Men of Steel
Matt Risinger, Bob Howell, Luke Thomas Gaffney, and Josh Turner design and fabricate architectural metalwork at Risinger & Co., a custom home-building outfit in Austin.
Austin is home to a lot of excellent architects and builders. Risinger & Co. is one of those builders, and they’re carving out a specialty in custom architectural metalwork. Read their story and their advice for getting started with steel in issue #270 of Fine Homebuilding. And view the slideshow below to meet the team and see some of their work.
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Plate Level
A plate level allows to you plumb walls accurately because it registers off the plates without touching potentially warped or twisted studs. This one can reach the plates on 12-ft. tall walls.
Smart String Line
String lines — sometimes called dry lines — are invaluable for straightening walls and a million other things. The reel makes it easy to stretch and wind the string.
100-ft. Tape Measure
Laying out mudsills and foundations for new homes and additions requires a bigger tape measure than your everyday carry.
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Matt Risinger is the CEO & Chief Builder at Risinger & Co. and is building a team that can make just about anything out of steel. Photo by Joan Brooke.
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Bob Howell is a project Manager at Risinger & Co. and is responsible for engineering the details and processes for much of the company's architectural metalwork.
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Luke Thomas Gaffney is the welding foreman at Risinger & Co. He trained with Lincoln Electric and cut his teeth welding pipelines.
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This lift-and-slide patio door is one of the most impressive fabrications from Risinger & Co. The large expanse of glass offers a view to the steel pergola outside—also custom built by the team.
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The homeowners' desire to use a custom piece of glass with the Ferrari logo in their garage doors inspired the team to fabricate custom steel entry doors for this house.
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This wood-capped balustrade was fabricated on site by the Risinger & Co. team.
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A steel balustrade offers the necessary protection for this balcony without obstructive the view of the living room below.
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Window shading is critical in the hot Texas sun. Matt’s crew made custom awnings and porch roofs for this house from simple bar stock and tube steel.
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Made from big sheets of steel, these planters are a simple project that would be a perfect way for a novice welder to practice.
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Josh Turner had no welding experience when Matt hired him as a laborer for one of the company’s two steel crews. Today he’s one of the lead welders, tackling projects like this steel fence.
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Steel is a great material for creating a modern, industrial look, which was the goal for this exterior stair leading to an apartment above a garage.
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