Do I need a drawing to get a quote on a gate or railing?

No. Photos of the location, rough measurements and a picture of a style you like are enough for the shop to ask questions and price the job. For anything that has to fit an existing opening or stair, the shop measures on site before building.

Steel or aluminum for a driveway gate or fence?

Steel is stiffer, suits heavy ornamental designs with scrolls and finials, and costs less for the metal, but it needs galvanizing, powder coat or paint and some upkeep. Aluminum never rusts, never needs paint, and is lighter, which is easier on hinges and openers, but it is better suited to cleaner, simpler designs. Near the coast or for a low-maintenance home, aluminum is usually the better buy. The shop will tell you honestly which fits your project.

Can you match an existing fence or railing?

Usually, yes. Send photos of the existing piece, including a close-up of the pickets, caps and any scrollwork, along with measurements of the picket spacing and heights. The shop sources matching stock where it exists and fabricates the details that do not, then finishes to match the color.

Do you install, or just build it?

Both. Fences, gates and railings are usually installed by the shop, since posts have to be set and panels welded or bracketed on site. Outdoor kitchen pieces, range hoods and toolboxes are often delivered for your builder or installer, or installed by the shop when that makes sense. Say what you need when you ask for a quote.

Can you fix my trailer in my driveway?

Yes. Mobile welding comes to homes and properties around Lafayette, Crowley, Abbeville, New Iberia and the surrounding Acadiana region for trailer, gate, fence and equipment repairs that cannot easily be brought to the shop. Smaller items are often faster and cheaper to repair in the shop, so send photos and the shop will suggest which.

What finish lasts longest outdoors in South Louisiana?

For steel, hot-dip galvanizing, with powder coat over it if you want a color, lasts longest in the humidity here. Powder coat alone is next, and paint over a good primer works where the piece is under cover and can be touched up. Aluminum and stainless do not need a coating at all, which is why they are popular for coastal homes.

Can you build a range hood to match my appliances?

Yes. Stainless hoods are brushed to match the grain on your range and refrigerator, and black steel hoods can be finished to match hardware or fixtures. Send the dimensions of the cabinet space and ceiling height, the model of the liner or blower you plan to use, and a photo of a hood you like, and the shop will draw it up before building.

How do I get started?

Call (337) 207-9506, email hlfabrication@outlook.com, or use the quote page. Send photos of the spot, rough measurements and a picture of what you have in mind. The shop will reply with questions and a written quote, and will measure on site before building anything that has to fit.

Residential Welding and Fabrication in Lafayette, LA

Custom metalwork for your home

Most people picture a fabrication shop building industrial parts, and H&L Fabrication does plenty of that. But a good share of the work that comes through the shop in Lafayette, Louisiana is for homeowners: a gate for the driveway, a railing for the front steps, a fence around the yard, a stainless surround for a new outdoor kitchen, a range hood to match the kitchen, a toolbox for the truck, or a trailer that needs a crack welded before the weekend.

The shop is a custom shop, so there is no catalog. Each piece is built to your home, your measurements and your taste, in carbon steel, aluminum or stainless, and finished to last in South Louisiana weather. Residential customers get the same drawing, fabrication and finishing process as the shop's industrial customers, explained in plain language.

Ornamental iron fences and arched gates

An ornamental iron fence does two jobs: it keeps the yard secure and it makes the house look finished. The shop builds fence panels from steel tube rails and pickets, with the picket spacing, height, finials and scrollwork you choose, and walk gates and arched garden gates to match. Arched top gates, like the ones in the portfolio, are formed by rolling the top rail to a curve and fitting pickets to it one by one, which is slower than a flat gate and worth it on an entrance.

Posts are set in concrete and panels are welded or bracketed to them on site. Steel fencing is galvanized, powder coated or primed and painted, and the choice matters here more than anywhere because a fence stands in the rain every day. A galvanized fence with powder coat over it is the longest lasting option; painted steel costs less and can be touched up. Examples are under gates and fences.

Driveway gates

A driveway gate is the piece of metalwork a home uses most, so it has to swing or slide smoothly for years. The shop builds single and double swing gates and sliding gates in steel or aluminum, with frames sized for the opening and built square so the gate hangs true and the latch lines up. Heavy hinges on steel posts carry the weight; the gate is built with the diagonal bracing that keeps it from sagging.

If you are planning an automatic opener, say so before the gate is built. The operator maker will specify the gate weight, the post it mounts to and where the arm or chain attaches, and the gate is built to suit. Aluminum gates are lighter, which is easier on an opener and on hinges, and they never need paint. Steel gates are stiffer and suit heavier ornamental designs.

Stair, porch and deck railings

Railings on steps, porches, balconies and decks are built to the stair as it exists, which means the shop measures first and fabricates second. Steel pickets and handrails suit traditional homes and match ornamental fencing. Aluminum rails suit decks, raised homes, pool surrounds and anywhere near the coast, because they stay light and never rust. The shop also builds ramp handrails for homes where someone needs level access, built to the ramp with continuous rails on both sides. Rails are shop built in sections, then set on posts or wall brackets and welded or bolted on site. See railings and ramps.

Outdoor kitchens and stainless surrounds

Outdoor kitchens are everywhere in Acadiana and the stainless parts are where a fabricator earns a place in the project. The shop builds grill surrounds, countertops, sink and drainboard units, backsplashes, access doors, drawers and trim in stainless steel, built to the grill, the sink and the masonry or framing the builder has in place. Welds are ground and blended so the finished piece looks like one sheet, and the brushed grain is matched to the grill and the appliances.

For an open patio near the coast, 316 stainless resists salt air better than 304, and the shop will recommend the grade for where the kitchen sits. For a comparison of stainless and aluminum outdoors, read aluminum vs stainless outdoors in South Louisiana. Examples are under outdoor kitchens and range hoods.

Range hoods

A custom range hood is a focal point of a kitchen, and the shop builds them in stainless and in black steel, in the shape that fits your cabinets and the ceiling height: tapered, boxed, curved or with straps and rivets for a forged look. The hood is formed on the press brake, welded, and the seams blended and finished. Stainless hoods are brushed to match the appliances. Steel hoods are finished in a durable black or a color, or sealed to show the raw steel. The hood is built to house your liner and blower, so send the liner model and the cabinet dimensions with your sketch or photo of the hood you like.

Truck toolboxes, trailers and equipment repair

The same skills that build industrial equipment fix the things around a home and a small business. The shop builds aluminum truck toolboxes, trailer boxes, tanks and storage cabinets to fit your truck or trailer, with welded seams and the latches and struts you want. See toolboxes and tanks.

Repairs are an everyday part of the shop: cracked trailer frames and tongues, broken ramps and fenders, worn hinges, bent gates, rusted fence posts, lawn and farm equipment, boat trailers and the aluminum parts on boats. Bring the item to the shop in Lafayette or, for anything that cannot move, mobile welding comes to your driveway or property in Lafayette, Crowley, Abbeville, New Iberia and the surrounding Acadiana region.

How homeowners get a quote

You do not need a drawing to get started. The shop quotes residential work from photos and measurements most of the time.

Take photos. The spot where the piece will go, from a couple of angles, and a photo or a link to something you like the look of.
Measure what you can. The width of the driveway opening, the length and rise of the steps, the size of the grill cutout. Rough is fine; the shop measures on site before building anything that has to fit.
Say what it is for. Keeping a dog in, matching a neighbor's fence, holding a specific grill, carrying a specific load. That changes the design.
Pick a finish. Painted, powder coated or galvanized steel; mill finish or powder coated aluminum; brushed stainless. The shop will recommend one for the location if you are unsure.
Send it in. Through the quote page, by email to hlfabrication@outlook.com, or call (337) 207-9506 and describe it.

The shop will come back with questions, then a written quote, then a site visit to measure if the job needs it. The quote guide walks through what to send in more detail.

H&L Fabrication is in Lafayette, Louisiana and serves homeowners across Acadiana. Request a quote for your gate, fence, railing, outdoor kitchen, range hood, toolbox or repair and the team will get back to you.

Residential Welding and Metal Fabrication in Lafayette, LA