Rutland Architectural Copper - Gutter Supplies - Chimney Caps

Finials

Rutland Gutter Supply, Inc. — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:51:42 GMT

A finial can be thought of as an architectural finial, which simply is a decorative or ornamental architectural piece usually mounted at the apex or very top of any architectural structure. Finials can also denote the decorative ornaments, knobs, balls, terminations or tops to posts, poles, rods, furniture or lamps. In typography, finials are the curves terminating type font strokes. This blog concentrates on architectural finials which may be placed on top of a roof, gable, tower, turret, pinnacle, steeple, spire, arch, dome, gazebo, canopy, cupola, chimney cap, wall, garden structure or other architectural device. Finials are used decoratively to emphasize the apex, peak, ends or corners of these architectural structures. Finials also provide heightened architectural interest, flourish, elegance, majesty and provide the crowning touch to distinctive architectural structures, fine homes and distinguished buildings.

Copper Finials - Outdoor Roof - Garden Finials

Finials are usually thought of as the ornament or decorative piece mounted at the very tip of related architectural structures which are all taller than wider, such as pinnacles, turrets, spires, steeples and towers. These various architectural structures are somewhat similar or related, primarily differing in size, scale, location, shape or historical context. Often one of these structures is placed on top of another and the transition between them may either be obvious or be fairly seamless. Finials mounted at the very peak of these structures have historically been a cross, star, ball, spear, cone, needle or may have been something more elaborate or ornate. Tall finials fitted with an extension and insulated may also be utilized as a lightning rod. Architectural devices such as finials have sometimes been scaled up in size to where some finials start to resemble and perhaps becomes a small spire or pinnacle.

Octagonal Finial Spear - - Hexagonal Finial Ball Aluminum - - Scrolled Copper Finial

Pinnacles are simply defined as small decorative turrets or spires historically located at corners of a roof, parapet, buttress, tower, pier, gable or elsewhere. Pinnacles are largely an ornamental structure, usually round in shape like most turrets or else tapering like a spire and are terminated at their peak by a pyramid, small spire or finial. Pinnacle is also described as an architectural ornament forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret and used on parapets at the corners of towers and other locations. Pinnacles while decorative also help promote the loftiness or towering majesty of a building structure.

Finials - Octagonal - Pyramidal Base with Finial Balls - Finial Cones

Spires are simply any slender, pointed architectural structures on top of buildings or other structures such as towers. Spires can be conical, pyramidal and octagonal in shape terminating in a point or else have a decorative finial perched on top. Many centuries ago, spires originally were a simple, four sided, squat, pyramid shaped roof capping on top of church towers. Spires evolved towards ever slimmer and much taller forms with a more organic connection to the tower below. Early spires had crockets or steps at their edges for ease of maintenance by steeplejacks. The word spire is derived from the Anglo Saxon word for spear. In fact many modern spires can be even more pronounced spear or needle shaped than their pointy predecessors. Spires may convey several symbolic attributes. Pointing at the heavens, they can have a celestial or religious connotation which is why they were popular on top of cathedrals and churches. Spires provided a spectacular visual culmination to churches while being a symbol of heavenly aspiration. Spires also connote the religious order's or building patron's wealth and prestige. A spire's spear shape can also be symbolic of martial power, might and strength or in public buildings of civil power and hope. Reaching to the skies, spires can also be symbolic of aerospace, outer space and the future. Modern spires include the Space Needle in Seattle and the extremely tall spires located on the tallest buildings or skyscrapers in the world. The planned Freedom Tower in New York will be topped with a spire. Spires are never out of fashion and continue to be used in modern architecture. At the very top of spires you often will find a decorative or ornamental finial. Modern day finials have taken on many forms or shapes with unlimited designs and the pointy, spear shaped finial designs are reminiscent of spires. Some pointy finials have increased in size and scale and are perhaps considered smaller spires and called spires by some.

Finial Square Tapered - - Pineapple Finial Copper - - Octagonal Finial

Steeples are tall mostly ornamental towers usually topped with a spire and finial. Steeples usually comprise a series of stories, each typically diminishing in size and topped off by a small pyramidal roof, cupola or oftentimes a spire. Steeples are very common in Christian churches and the use of the term typically connotes a religious structure or church steeple. Steeples may be free standing towers or else are incorporated structurally into the entrance or center of a building, such as a church or temple. Steeples usually taper towards a point at the top, are surmounted or topped by a spire, or are themselves simply a large spire. Steeple design was possibly originally influenced by obelisks and pillars dating back to ancient Egyptian architecture. Obelisks are simply four sided tapering towers or pillars ending in a pointed or pyramidal top. Obelisks were historically monolithic, meaning carved out of a single stone and were used as monuments placed at the entrance to temples.

Cathedrals with Turrets, Spires, Pinnacles and Finials
(photos courtesy Aleister Crowley and Georges Jansoone - CC by SA)

Turrets are simply small attached towers or tower shaped projections from a building. Typically most turrets are round with a conical or other pointed roof though sometimes a domed roof. Some turrets are square or octagonal in shape. Turrets are usually topped with a pinnacle, spire or decorative finial. Turrets are always smaller structures attached to the edge of a building compared to towers which are larger and invariably start from the ground. Turrets can extend out from the sides or corners of a building via corbels or extend up from the roof top effectively adding another story. Rounded turrets also provide contrast to angled lines of a building.

Assorted Turrets - Copper Finials - Conical Octagonal Copper Roof

Towers are slender buildings characterized by great height, always much taller than their width or length. Often very tall towers taper from story to story towards their top and often terminate in a pyramidal roof or pointed spire, usually octagonal or conical. Many church towers and public building towers were designed to incorporate a spire. Towers symbolize prestige, supreme power, authority, majesty and might, similar to what steeples and spires convey.

Roof Top Finials - Copper Domes with Copper Finials (weathered)

Modern day finials come in all shapes, designs and sizes to enhance any style of current architecture. Finials add a decorative, crowning touch to most any architectural structure including roof peaks, domes, turrets, towers, steeples, spires, chimney caps, cupolas, gazebos, canopies, landscaping - garden walls and posts. View 50 different finial designs including weathervanes, pineapple finials and ornate finials at Rutland's Copper Finials webpage. Rutland also provides CAD design drawings and specifications for all of their standard finials, located on each individual finial model's webpage. Rutland finials come in many different sizes; many of Rutland's larger finials are 3 to 6 feet in height and still larger finials and spires may be constructed. Rutland's architectural copper work and metal fabrication craftsmen will fabricate any of Rutland's standard finial designs in a number of different sizes, different base shapes and will also custom manufacture finials and spires to your own architectural design and exact specifications.

Cupolas with WeatherVane Finials and Copper Ball Finial

Finial Assorted Base Shapes (may be specified for any Rutland Finial Design)

Chimney Caps with Copper Finials

Copper Finial Video on YouTube

Chimney Cap - Decorative Metal

Rutland Gutter Supply, Inc. — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:25:05 GMT

Chimney cap, chimney vent, chimney pot, chimney cowl and chimney shroud are all various structures on a chimney top added to the top of your chimney pipe, chimney flue, stove pipe or even chimney crown. The chimney crown is the flat top of a chimney usually finished with cement or mortar and is ideally sloped to shed water. A fireplace chimney is typically constructed from brick, clay, masonry, metal or fireproof material. Often times there is just a metal chimney pipe or chimney flue that is encased in a fireproof material or else is double wall insulated shielding adjacent flammable building materials. Chimney vents or stove pipe vents vent fireplaces, wood stoves and heaters and provide proper draft. The chimney vent opening might be nearly flush with the chimney crown or else the chimney pipe or chimney flue will protrude out. Stove pipe chimney vents are also found protruding out of the top of roofs. Chimney pots positioned on chimney tops, look like small smoke stacks and functionally extend the length of a chimney. Chimney pots may therefore improve a chimney's draft inexpensively. Whether it is a metal chimney vent, masonry chimney or chimney pot or other chimney material, there is a need to have some sort of termination or cap on the chimney top, to keep rain, birds and critters out of your chimney, chimney pipe or chimney flue. Without a chimney cap, rain water might run into your fireplace, stove or heater and additionally leaks from seams or cracks in the chimney might also damage adjacent walls and ceilings. Also build up of rain and moisture inside your chimney often produces a pervading chimney or smoky smell inside your home. Birds, raccoons, squirrels and other small animals might enjoy the warmth of your chimney, set up home there and clog it with their nests or bodies. So chimney caps often have screening, mesh or lattice work to cover openings. Chimney caps may also protect a chimney crown by shedding rain water and ice. Chimney caps with metal mesh or screening may also perform as a spark arrestor to protect adjacent roofing, walls and ground areas from sparks or embers that may exit from a chimney. Finally, chimney caps may also be purposefully designed to control, preserve or improve upon a chimney's draft. Many chimney caps are made of metal including stainless steel chimney caps, copper chimney caps, aluminum chimney caps and the ever common black painted galvanized steel chimney cap. Standard type chimney caps have a simple sloped roof to block most of the falling rain and mesh sides to block birds, small animals. Some employ tighter screening to also neutralize sparks. They are designed to simply clamp on to round, square or rectangular chimney flue pipes with screw fasteners. Round versions may also provide protection for exposed chimney pots. More expansive, elaborate chimney caps, such as chimney hoods or chimney shrouds, provide a decorative architectural feature and protect more of the chimney top crown.

Common Black Painted Steel Chimney Cap

Assortment of Chimney Pots (including capped & screened examples)

Single and Multi-Flue Copper Chimney Pots with Chimney Top Shroud

Chimney pots are most often seen in Tudor architecture and sometimes with Colonial, Victorian and Row Houses. Chimney pots were usually made from clay (terra cotta) but now are also made from metals. New pure copper and weathered reddish brown copper chimney pots are shown above, along with stainless steel and mill finish aluminum pots. Chimney pots are often open at their top, and while a separate protective chimney cap for use on top of chimney pots can be used, even better, a cleaner design like the ones pictured above with their own integral cap and screening. New chimney pots create a certain architectural style or may replace worn out or broken chimney pots to preserve that look. A chimney pot or variation thereof may also be used when you wish to extend the height of your chimney to improve upon insufficient chimney updraft. Some chimney hood or shroud designs also increase effective chimney height.

Chimney Vent - Directional Chimney Cowl - Turbine Vent

Shrouded Copper Dome Chimney Vent

If you experience too much downdraft into your chimney from consistent high winds or substantial amounts of air deflect off of adjacent walls, tall trees, buildings or hills, then you may need to limit or block excess air being pushed down into your chimney. Passive shrouded chimney cap devices exist that work to limit deflected air or high winds from being driven down into your chimney. They work to block winds from the top and sides, allowing air out only from vents near or on the bottom. There is also a directional chimney cowl - chimney cap, which rotates to align with the wind, to block it and prevent a downdraft of air into your chimney pipe or chimney flue. A turbine chimney vent spins with the wind to draw air upwards and counteract downward air pressure. A downdraft problem may be severe enough that extending a chimney using chimney pots or chimney shrouds or using other passive draft enhancers may still prove insufficient. In this case, there are sources of chimney fans available, which mount inside your chimney and induce upward drafts using variable speed motors and paddle fans.

Chimney Hoods - Chimney Shrouds - Chimney Caps

Copper Chimney Caps - Custom Decorative Metal

Chimney caps serve important functional purposes, yet may also provide a very decorative and distinctive architectural feature to your home. Your chimney top and chimney cap are typically at the very highest point of your home and where better to make a crowning statement to distinguish and accentuate your home.

* The pictures above of custom chimney caps, chimney pots and chimney vents, provide courtesy of Rutland's architectural copper and metal work craftsmen. If you can dream or imagine it, Rutland's accomplished coppersmiths and custom metal fabricators can create it. View more of Rutland's many Chimney Cap Designs.

Custom Copper Chimney Caps

Chimney Cap - Decorative Metal

Rutland Gutter Supply, Inc. — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:25:05 GMT

Common Black Painted Steel Chimney Cap

Assortment of Chimney Pots (including capped & screened examples)

Single and Multi-Flue Copper Chimney Pots with Chimney Top Shroud

Chimney Vent - Directional Chimney Cowl - Turbine Vent

Shrouded Copper Dome Chimney Vent

Chimney Hoods - Chimney Shrouds - Chimney Caps

Copper Chimney Caps - Custom Decorative Metal

Custom Copper Chimney Caps

Gutter Hangers - Focus on Gutter Brackets

Rutland Gutter Supply, Inc. — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:53:59 GMT

Rutland Gutter Supply is family owned and operated. Their manufacturing facility is located in beautiful Orlando, Florida. They have over 40 years of experience in the construction and sheet metal fabrication business. Rutland operates some of the most modern CNC machinery available, from computerized roll forming machines to a fully automated 4" round seamless, welded pipe machine. They have many customers globally and have installed copper gutters and architectural copperwork spanning Florida and the Caribbean. Rutland Gutter Supply’s products are marketed and sold throughout the United States, Canada and Internationally.

Rutland’s products can be fabricated in Mill Finish Aluminum, Zinc, Lead Coated Copper, Stainless Steel, Copper, Galvanized Steel and Galvalume. They stock the largest selection of custom gutter supply components including decorative hangers, decorative brackets and pipe straps, flat and radius end caps, box mitres, elbows, rain chains, copper pipe and custom leader heads with copper castings.

Rutland’s latest line of products include fully welded, hand made 48 oz custom kitchen hoods, island range hoods, fireplace hoods and copper billiard hoods, most incorporating hand finished designs. Rutland is able to hand craft any view or scene of your choice into them as these are truly custom design hoods. Additional items available for your copper kitchen are copper pot racks, copper bowl, copper sink, copper basin, hammered copper range hoods and copper fireplace hoods. All Rutland's copper hoods and sinks are available as custom copper hammered designs created by artisans who can create the truly personal design touch for your "copper kitchen".

Rutland also fabricates both stock and custom copper chimney caps, copper cupolas, copper stove pipe and roof vents, copper gable vents, copper dormers, copper roof tiles, copper seam roofs, copper dome roofs, copper chimney turbines, copper roof scuppers or rain spouts, copper finials, copper spires, copper steeples, copper balustrades, copper pineapples, copper balls, copper spheres, copper dock lights, copper fish elbow downspouts and copper dragons, etc. Virtually every architectural copper work and metal fabrication has been or can be accomplished by Rutland.

Gutter Hangers, Gutter Hangers, Gutter Hangers . .

Rutland stocks the largest selection of gutter hangers in the country. Rutland offers decorative gutter hangers such as their seahorse, rope, scroll, combo and acanthus gutter hangers available in cast copper and also in powder coated finished or mill finish cast aluminum. They are designed to fit Rutland’s seamless gutters ranging in half round gutter sizes from 5” to 10”. Various size wedges from 1” to 2.5” are available in both cast copper and aluminum to properly align the gutter system to various fascia angles.

Rutland also stocks many different types of stamped and hidden gutter hangers, all available in a wide selection of materials and sizes. Hidden hangers are available for half round, K-style, quarter round and box gutters in a wide variety of sizes and materials including copper, aluminum and stainless steel. Rutland also stocks many roof mounted, rafter tail mounted and fascia mounted gutter hangers for both half round and K-style gutters including copper, aluminum and stainless steel. Many different sizes of these are stocked by Rutland Gutter Supply and scroll design hangers are available for fascia, roof and rafter mounting.

Rutland Gutter Supply’s superior selection of in stock gutter system parts, components or accessories is immense and unmatched in the U.S. Rutland offers next day shipping on most of Rutland’s gutter supplies as virtually all gutter system components are in stock. In addition to having the largest selection of gutter hangers, Rutland has the largest selection of decorative downspout pipe straps, available in cast copper and aluminum, as well as custom and standard pipe straps. Rutland’s selection of leader heads (else known as conductor heads-collector heads-hopper heads) is again the largest in the U.S.A and most of them are in stock and available with or without one of Rutland’s custom decorative castings incorporated. Rutland strives to have the largest selection on hand for same day shipping. Rutland also encourages it’s customers to submit custom requests as Rutland has extensive custom fabrication experience and Rutland’s facilities and operations are conducive to custom metal work.