Draftsman Tom Whitmore takes a short break from his work to explain a little more about D.B. Welding & Fabrication, Inc. “We build stairs, railing, gates, custom items. Anything you can imagine made of medal, we weld it.” Established in 2003, the company excels at meeting the specific needs of its customers. When it comes to spiral stairs, each stairwell is designed to exact floor-to-floor measurements. This particular day, the stairwell is aluminum based and covered with a powder coating. This makes it great for salty air with the added benefit of being maintenance free.
By late morning, CCO Todd Bennett is sitting in the cab of the Grove mobile crane. His crane is carrying 18,500 lbs of counterweight. His boom is stretched out to 140 feet, raised and ready to begin the lift. He swings his boom in a semi-circle. Below, waiting workers rig the stairwell. It’s not long before you can hear the crane crank into motion as the stairwell is lifted high in the heavens and pushed over the rooftop of the multi-story house. What you can’t hear is Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven.
On the other side, on a second floor balcony, D.B. Welding & Fabrication employees are waiting. From the rooftop deck, workers signal the operator to slowly lower the stairwell. After a series of maneuvers the structure is positioned. Workers use pre-drills and drivers to secure it, anchoring the top of the structure and adjusting the bottom. By early afternoon, work is completed.
