Railing Configurations

Custom Horizontal Systems Custom Horizontal Systems are custom built and installed to a particular design. In many cases, these railing systems use pipe railing to achieve their appearance, but flat railing components are also available to meet design needs. The horizontal system shown on the left uses pipe rails attached to square posts. Finishing the top of the posts is an iron wood top rail, and the ends of the railing system terminate in mounting plates angled precisely to the slope of the deck side walls. The entire railing system (minus the iron wood top rail) was pre- fabricated at one of our custom shops, where exact measurements were used to create the system. Horizontal railing systems work well with certain architectural affects, but careful consideration must be given to the location the system goes into and costs the customer will incur. Safety is a prime consideration when small children are in the residence or nearby. Horizontal systems make a perfect ladder for young explorers, and if the installation location is high above the surrounding grade, a child falling off such a railing could be severely injured. Costs for horizontal railing systems are higher than comparable picket or glass railing systems because they use more material to achieve code compliance, and because design and fabrication are more difficult to complete. Another consideration in designing these systems is the size of the finished railing system. Large horizontal railing systems have to be broken up into sectional components in order to move the fabricated pieces to the job site. How the sectional components are broken out can have design and appearance implications for the finished railing system.

Photo of Railing in Queensland shown in Campus Police report as being broken to steal a bicycle. Also reflects that Queensland has older building codes that would allow for fall through incidents.