Metalcraft Fabrication LLC

Many people visit my home and I have been very concerned because they have to walk up stairs to my front porch and there are no hand rails to hold on to. I researched Angie's List and found Metalcraft Fabrication. Mr. Frye came to my home, took measurements, discussed the type of handrails I wanted, and emailed me a proposal. I authorized the work and he came to my home one week later to "build" the handrails on site, after which he sent them out for color coating. They were installed on 12/10/09 and I am thrilled. They are sturdy and add a beautiful touch to my front scape. I have had many wonderful comments from visitors.

Charlie came to our house when he said he would, he gave us great ideas for a handrail, gave us the bid and came out and did the installation/welding on site, exactly when he said he would. We absolutely love the modern look and we're so happy we didn't go with a plain wood handrail.

Great assistance in turning my idea into a final product. Owner was responsive, timely, helpfull and made great effort to insure that the product met my expectaions

We're very satisfied! We had been wanting to install a handrail up to the second floor (where the bedrooms are) for a long time, but were hoping for something "different" and/or vintage but hadn't gotten around to it. Then elderly relatives announced a visit--arriving in 2 weeks!--and we were concerned for their safety on the wood treads. So rather than try to put up a blah wood one quickly, I thought I'd find out if there was any chance to get something neat done. I found Charlie in angieslist and gave him a call w/ our immediate need (had to be done in less than 2 weeks) and vague concept of what we wanted (kind of vintage contemporary/raw metal that would age well, etc.). He said that he could actually fit it in between two bigger jobs w/in the next week if I would be using stock handrail supplies and it wouldn't need painted. He came to see the stairwell and take measurements and sent me out to a metal supply store where I chose a stock steel handrail and cast iron finials at which point he gave me a firm bid. He was obviously concerned that I understand that the final product might not look as "finished" as I might think it was going to. The steel would show the bends/welds and there would be an obvious weld between the cast iron finial and the steel rail as he'd have to use a third type of metal to bond those two metals together. It would basically be smooth, paint ready, but he really didn't want me to have unreasonable expectations of what it would look like unpainted. I was willing to take the risk, with the understanding that of course it could get removed/painted/reinstalled in the future. I really admired his efforts to make sure that we were on the same page before he would agree to do the work. Anyway, he came on the day we'd agreed, he set up his welding stuff in the driveway and worked all day and part of the next. It took him longer than he'd anticipated (but he never suggested charging me more). At one point when he realized that the corners weren't going to work out as he'd originally described, he called me to describe the issue and the fix before he continued. I very much appreciated that he asked first, versus acted first. It was a more challenging job than you'd think, as we wanted the rail on the "inside" versus outside turns (on the left hand side going up/right going down) and there was some unusual wall placements to get around. But he pulled it off w/ plenty of time to spare for the visit and with just a few understandable dings in the walls. When I pointed out a cosmetic tweak needed after installation, he promptly & cheerfully arranged to come fix it (no charge). We're very happy w/ the final result--we like the rough hewn look (but smooth feel) of the welds and though we may try to hand-patina it in the future, right now we're simply watching to see how the metal may age naturally. And though we've gotten used to no handrail over the last 6 years of owning this house, now that we have one I use it all the time!

This is third project that Charlie has done for our house although the railing was of a different scale than the others. The railing really turned out great. It is a focal point of the huge room that it is in and a massive improvement over what had been in the house for the past thirty years. We didn't have any scheduling deadlines or requirements which made it easier on Charlie perhaps because there was a TON of shop work involved with this project and installation was not straightforward.

Charlie Frye responded to my inquiry quickly, came to discuss my project and took measurements within a day or two. He provided a written estimate in a matter of days. Once we agreed on the style of the railings and handrails and the schedule, I made a deposit and work began. After a final fitting, Charlie completed the railings and handrails within a week. The final product is absolutely gorgeous and fits perfectly.

Metalcraft did an excellent job on this project. We are very satisfied.

After chatting briefly with Charlie about the project I emailed him a design. He got right back to me and said that he could fabricate it as is but that it would be pretty expensive. He gave me some parameters that would simplify fabrication and I revised the design accordingly. He gave a bid on the revised design and included some alternate prices for different metal stock thicknesses. He fabricated the brackets when he said he would. The brackets look great. The fit and finish is excellent. It is nice to work with someone who takes the "craft" part of craftsmanship seriously.

Charlie was GREAT! After talking to him on the phone about our project, he came to brainstorm the design with several architectural books as examples, including one with photos of Gaudi buildings. That began a great collaborative process of defining the awning. Throughout the process of designing, building and installing the awning, Charlie frequently communicated about his progress and milestones. We are delighted with the experience and the results, and we plan to ask Charlie to do additional work for us in the future.

In a nutshell, Charlie was just great to work with. We needed to make a couple of adjustments after the initial fabrication, and Charlie was committed to doing whatever was necessary to get it just right. There was a huge benefit to working with someone who was local (and happened to be close to my office) and most importantly a person of high character who was willing to do whatever it took to make the job a success.

Charlie Frye's intuitive designs for this multi-angle project, and his subsequent fabrication of the stainless steel bar, mounting pads, and cups to house the headlamps, were superb. His $320 price for both this custom fabrication, and needed repairs to a 78 yeard old window frame, was more than fair. In addition, I found Charlie to be impeccably honest and personable as well. I highly recommend Charlie Frye to anyone needing superb metal fabrication or restoration.

Charlie did an excellent job of fixing the mailbox door. I would hire him again. He was prompt and very pleasant.

We had a window seat built in at our home. The heating/air conditioning company had to move the vent to come out of the 3'' kick plate under the window seat. We needed to locate a vent cover for this space, but neither my HVAC provider or cabinet maker could locate one that was 3.'' They provided me with a 4'' cover, but I didn't know what to do to make it fit. I looked on Angie's list and called Charlie. Amazingly, he was home that day from his ''day job,'' and willing to do the work that same day while I waited. I encourage readers to use his services.

Charlie Frye has extensive experience with commercial metal fabrication, but was looking for an opportunity to do more custom installations. He was always timely and professional. He took a measure and discussed the aesthetic objectives with us. He then visited the Portland Chinese gardens to get inspiration. Working with an architect friend he prepared a three dimensional design that they presented on the computer for us. Charlie's submission was the best design and the best value. He completed this very complicated work in about 4 weeks, and then installed it. The pattern he created is based off the lattice wood panel below concession window at the Chinese garden if you care to get an idea of the work. The job involved welding over 80 pieces of steel and finishing each join so that it is not visible. The finished product is fabulous. Our expectations have been exceeded in every way.