                     |  | Educational Choosing an Ironworker:  Because your home is a reflection of your status and taste, every element within that home should be held to a standard. Very often, iron elements are an after-thought. But iron should increase the value of your home, not undermine it.On large-scale projects, choose an ironworker when you choose a builder. This (1) allows enough time for the construction of architectural elements, (2) budgets proper costs to the iron features, and (3) gives the designer, builder, and ironworker time to build a relationship so important to the design process. Get at least three bids. The following costs should be included in every bid: labor, materials, finish, installation and/or delivery. On railing projects, be sure to request a sample to check for quality and the proper implementation of your design. Less is understood about quality metalwork than about other fine home details. Cheap metalwork may have grind marks in place of hand-forged texture and shaping, exposed welds, and poor presentation (low quality design and finish). Artistic ironwork, on the other hand,will have forged and fired texture, hidden welds or traditional joinery (i.e. tenons, rivets, collars, etc.), and a clean, polished, balanced look. Finally, the iron artist should be a team player. You need him to be receptive to your design ideas and to communicate well with the builder and the designer. |