Balustrades & RailingsSteel and Stainless —Made to Measure in Swindon.
Get balustrades and railings that guard a drop safely, look intentional against your architecture, and don't shake when someone leans on them — designed on site, fabricated in our Swindon workshop, installed by the team who quoted the job, with a written guarantee on fabrication and installation.
Steel & stainless-steel infills · Building Regs Doc K compliant · £2m public liability · Free site survey.
What balustrades & railings actually is — and when to commission it.
What it is
Balustrades are the guarding you fit to the open side of a stair, landing, mezzanine, terrace, roof or balcony to stop people falling. Railings are the horizontal-run guarding used for garden boundaries, pool surrounds, plant enclosures and light security. We fabricate both in steel — and in stainless steel for balustrades where corrosion resistance or a modern look is required.
Who it's for
Homeowners in Swindon finishing a staircase, mezzanine, terrace or garden; developers finishing flats and apartments; and commercial clients enclosing roof plant, walkways and public terraces.
When it's needed
Any time there's a drop of 600mm (external) or 300mm (some internal) or more, Approved Document K requires guarding. Also any time an existing balustrade is loose, corroded or non-compliant.
Why professional help matters
Balustrades are life-safety kit. Getting the height, infill and load resistance wrong is a serious risk. Getting the material or finish wrong is a shorter-life risk — coastal-air stainless in the wrong grade, or unprimed mild steel outside, will fail early.
The four failures we see when balustrades & railings is done cheaply.
Non-compliant infill spacing
Approved Document K restricts the size of gap a small child can pass through. Off-the-shelf balustrade often doesn't meet that — bespoke fabrication is often the only clean answer.
Wobble at the top rail
A balustrade that flexes under lateral load is a Building Regs failure and a real hazard. It's a design and fixings issue, and it's fixable — with steel.
Corroded stainless
Wrong grade of stainless in the wrong environment pits, stains and eventually fails — the classic 'why is my stainless rusting' problem.
Uninspiring architectural finish
A well-made balustrade is a finishing detail people notice. Standard white-painted timber usually isn't it.
From first call to signed-off installation.
- Step 1
Free site survey
We measure the exact run, take drop heights, and confirm the fixing substrate (concrete, timber joist, steel, masonry).
- Step 2
Design & written quote
You choose the infill (vertical bar, horizontal bar, stainless wire, framed glass panel via a trade partner), the finish and the top rail. Written quote follows.
- Step 3
Workshop fabrication
Runs are cut, welded, ground back and finished. Stainless balustrades are TIG-welded and dressed for a clean visible finish.
- Step 4
Installation
Fixed on site with the correct anchors for the substrate. Top rails levelled and butt-jointed cleanly.
- Step 5
Sign-off & written guarantee
We check the lateral load and the finish with you, and hand over the written guarantee.
Balustrades & railings we've fabricated and installed.
What you actually get when you commission this from SRN.
Compliant guarding, no argument
Designed to Approved Document K height, infill and load requirements.
Solid, no flex
Properly fixed steel doesn't move under lateral load.
Stainless option for modern & wet environments
TIG-welded stainless for pool surrounds, coastal-adjacent sites and modern architectural finishes.
Bespoke fit to unusual runs
Curved, angled and stepped runs made to the actual space — not the space it should have been.
Long service life
Correctly finished, decades of use with only cosmetic maintenance.
Guarantee on fabrication & install
Written into the quote.
Materials, methods, variations — the full picture.
This is the technical detail that separates a fabricator from a supplier. Read it, or skim the headings — either way, it's what you're paying for.
Materials
Mild steel — powder-coated or wet-painted — is the workhorse for internal and external residential balustrades. Stainless steel (typically 304 for internal / sheltered external, 316 for wet, coastal-adjacent and pool applications) is used where a clean brushed finish or maximum corrosion resistance is needed. We use stainless specifically for balustrade work; other work is mild steel.
Infill options
Vertical bar (the classic Doc K-friendly answer), horizontal bar (where infill compliance allows), tensioned stainless-steel wire in a framed run, laser-cut steel panels for feature work, cast-panel infills for period property, and steel-framed toughened glass panels via a trade partner.
Top rails & handrails
Round tube handrail (comfortable, hand-friendly), flat-bar top rail (modern, minimal), moulded handrail (traditional), and continuous stainless tube (modern architectural). Detailing at newel posts and returns finishes the run cleanly.
Applications
Staircase balustrades, landing and mezzanine guarding, terrace and roof-terrace balustrades, garden and boundary railings, pool-surround guarding, courtyard and light-well guarding, and plant-enclosure railings on commercial roofs.
Residential vs commercial
Residential balustrades prioritise aesthetic and compliance. Commercial balustrades add load-rating, adoption-friendly detailing and often DDA-compliant continuous handrail. We fabricate to the same standard either way.
Straight answers to the questions we're asked most.
How much do steel balustrades cost per metre?+
Domestic vertical-bar steel balustrade typically starts in the mid-hundreds per metre installed; stainless and glass-framed runs cost more. Every quote is priced from a site measure and issued in writing.
Are your balustrades Building Regs compliant?+
Yes. Designed to Approved Document K for height, infill spacing and load resistance.
Steel or stainless — which should I choose?+
Steel where the run is painted or powder-coated and the environment is normal. Stainless where you want a brushed or polished finish, where the run is wet (pool, external terrace) or where a modern architectural look is called for.
How long does balustrade fabrication and install take?+
Typically 3–5 weeks from sign-off to install. Complex or long runs longer.
Do you fit glass-panel balustrades?+
Yes — steel-framed toughened glass balustrades are fabricated with glass panels supplied by a trade partner.
How long do your balustrades last?+
Correctly finished, decades. Internal steel lasts effectively for the life of the finish.
Do you offer a guarantee?+
Yes — a written guarantee on fabrication and installation, confirmed in your quote.
Do you install balustrades in Swindon and across Wiltshire?+
Yes — including Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and Bristol.
Get a written quote for your balustrades & railings — free site survey included.
One phone call, one honest survey, one written price. Experienced trade fabricators, work aligned with BS EN 1090, £2 million public liability, and a written guarantee on fabrication and installation.
- Experienced trade fabricators
- In line with BS EN 1090
- Building Regulations compliant
- £2m public liability insurance
- CSCS-carded site team
- Written guarantee on fabrication & install