When Todd Pazosa began building his dream home in rural Nebraska, he envisioned a beautiful log cabin with vaulted ceilings, huge windows and a gorgeous wrap around porch. Todd turned his dreams into a reality but after just a few short years, the treated lumber handrail around the entire porch started to weaken. The harsh winter weather conditions coupled with summer heat and moisture resulted in premature deterioration of the material used. The railings were failing and Todd knew it all had to be replaced.

There was no quick or easy solution for replacing the handrail around his house. The original railing was constructed through the main log posts with large holes for the lumber to go through for straight runs. Removing all this lumber would leave empty holes the new design would need to cover seamlessly. A new material type would need to be researched and selected to avoid this problem in the future. Finally, the design and material would need to match the vision Todd had for his dream property. Aesthetics round out the top priorities for replacement. 

Todd began searching for a solution that would satisfy his requirements. He determined fabrication of custom steel handrail would provide the design freedom he needed. Further research and education helped him learn the best solution to elongate the lifespan of the steel to avoid future maintenance and repairs in hot-dip galvanizing. To achieve the desired look Todd wanted, he opted for a duplex coating of paint over galvanizing. The top coat was selected to compliment the log siding and posts.

Michael Woodard with Unlimited Welding turned Todd’s vision in to a beautiful product. The “Hammered Corner” handrail design features perfectly spaced indentations for a comfortable grip as you progress along the railing or down the stairs. A major challenge was mounting the handrail to the existing areas while taking the holes from the original design and incorporating them into the project. Unlimited Welding fabricated inserts that fit in to the log posts. The inserts are also capable of movement for height adjustments.

Through the combination of Todd’s vision and research, Unlimited Welding’s ingenuity, and the protective qualities of hot-dip galvanizing, this dream home now showcases the solution for other property owners dealing with the hardships of corrosion. The new design leaves a flawless appearance that will withstand Nebraska’s weather conditions so Todd can spend more time enjoying his dream home rather than working on it.