For a free quote, email your pictures to dlesnick@gmail.com
I've had people walk in the door and their jaws just dropped. They just can't believe it. We still can't believe it. It's a completely different room.
— Candace Cook, homeowner |
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 David Lesnick, owner of Architectural Woodworking, Inc., amazes his clients by building and installing custom stairs, hand rails, balusters, fireplace mantels and more—onsite. Right now he's replacing iron railings and other outdated stair features in homes all over Northeast Ohio with the rich, warm look and feel of real wood.
David Lesnick, owner of Architectural Woodworking, Inc. Since the late 1980s, David has specialized in replacing those outdated wrought iron rails with finely crafted, custom designed wooden masterpieces.
“There is nobody else in town who will build and finish a stairway like I do it,” he boasts.
David likes to think of the staircase as the largest piece of furniture in the house. Making furniture, in fact, was his road to the stairs.
“I started in the late 1970s making custom furniture and later got involved in construction where I had a chance to do some stair work.”
He soon discovered a surprisingly large demand for replacing iron rails with elaborate woodwork. “There are a lot of neighborhoods all over the Cleveland area that are loaded with metal railings,” he explains. “A lot of builders installed them because they cut costs.”
They also reduce the charm of a home.
David starts the job by bringing a large assortment of sample handrails and balusters made from different kinds of wood for customers to examine.
“I want them to be able to put their hands on the rail to see how it feels,” David explains. “It isn't something you can do by looking at pictures in a catalog.”
Once a design is decided upon, the pieces that will make up the staircase are pre-stained or painted at his shop in Olmsted Falls so little or no messy onsite painting is necessary. The result is a furniture-quality finish.
And speaking of a mess, David doesn't make one. His tools leave little dust and he cleans up after himself every day before he goes home.
Along with a wide variety of rail and baluster styles, David also offers custom-made Newel posts—including
lighted posts—to highlight the staircase.
David does little work for contractors. Working with homeowners is one of his favorite parts of the job.
“Contractors are not that involved in the job,” he says. “They are doing it for the money. For the people living in the home there is an emotional attachment to what we're doing.”
He has an emotional attachment to his craft as well.
“This is a dream to be in business for myself, to be doing something that really makes my customers happy,” he says. “The most exciting thing is the final moment when you lower the rail into place and hearing the home owner say ‘wow.' “
David mentions that a natural wood staircase improves the value of your home —something to think about if you're about to put the place on the market.
So it not only looks great, but it could make you some money as well.
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