We measure your stairs on site, fabricate the railing in our El Cajon shop to fit the actual geometry, and install it on the stairs you already have. San Diego Custom Iron Works handles stair railing installation across San Diego County, building custom metal stair railings and handrails for apartment communities, HOAs, commercial properties, and homes. Luis Lazalde Sr. and Luis Lazalde Jr. lead the work from the first walk-through to the final bolt.
A handrail added for safety shouldn't make a home look like a commercial building, and a railing on a shared apartment stairway has to be built to last. We fabricate posts, rails, and infill to your stairs and your specifications.
Every stair is different, so every railing is built to the stair it serves. We fabricate custom stair railings in structural steel and iron and install them on the stairs, landings, and steps you already have:
Owners, property managers, and general contractors get the same predictable workflow:
Send plans, sketches, or clear photos of your stairs. Luis Sr. and Luis Jr. review the layout and can often give a preliminary estimate. Photos can't replace a site visit for a firm price.
We take rough measurements for estimating and precise laser measurements for fabrication. For a specialty piece with a difficult angle or turn, we build physical templates on site before anything is cut.
You typically receive a comprehensive itemized proposal within 24-48 hours of the on-site visit. It covers materials, finish, and attachment details, with removal and disposal of the existing railing itemized from the start.
Luis Sr. and Luis Jr. oversee fabrication at our El Cajon shop. Galvanizing and powder coating are completed by our finishing partners.
Our crew sets posts, secures anchors to the plans and specifications, removes and disposes of the old railing, and cleans the work area.
Apartment and HOA stairways stay in use while we work, so we plan around the people who live there.
Luis gives owners a straight answer, and it comes down to the condition of the steel, not what's cheapest today. Here is how he sorts out a real job:
If the steel is sound and well maintained, adding bars can solve the problem. Luis has added intermediate bars to railings roughly 50 years old that had been repainted regularly and showed no structural compromise. The gaps were the issue, so closing them was the right fix.
If posts have rusted through at the base plate or anchor, the rest of the railing is usually in similar condition, even when only one or two posts look bad. That tells you about the whole run, not just those posts.
Surface rust, bubbling paint, holes, and missing pieces are visible. Corrosion inside posts and at welds is usually worse than what shows on the outside.
When both the opening spacing and the height need correcting, new railings are usually the better choice, especially when other areas are damaged.
A stair railing usually has two jobs. The handrail gives you something to hold, and the guard keeps people from falling off an open side. They have different measurements, and on many stairs the top rail serves as both. The figures below are general guidance only. Requirements depend on the building's occupancy, the adopted California code edition, and local amendments, so confirm the specifics for your property with your building department or design professional. We fabricate and install to your approved plans and specifications.
| Item | Typical Requirement | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Handrail height | 34 to 38 inches, measured vertically from the line of the stair nosings | One consistent height along the whole flight. |
| Handrail grip | Round rails: 1¼ to 2 inches outside diameter. Other shapes must meet the code's graspability dimensions | A rail you can't close your hand around does not qualify as a handrail. |
| Continuity & ends | Continuous along the flight, with ends that return to a wall, post, or walking surface. Many non-residential stairs also require extensions: about 12 inches horizontal at the top and one tread depth at the bottom | End details change fabrication, so they should be settled before measurement. |
| Where handrails are required | Residential stairs: at least one side of a flight with four or more risers. Other occupancies are set by the Building Code | Apartment and commercial stairs often need more than a typical home. |
| Guard height at open sides | Commonly 42 inches. A lower stair-guard height can apply within dwelling units | Check which category your stair falls under. |
| Guard openings | Generally a 4-inch sphere must not pass. At stair guards within dwelling units, a 4⅜-inch sphere. The triangle formed by riser, tread, and bottom rail must stop a 6-inch sphere | Picket and bar spacing is set by these limits, not by appearance. |
Moisture is what corrodes exterior steel, and the whole coastal corridor from Imperial Beach to Oceanside is a hard environment for it. How long a finish lasts depends on exposure, the coating system, and maintenance.
The first review describes a circular stair railing. The other two describe our railing and ironwork more generally.
Answers to common questions about custom stair railing fabrication, dimensions, code requirements, and installation.
Handrail height is generally 34 to 38 inches, measured vertically from the line of the stair nosings. Occupancy, the adopted code edition, and local amendments can change the details, so confirm the requirement for your property with your building department or design professional. We build to the height shown on your approved plans.
A round handrail generally needs an outside diameter of 1¼ to 2 inches so that a hand can close around it. Other shapes must meet the code's graspability dimensions. Rails that are too thick, too flat, or too wide to grip may not qualify as handrails.
Guard openings generally must stop a 4-inch sphere. At stair guards within dwelling units, the limit is generally a 4⅜-inch sphere, and the triangle formed by the riser, tread, and bottom rail must stop a 6-inch sphere. Which limit applies depends on your building's occupancy and the adopted code, so confirm it with your building department or design professional.
Yes. We install custom metal railings on existing stairs and landings. The structure beneath and behind the railing, such as wood framing, concrete, and stucco, has to be sound. If it isn't, the owner, framing contractor, or engineer must address it before we attach new metal. Building the staircase itself is stair contractor work.
Yes. We roll curved handrails on our own shop benders and build physical templates on site for tight radii, difficult turns, and uneven geometry.
Yes to both. Removal and disposal of the existing railing is included in every itemized proposal, whether it is metal or wood. We sometimes replace wood railings with metal ones.
For coastal projects, fabricated steel is hot-dip galvanized and then powder coated, and we use stainless steel anchors and hardware. How long a finish lasts depends on exposure, the coating system, and maintenance.
No. San Diego Custom Iron Works is a metal contractor, not an inspection agency or engineering firm. We do not perform inspections, provide engineering calculations, or issue compliance certificates. We fabricate and install railings from the plans, specifications, or findings provided by the owner, property manager, inspector, engineer, or architect.
Send plans, sketches, or clear photos of your stairs, and Luis can often give a preliminary estimate. For a firm price, Luis Sr. or Luis Jr. visits to take laser measurements, and you typically receive a comprehensive itemized written proposal within 24–48 hours of that visit.
Our parent railing pillar covering all custom metal railing systems for apartments, HOAs, and homes.
Property-wide railing replacement for multi-family complexes, apartment buildings, and HOAs.
Custom metal guardrail fabrication and installation for elevated decks, balconies, and walkways.
Post-inspection metal railing remediation and replacement for apartment balconies and walkways.
Continuous, graspable metal handrails for front porch steps, walkways, and insurance compliance.
Complete structural steel staircase fabrication and installation (stringers, treads, and landings).
From our shop in El Cajon, we install stair railings throughout San Diego County. The coastal corridor from Imperial Beach to Oceanside, including Coronado, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, and Del Mar, calls for the full galvanized, powder-coated, and stainless-hardware approach above. We also work with apartment communities in areas such as North Park, City Heights, Poway, and Rancho Peñasquitos.
Luis Lazalde Sr. learned the trade in his father's shop at age 13, continuing five documented generations of Herrera metalworking. Today he works alongside his son, Luis Lazalde Jr. For owners, property managers, and general contractors, that means one accountable family team you can reach throughout the project.
