Custom Metal · JC

Custom metal, designed and built by hand

JC designs and fabricates one off metal work for homes, venues and designers across South Florida. Architectural and sculptural pieces in steel and aluminum, with lighting integrated where the piece calls for it.

A small number of commissions a year, built one at a time.
Hero photo: a finished piece installed in a real space, lit
The details

What he builds.

Architectural
Railings and balustrades, gates, screens and room dividers, fireplace surrounds, range hoods and entry doors.
Sculptural
Wall pieces, signage and commissioned art, with lighting built into the metal rather than added on afterward.
Furniture and fixtures
Table and console bases, shelving and brackets, built to a drawing.
Materials
Steel and aluminum, finished to the spec agreed in the drawing.
Capacity
A small number of commissions a year. Every piece is designed and built by hand, one at a time, so nothing exists twice.
Pricing
Every commission is quoted individually from an approved drawing, so the number is real rather than a guess.
The process

How a commission works.

Design first, metal second. Nothing gets cut until the drawings are approved and the price is agreed.

1

Consultation

Tell him the space, the use and the look. Photos, a sketch or a reference image is enough to start.

2

Design and drawings

A paid design step. You get drawings you own, whether or not you go ahead with the build.

3

Fabrication quote

Priced from the approved drawing, with a lead time quoted generously rather than optimistically.

4

A deposit holds a build slot

Slots are limited and booked in order. That is the honest constraint of hand built work.

5

Build and finish

Fabricated by hand and finished to the spec agreed in the drawing, not improvised at the end.

6

Delivery and handover

Tell us early if the piece needs installing on site and we will plan for it in the drawing stage.

Trade

Working with designers and architects.

JC builds to spec from your drawings, or designs from your concept. One point of contact, and shop drawings for approval before anything is cut.

He understands there is usually a move in date or an opening behind the schedule, and he would rather quote a longer lead time and hit it than win the job on a date he cannot hold.

Build to spec
Works from your drawings, or produces shop drawings for approval.
One contact
The person who designs it is the person who builds it. Nothing gets lost in a handoff.
Lead times
Quoted with the design, generously rather than optimistically, so the date holds.
Site work
Tell us what your site or building requires and we will confirm what is needed before the drawing is finalized.
The work

Commissions and installs.

Finished work, photographed where it lives. A piece on a workbench tells you it was made. A piece in a room tells you what it does.

Stair railing, installed, shot in the space
Lit wall piece in a finished room
Gate or entry screen
Detail shot: weld, joint and finish quality
Table or console base, styled
The drawing next to the finished piece
Portrait: JC in the shop, working
The artist

JC

JC designs and fabricates by hand, one piece at a time. He takes a small number of commissions a year rather than running a production shop, which is why nothing he builds exists twice.

Tell him what you have in mind and he will tell you honestly whether he can build it, what it will cost, and when it will be ready.

Questions

Commissioning a piece.

How does a commission start?
With a conversation about the space and the use, then a paid design step that produces drawings you own. Fabrication is quoted from the approved drawing, so the price reflects the actual piece.
Why is the design step paid?
Because it is real work. You get drawings you keep whether or not you build, the quote is priced off something concrete rather than a guess, and it means JC is designing rather than guessing at what you meant.
Can you work from my drawings?
Yes. He builds to spec from designer or architect drawings, and produces shop drawings for approval before anything is cut.
How long does a commission take?
Lead times are quoted with the design, generously rather than optimistically. If there is a move in date or an opening behind your schedule, say so early and it gets built into the plan.
Can you add lighting to a piece?
Yes. Lighting is worked into the metal at the design stage rather than added on afterward, which is why it needs to be decided before fabrication starts.
What materials do you work in?
Steel and aluminum, finished to the spec agreed in the drawing.
Also from the studio

Opening a venue or finishing a space?

Juan shoots the finished install for your portfolio and ours, and Bella takes commissioned pieces for the same room.