Custom Metal Balustrades, Railings & Handrails for Apartment Blocks — Radlett, Hertfordshire
Dio-Met was commissioned by national house builder Bloor Homes to survey, design, manufacture and install bespoke metalwork across their development in Radlett, Hertfordshire: powder-coated balustrades and handrails to the communal apartment-block staircases, plus external metal railings to the surrounding walls. Everything was made in our Sheffield workshops and fitted by our own team on the live site.
Project overview
- Client: Bloor Homes (main contractor / house builder)
- Location: Radlett, Hertfordshire
- Sector: Commercial / residential development (apartment blocks)
- Work: Bespoke metal balustrades and handrails to internal communal staircases, plus external metal wall railings
- Finish: Powder-coated, colour selected to blend with the building architecture
- Certification: Structural steelwork manufactured to BS EN 1090, UKCA marked
- Scope: Site survey, design, manufacture, delivery and full installation
- Install: Carried out on a live site by Dio-Met's own fitters, never subcontractors
The brief
Bloor Homes needed balustrades and handrails for the internal communal staircases serving several apartment buildings on the Radlett development, plus metal railings to the external walls around the blocks. Communal access stairs see constant, heavy use by multiple residents, so the metalwork had to be robust and compliant, while still looking right against the buildings' architecture. The work also had to be installed on a live construction site, fitting around the wider build programme.
Design and fabrication
Dio-Met surveyed the staircases and external walls on site, then designed and manufactured the balustrades, handrails and railings in our own Sheffield workshops. The steelwork was powder-coated in a colour chosen to sit cleanly with the existing architecture, a finish that also stands up to the wear of a busy communal stairwell far better than paint. As structural guarding to a public, multi-occupancy building, it was made to BS EN 1090 and UKCA marked.
The balustrades use a clean vertical bar infill, with wall-mounted steel handrails running the flights and landings, so every communal staircase is safe, compliant and consistent across the plots.
Installation on a live site
Installation was completed on the live development by our own fitters. We never use subcontractors, which on a busy site with multiple trades and a main contractor's programme to work around matters: it keeps quality, safety and timing under our control from survey through to handover. Working directly for the house builder, we could coordinate our fit around the rest of the build rather than passing the work down a chain.
External wall railings
Alongside the internal stairs, Dio-Met supplied and installed external metal railings to the brick and parapet walls around the development. The same powder-coated bar-infill design carries through from inside to outside, giving the scheme a consistent look and providing safe edge protection to the raised external areas.
Expert insight
"Communal stair balustrades are unglamorous but unforgiving, they have to be compliant, tough and tidy, and fitted around everyone else on a live site. Doing the survey, fabrication and install ourselves is the only way to keep all three right."
Frequently asked questions
Do you work directly with house builders and main contractors? Yes. On this project we worked directly for Bloor Homes, handling survey, design, manufacture and installation as a single package, which suits developers who would rather deal with the maker than a chain of subcontractors.
Are your balustrades and handrails UKCA marked? Yes. Structural balustrades and guarding for communal and commercial buildings are manufactured to BS EN 1090 and UKCA marked, designed and certified in-house at our Sheffield factory.
Can you install on a live construction site? Yes. We regularly survey and install on active sites, programming our work around the main contractor and other trades, with our own fitters rather than subcontractors.
Do you cover Hertfordshire and the rest of the UK? Yes. This project is in Radlett, Hertfordshire, and we manufacture in Sheffield and install nationwide, supply-only or fully fitted.
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Need balustrades or handrails for a development?
Working on apartment blocks, communal stairs or any commercial project that needs compliant metal balustrades and handrails? We'd be glad to help, direct with you or your main contractor, anywhere in the UK. Call us on 0114 243 9009 or email sales@diometonline.co.uk, or request a quote online.
Tags: metal balustrade, communal staircase balustrade, apartment block railings, powder-coated handrails, external metal wall railings, commercial balustrade, steel handrails, bespoke balustrade, Radlett Hertfordshire, Bloor Homes
