Custom steel fabrication for a house means steel pieces made to fit your home and your drawings: beams and posts for an open-concept renovation, lintels over wider openings, base and cap plates, and miscellaneous steel like stairs, railings and gates. A fabricator cuts, drills, welds and marks each piece in the shop so it goes in without trimming on site. For structural pieces, the size and connections come from a designer or engineer, and the work usually needs a building permit.
Procut Steel works with builders, contractors and homeowners across the GTA and Ontario from our shop in Erin. This guide covers what gets made for houses, who does what on a homeowner project, and how to get an accurate quote.
What a structural steel fabricator makes for homes
Most homeowner work falls into two groups.
Structural steel carries the house:
| Piece | Typical homeowner use |
|---|---|
| Steel beams (W-shapes) | Replacing a loadbearing wall, opening up a basement, supporting a new floor or addition |
| Steel posts (HSS and pipe) | Supporting a beam in a basement, under a deck or at the end of an opening |
| Lintels (angles) | Over windows, doors and garage openings in brick or block walls |
| Plates | Base plates, cap plates and connection plates, cut and drilled |
| C-channels | Framing, bracing and supports |
Miscellaneous steel is the rest: custom stairs, railings, gates, ladders and supports for things like lighting.
Every structural piece is fabricated to drawings: cut to length, with holes, plates and connections in the right place. That's the difference between a fabricator and a supplier who only sells raw lengths.
Why steel instead of wood or engineered lumber? In houses, steel tends to be chosen where a beam has to stay shallow for headroom, span farther than a wood beam reasonably can, or carry a heavy concentrated load, such as a post from the floor above. A steel beam can also be cambered or fitted with plates to suit an existing structure. Which material is right for your opening is the designer's decision, and on many jobs either would work.
Common homeowner projects
Searches for "steel fabrication ideas" or "steel fabrication for house" usually lead to one of these:
- Open-concept renovations. Removing a loadbearing wall between the kitchen and living room usually means a steel beam, either dropped below the ceiling or flush with the joists, with posts at each end.
- Basement beams and posts. Replacing an old wood beam, swapping teleposts for fixed posts, or clearing space for a finished basement. Our post on teleposts explains when adjustable columns can stay.
- Wider openings in brick. A new patio door, a bigger window or a wider garage door in a brick wall needs a lintel sized for the opening. See custom steel lintels in Ontario.
- Additions and rear extensions. Steel beams let a wall open fully onto a new room.
- Stairs, railings and gates. Steel stairs for a basement or exterior entry, railings for a deck or balcony, and driveway or walkway gates.
Who does what on a homeowner steel project
Steel work in a house involves a few different people. Knowing who's responsible for what saves time and arguments:
| Who | What they do |
|---|---|
| Homeowner | Decides what they want, hires the team, applies for or authorizes the permit |
| Designer or engineer | Sizes the beam, posts, footings and connections; produces stamped or permit drawings where required |
| Municipality | Reviews the permit application and inspects the work |
| General contractor | Shores the structure, removes the wall, coordinates trades, finishes the space |
| Fabricator | Prepares shop drawings, fabricates the steel, delivers it, and may install it |
Some projects combine roles. A contractor may bring their own engineer, and at Procut engineering services are available for projects that need them. What doesn't change is the order: design first, then fabrication.
Permits and code on structural work
For most structural steel in a house, plan on a building permit. Removing or altering a loadbearing wall, adding a beam or posts, or cutting a wider opening in a bearing wall are structural alterations, and GTA municipalities including Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton and Vaughan treat them that way. Our guide to permits for load-bearing wall removal covers what each city asks for.
Stairs and railings have their own rules under the 2024 Ontario Building Code for things like rise and run, headroom, guard height and openings. See Ontario Building Code rules for steel stairs before settling on a design.
Don't treat any of this as a DIY job. Temporary shoring, removing a wall and setting a beam move loads around a house, and getting it wrong can crack walls and foundations or worse.
How the process works, from drawings to delivery
A typical homeowner project with a fabricator runs like this:
- Drawings. Your designer or engineer produces drawings showing the steel sizes, lengths, connections and footings.
- Quote. You or your contractor send the drawings. We prepare a take-off and quote free of charge.
- Site measurement. For pieces that have to fit existing conditions, such as a post under a beam or a lintel in an old wall, dimensions are confirmed on site.
- Shop drawings. Once the quote is approved, we produce shop drawings that show every piece, hole and plate. These are reviewed before fabrication.
- Fabrication. Steel is cut, fitted, welded and marked to the shop drawings. Our shop welding is certified by the Canadian Welding Bureau.
- Delivery and installation. Steel is delivered to site across the GTA and Ontario, with phased deliveries available when a project is staged. We supply and install structural steel, including basement beams and posts, or deliver to your contractor.
Access matters on houses. A long beam has to get from the truck into the house. Tell us about tight side yards, basement windows, stairs and anything else that limits how pieces get in; it can affect how a beam is detailed, such as splitting it with a field splice where the engineer allows.
Getting an accurate quote
Pricing depends on the steel weight, the amount of fabrication, finish, delivery and whether installation is included. Our guide to custom steel fabrication cost explains how those factors build up. For a firm number, send:
- Drawings: structural or architectural, with steel sizes if the designer has set them
- Photos of the area and any existing steel
- Site address and access notes
- Scope: supply only, supply and deliver, or supply and install
- Finish: we can prime or galvanize to suit interior or exterior steel; exterior steel columns, for example, need at least a rust-inhibitive coat under the OBC
- Timing: when the space will be ready, so delivery can match the schedule
If you don't have drawings yet, we can still talk through the project, but a firm price on structural steel waits for the design.
Talk to us about your project
Procut has over 30 years of metal manufacturing experience and works with homeowners as well as builders and contractors. Send us your drawings or project details for a free quote, see the steel products we fabricate, or read more about our services, from shop drawings to delivery and installation.
Frequently asked questions
What can a steel fabricator make for a house?
Structural pieces such as steel beams, posts, lintels, base and cap plates and channels, and miscellaneous steel such as stairs, railings, gates and ladders. Each piece is cut, drilled and welded to drawings so it fits the house it's going into.
Do I need an engineer for a steel beam in my house?
For a new or replacement structural beam, almost always. Removing or changing a loadbearing wall is a structural alteration that needs a qualified designer or engineer and, in GTA municipalities, a building permit. The fabricator builds to those drawings.
Can a homeowner order steel directly from a fabricator?
Yes. Many fabricators, including Procut, work with homeowners as well as contractors. It helps to have drawings, or at least the designer's specification, before asking for a firm price.
What should I send for a steel fabrication quote?
Structural or architectural drawings if you have them, the section sizes and lengths, photos of the area, the site address and access, and whether you need delivery only or supply and installation.
