Serving West Houston, Memorial & the Greater Houston Area
Custom Iron & Steel Doors in Houston, Texas
A.G. Metalworks designs and fabricates custom iron and forged steel doors for Houston homeowners. Front entry doors, interior iron doors, and custom wine cellar doors. Built in our Houston shop, installed by our crew.
Our Work
Custom Door Projects by A.G. Metalworks
Photos below are from completed projects in Houston, organized by door type. Style numbers are shown for reference. If you see something close to what you have in mind, note the style number and bring it to your consultation.
Custom Iron & Steel Entry Doors
Custom Wine Door Photos
See a style that fits your property?
Give us a call or send a message. We'll get back to you with a straight answer.
About This Service
A Front Door That Changes How the Whole Entry Reads
A custom iron or forged steel front door is one of the more permanent decisions a homeowner makes about a property's exterior. Unlike a coat of paint or new landscaping, a well-built iron door is there for decades. It affects security, curb appeal, energy performance at the threshold, and the overall character of the entry. Getting it right matters more than most exterior changes, and getting it wrong is harder to undo.
A.G. Metalworks has been fabricating custom iron and steel doors for Houston homeowners since 1982. We build to fit your existing opening, which means we measure the actual opening rather than offering a catalog of standard sizes that require the opening to be modified to fit the door. The ironwork is fabricated in our shop on McGee Lane by the same crew that builds our gates and railings, and our team handles the installation. We also fabricate iron entry gates and iron fencing for homeowners who want the door and the surrounding exterior ironwork to read as a cohesive design.
If you have a style in mind from Houzz, from a home you've visited, or from the photos above, bring it to the consultation. If you're still deciding, we can walk you through the options based on your home's architecture and your own preferences. Lead times on custom doors are longer than most other residential ironwork, typically three to four weeks for fabrication, so the sooner the process starts the better.
Door Types and Options
What We Build for Houston Homeowners
Custom door projects vary by opening size, application, and the homeowner's design direction. Here's what we build most often and what the decisions typically involve:
Custom iron front entry doors:
Single and double door configurations for main entry openings. The most common request is a door that makes a statement at the entry without being overly ornate. We design and fabricate to fit the specific opening dimensions rather than modifying the opening to accept a standard door.
Forged steel doors:
Steel doors with forged ironwork panels or inlays. Heavier and more substantial than wrought iron construction. Well suited to larger entry openings and to homes with a more contemporary or industrial architectural character.
Iron and glass combinations:
Doors that incorporate glass panels within the iron frame. Allows natural light into an entry foyer while maintaining the visual weight of iron. The glass can be clear, frosted, or textured depending on the privacy and light preferences of the homeowner.
Custom wine cellar and wine room doors: Iron or iron-and-wood doors for wine cellar entrances, wine rooms, and interior feature doorways. Often combine iron grillwork with wood panels or glass inserts. A specific application that requires different design considerations than an exterior entry door.
Traditional and contemporary profiles:
We build across the full range from detailed scrollwork and ornate ironwork suited to Spanish Colonial and French-influenced homes to clean, simple profiles with minimal decorative detail that suit contemporary custom construction. The photos above show the range of what's in our fabrication library.
Powder coat and finish options:
All iron and steel doors are finished before installation. Black is the most common choice. Custom colors are available. For doors that incorporate wood elements, wood species and stain options are discussed during the design phase.
Fitting an existing opening. We build custom doors to fit the opening as it exists rather than requiring modifications to the rough opening to accommodate a standard door size. This is especially relevant in older homes in West Houston and Memorial where opening dimensions don't conform to modern standard sizes. Bring your opening measurements to the consultation or we'll take them ourselves during the site visit.
How it Works
From Consultation to Installation
Most homeowners haven't hired a metal fabricator before and aren't sure what the process looks like. Here's how a typical stair railing project moves from first call to finished installation.
1
Free Consultation and Measurement
We come to the property, measure the opening precisely, and talk through what you have in mind. Accurate measurements are critical for a custom door because the door is built to fit. If you have a style photo or a style number from the gallery, bring it. If you're still deciding, we can walk through options based on your home's architecture. No charge, no obligation.
2
Design Drawing and Written Proposal
We put together a design sketch and a written proposal that clearly describes the scope and the price. For custom doors, the design drawing shows the door profile, panel layout, glass placement if applicable, and any decorative ironwork elements. This is the stage where design details are confirmed before fabrication begins.
3
Fabrication in Our Houston Shop
Custom doors are fabricated in our shop on McGee Lane. Lead times are longer than most other residential projects because of the precision required and the scope of work involved. Standard custom door fabrication typically runs three to four weeks. More detailed or complex doors may take longer. We'll give you a specific timeline in the proposal and let you know if anything changes.
4
Installation and Hardware
Our crew handles the full installation including hanging the door, setting the hardware, and verifying the operation before we leave. Most custom door installations are completed in one day. We'll walk you through the hardware and locking mechanism and address any fit adjustments on site before the job is complete.
Why A.G. Metalworks
Why Houston Homeowners Work with A.G. Metalworks
A.G. Metalworks has been building and installing custom ironwork for Houston homeowners since 1982. We are the residential division of A.G. Welding, which means the same welding certifications and fabrication standards that qualify us for commercial structural steel work go into every residential project we take on. Our welders are certified to AWS D1.1 standards, our crews are OSHA trained, and we are a City of Houston certified fabricator.
What that means for a homeowner is practical: the work is done by people who do this every day, the fabrication is accurate, and installation is handled by our own crew. We've been in this long enough to know that the difference between an iron railing that looks right and one that doesn't usually comes down to the quality of the measurement and the fit. We take both seriously.
Founded 1982 | AWS D1.1 Certified Welders | OSHA-Trained Crews
City of Houston Certified Fabricator | BBB Member
Common Questions
Custom Door Questions We Hear Often
How long does a custom iron door take to fabricate and install?
From accepted proposal to completed installation, most custom door projects run four to six weeks. Fabrication alone typically takes three to four weeks. More detailed or complex doors may take longer. We'll give you a realistic timeline in the proposal. If your project has a specific date that matters, mention it during the consultation and we'll tell you honestly whether the schedule works.
Can you build a door to fit a non-standard opening size?
Yes. That's one of the advantages of custom fabrication over purchasing a standard door. We build the door to fit the opening as it exists, which is particularly useful in older homes in West Houston and Memorial where openings don't conform to modern standard sizes. We take the measurements ourselves during the consultation visit.
What is the difference between an iron door and a steel door?
Wrought iron doors are fabricated from iron that's worked and welded into shape. They tend to have a slightly softer, more traditional character. Forged steel doors are heavier and more rigid, with a more substantial feel in the opening. In practice, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably in residential contexts. The right choice depends on the design you're after and the weight and scale of your opening. We'll give you a clear recommendation during the consultation.
What is a wine cellar door and is it different from a regular iron door?
A wine cellar door is designed specifically for a wine room or wine cellar entrance, typically as an interior door rather than an exterior entry. The design often combines iron grillwork with wood panels or glass inserts because the application calls for a door that's visually open enough to see into the room while still framing the entrance as something distinctive. The fabrication process is similar to an exterior iron door but the design considerations and hardware are different. They're also used as feature doors between living spaces in custom homes beyond just wine rooms.
Do iron doors require a lot of maintenance?
Not significantly. Powder coated iron doors hold up well in Houston's climate. The main maintenance requirement is periodic inspection of the finish, particularly at the bottom of the door where moisture contact is most likely, and touch-up of any chips or scratches before they develop into rust. A well-maintained iron door in Houston typically holds its finish for many years before needing a full refinish. We'll give you specific maintenance guidance at the time of installation.
