Metal Inc.

I found Metal Inc through an online search and was excited to find a local steel artisan responsible for installations in town that I recognized. I presented two unique and difficult projects to Lauren Danley and her team. The first was a suspended mill finished steel stair and integrated railing. She was very enthusiastic as she sees her work as both an artistic endeavor as well as a fabrication and installation challenge. I immediately experienced her ability to anticipate the challenges unique to the job and troubleshoot potential solutions. I could very quickly see that my project was in good hands. While I presented detailed and dimensioned drawings for the job, Lauren made suggestions that took the design to the next level both in terms of artistry and constructability. The results are fantastic and feedback from colleagues and friends has been very positive. Having completed the stair so successfully, I presented Metal Inc with a second and possibly more challenging assignment to fabricate and install a fireplace built-in to house a high efficiency wood burning unit, wood storage, and integrated maple shelves and drawers. The structure also had to support a 21' long by 2'-6" deep Soapstone top. This was also made of mill finished steel plate and sections and required possibly an even higher level of precision and finish than the stair. Once again the results were fantastic! Lauren completed the work in a most professional and timely manner and impressed many others on our job site as well! Our cost was exactly what was initially agreed to with no further discussions. The next project for Metal will be an alternating tread ship ladder!!

My husband and I have been building a home for the last 2 years. Throughout the process I have tried to seek out less mainstream artisans and craftspeople to do the finer details of the home without breaking a leg, while also supporting a smaller business sector. For anyone interested in doing this as well, I highly HIGHLY recommend Lauren Danley and her work through Metal Inc. We wanted to find someone to do our stairs in metal and it seemed like it wouldn't be that big of a deal because stainless steel cable systems are everywhere. Our builder directed us to a large company with a monopoly over these kinds of products in the DC area and I was totally under-impressed. I soon discovered Metal Inc. on Houzz and right away found the photos inspiring. When I met Lauren in person, I was blown away by her background working with metal and her genuine interest in the medium. She is the most authentic person of any trade that I have ever met. What's great is that Lauren has a sincere passion for our project(s); she cares deeply about the end result and puts forth many interesting ideas. In fact, we keep finding additional projects for her in our home because the material is so beautiful and besides...it's just a great feeling to have her craftsmanship in our home. She is now completing some outdoor stair railings at our front entrance to match the interior metal railings. She is also fabricating some decorative metal plates to wrap around a wooden support beam in our dining room. If we knew of her sooner, we would have hired her to do our interior window sills in metal instead of wood. They are so sleek and cool!

Lauren is a full-immersion steel artist. She has a complete understanding of the material and how it can be used as a structural and aesthetic element. These qualities are rare and extremely valuable in a project. She has an innate ability to understand the intent of a design and merge her experience with her instinct to produce quality work that is rare. I am looking forward to our third project together and the three story exposed steel staircase that she will build as part of a green choice remodeling project.

I worked with Lauren on the WG job; she did the steel, I did the wood. She is competent and professional, with an eye to detail while at the same doing what needs to be done in order to get the job done. It was a pleasure working with her.