Modern Exterior Railing
March 14, 2020
This post is from our Stagg Design project archives and originally posted in June 2017. We hope it gives you inspiration and some tips for tackling that next project! xx- Team Stagg
I get a lot of questions about our modern exterior railing at the #staggreno. Like a lot. A modern exterior railing can be pricy. Railings in general can cost a pretty penny. Our modern exterior railing, however, was pretty economical while still achieving the look we wanted. Here’s how we did it:
First, let’s look back on what we saw when we walked up to the house for the first time.
Now if that doesn’t shout buy me, I don’t know what does. I kid. Jon and I only just admitted this to each other literally as I was putting this post together, but upon walking up to the #staggreno for the first time, neither of us thought this house could turn out as well as it did. I mean, the porch made me nervous to even walk on for fear of it crumbling. But upside, I’m sure the neighborhood kids had a field day at Halloween!
Total haunted house material, am I right? Those awful lights had decades of cobwebs. It had to go. All of it. Even that super inviting front door that just screams “turnnnnn baaaack, TURNNNN BAAAACK, before it’s tooooo late!!!!”
The evolution of the porch and railing took place over almost the entire renovation. We couldn’t take it all out at the beginning, because we knew we were going to have to replace the entire concrete porch and we couldn’t do that until a) the renovation was nearly complete and b) the weather was warm enough to pour concrete.
But we sure did take out that wall pretty quickly.
Once the old wall was removed, we worked with a concrete company to first rip out the old porch. That pour guy behind the jackhammer. Have you ever heard one of those suckers up close? Deafening. And he refused to wear ear gear.
Next up, re-pouring it.
Now, back to the railing and how we settled on our design and material…
Many modern horizontal railings are wire. Wire is what makes them expensive. They’re complicated to construct and the materials aren’t cheap. You can achieve a similar look with an all metal railing and while it isn’t exactly the same, I really love how ours turned out.
I worked with a local welder to design it. He built it in several large pieces, powder coated it, then brought all the separate pieces on a big trailer to install it. Check it out. He literally lifted those pieces out of his truck, up our hill, and set them in place by himself. He was an animal. And now for your viewing pleasure, I give you the finished product.
Our concrete is flaking slightly in a couple spots. We are now trying to connect with the concrete company to correct it because that’s not cool. But even with that minor hiccup, we are so happy with how it all turned out.
And there you have it. Our new swoon worthy railing that won’t make you pass out when you learn the cost. Instead you’ll get light headed because it’s so awesome.
Hope your week is off to a great start!
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@jenniferstagg
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We're a full-service design firm and home furnishings shop built around the philosophy that a well-designed home should be beautiful, personal, cohesive, and complete. We think home is the most important place on the planet and when you live in a home that is perfectly you, it changes your life. Don't believe us? Stick around. We're confident we'll change your mind.
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The updated railing looks amazing!
Thank you so much!!
This turned out great! I think I prefer the metal railing to a wire one. Such a big improvement! Also, I realized I should thank you. I found your blog when I was searching for black window options that would fit our budget, and your posts on your Andersen windows are what got me pointed in the right direction! I now have 11 of them stacked in our shop, waiting to be installed in our own remodel 🙂 I’ve also told a friend of mine and I know she plans on using them too. So thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much! And hooray! I’m so glad you found the window info and tutorial helpful! I’ve had so many people tell me they came to me for the same reason– black windows for all! xx
the door has such a modern look to it. thumbs up!
Thank you so much!
Love the railing!! Sorry about the concrete! It can be tricky like that! Anyway, you’re awesome and your remodel is fabulous!! You are so talented!!
How sweet, thank you so much!!
I must complement for you for working so hard and the results are here to see. Mostly wholesalers buy such a house for quick flipping and was really amused by that jackhammer guy, he seems to love his job so much that sound of it is like music to his ears :).
Thank you so much!
WOW!! That railing makes a huge difference! I personally love that look. My wife thinks they can be a little contemporary but I think they look great. Nice Job!
Thank you so much!
I think you chose the right railing, fitting perfectly for the look of the house. It really seems a new house, awesome! Great work, congratulations!
Thank you!
What metal railing contractor did you use? Looks great.
Hi there! I would be happy to share if I could highly recommend him, but I can’t so I won’t:)
Hello, I have a home that looks like this homes twin. Would you mind sharing the total cost of the railing so I can get an idea? I am trying to replace mine.
Hi there! We did this railing about 6 years ago, so costs wouldn’t be accurate. I would suggest reaching out to a few different craftsmen for bids or rough estimates!