Architectural copper, made by hand
The decorative copper work on a roof is what people notice from the street. We shape it in our shop in Cleburne, piece by piece, and ship it anywhere in the country.
In short
Most sheet metal shops make gutters. Few make the pieces that sit above them: the finial on a turret, the louvered vent in a gable, the dormer wrapped in copper, the chimney cap that will still be there in a hundred years. That work is the heart of what we do.
Each piece starts with a drawing. Yours, your architect's, or one we make from your photos and dimensions. It is then cut, formed, hammered and soldered in the shop, and either shipped to you crated or, near Cleburne, installed by our own crew.
The work
Each one is made to order, in 16 oz or 20 oz copper. The photos show our own pieces as they left the shop or went up on the roof, in new copper that will darken to brown and then green with the years.
The point on a turret, gable or cupola. Spires, balls, spears and weather vane bases, turned and soldered from copper sheet and tube, with a mounting base made for your roof pitch.
Dormer faces, cheeks and roofs clad in copper, with ribbed, scalloped or hammered panels and fitted flashings, so the whole dormer weathers as one piece.
Gable vents and decorative louvers, with fixed blades, a built-in screen and a flange sized to the opening. Rectangular, round, arched or made to your shape.
Copper chimney caps and shrouds that keep rain and animals out and finish the top of the chimney. Single or multi-flue, with a hip, gable or flat lid.
How a custom piece is made
The same method whether it is a six-inch finial or a full dormer.
We work from your drawing, or we draw it from your photos and measurements and send it back for approval.
Copper is cut, rolled, hammered and bent in the shop. Hammered textures and curves are done by hand, not stamped.
Seams are soldered, not caulked, so the piece is watertight for as long as the copper lasts.
Finished pieces are crated for freight and shipped anywhere in the country, or installed by our crew near Cleburne.
The process
Custom work is a conversation. This is how it usually goes.
Step 1
Send photos of the roof, the opening or the chimney, any drawings, and rough dimensions.
Step 2
We send a drawing for approval with a written quote and a lead time. Materials and installation are separate lines.
Step 3
The piece is formed and soldered in the shop. We send photos as it comes together.
Step 4
Crated for freight to your door or your contractor, or installed by our crew if you are near Cleburne.
Also in copper
If it is copper and it belongs on a building, ask.
Materials and installation
Materials are fabricated in Cleburne and shipped to any state. Installation is a separate, local service for addresses near Cleburne, Texas, confirmed by ZIP code when you request a quote.
Custom work questions
Usually, yes. Send photos from two or three angles with a tape measure in the picture, or the dimensions written down, and we draw it for your approval before anything is cut.
Over time, yes. Bare copper is bright when it leaves the shop, turns brown within months and develops a green patina over years, faster in wet climates. It is a surface layer that protects the metal underneath.
Yes. Finials, louvers, chimney caps and dormer panels are crated and shipped by freight anywhere in the United States. Installation is only available near Cleburne.
By quote, from the drawing. Size, thickness of copper, the amount of hand forming and whether installation is included all affect it. There is no public price list for custom work.
Send us a photo and a sentence about what you want. We will tell you what it would take.