railing is laid out, cut, welded and finished here, then brought to Avon and installed by the same team that measured your stairs.
Visitors are welcome Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm. Calling ahead helps us set time aside.
We work throughout Avon, including Avon Center, the Old Farms area and the Talcott Mountain side of town. Most of our projects fall within about ten miles of the shop, which covers Avon and its neighbors in the Farmington Valley.
If your house is in one of the towns below, the process is the same: photos, a field measurement, then a written proposal.
2575 Albany Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm
Closed weekends
(860) 323-4430
steveb@ironshopct.com
Cost, permits, materials and timing, answered plainly. If yours is not here, call and ask.
The price depends on the length of the run, the number of posts and turns, the metal, how much scrollwork or other detail is in the design, the finish, and what the railing mounts into. A plain flat bar rail costs far less than a hand worked scroll design. We do not quote from a phone call because stair angles and mounting surfaces change the number. After the field measurement you get a detailed written proposal, usually within two to three days.
It depends on the project. Replacing a railing on existing steps can be treated differently from building new stairs, a deck or a balcony, and the Avon Building Department decides what applies. Call the department or check its permit page before work starts. We design every railing to the code that applies to your job and will mention anything unusual we notice on the measurement visit.
For most single family homes the common figures are a guard at least 36 inches high where the drop is more than 30 inches, openings small enough that a 4 inch sphere cannot pass, and a stair handrail between 34 and 38 inches above the stair nosings. Those are typical values, not a promise about your house. The Connecticut State Building Code and the Avon Building Official set the rules that apply to your project.
True wrought iron is a low carbon iron that is rarely used for new railings today. Most railings sold as wrought iron are fabricated from steel in a traditional style, with scrolls, pickets and a black finish. We work in wrought iron, steel, stainless steel and aluminum, and we name the exact metal in every proposal so you know what you are getting.
Powder coating gives a hard, even finish that resists chipping, scratching and fading better than ordinary paint, and galvanizing underneath can add protection for steel. No coating lasts forever. Road salt, standing water and impact wear at edges and welds first, so an outdoor railing benefits from an occasional look and a touch up. We can explain the options for the exposure at your house.
Yes. We can take out a rusted or loose railing and build a new one to fit the same steps, or design something different. If the old railing has detail you want to keep, we can photograph and measure it so the new one matches. Whether repair or replacement makes more sense depends on how far the corrosion has gone, and we will tell you which on the visit.
Yes. We mount railings into wood, brick, stone, bluestone, granite and poured concrete. The method depends on the material, so during the measurement visit we check what the posts will fasten to and design the base plates or set posts to suit.
Yes. After you contact us we ask for photos of the project area, then schedule a field measurement at your home where we measure, photograph and video the space. Avon sits inside the roughly ten mile area where most of our work happens. You are also welcome to visit the shop at 2575 Albany Avenue in West Hartford to see samples and finishes. Calling ahead is a good idea.
Expect a written proposal two to three days after the field measurement. Fabrication, finishing and installation time depends on the design, the finish and the current shop schedule, so we put timing in the proposal rather than guess before we have seen the job.
Send photos of the stairs, porch or deck, or call and describe it. We will set up a field measurement and follow with a written proposal.
2575 Albany Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm