For nearly three decades, Railing Excellence has been providing railings for homeowners in the Greater Toronto Area. Basheer Khan is an entrepreneur and investor who acquired businesses in various sectors before investing in Railing Excellence. He and his team have grown the company exponentially — it is one of the larger manufacturers and installers of railings in the area and produces thousands of railings each year. “A large chunk of our customer base is the large subdivision builders, but we also work with many custom-home builders,” Basheer says passionately. “We pride ourselves on consistency, quality and delivery — we do what we promise we are going to do.” The company’s repeat customers and client referrals are a true reflection of their work and what keeps them at the top of their game. Business partner Fabio DiMambro says, “The relationships developed, and nurtured, and good service provided for more than 30 years is what makes the company successful.”
The Khans, Basheer and his wife, Reem, are also dedicated businesspeople and philanthropists who believe fair practices are just as important as the quality of their work. “Materials and labour costs have been going up, but no matter what’s going on in the market, we stick to our contracted prices, and we don’t try to wiggle out of what we’ve negot
iated,” he says. Railing Excellence has the technical expertise to deliver. The company has invested heavily in advanced manufacturing facilities so they can produce railings that are exact to the specifications clients need. “We have also invested in technology that allows us to take coordinates for our railings and cut them on our computer- numerically controlled machines to exact specs,” he says.
Clients who are new to Railing Excellence can expect supreme customer service from the outset. “When new clients get in touch, the first thing that happens is our sales team will try to get the exact specifications of what they want. We’ll come out and visit the site and take measurements, then we’re able to quote on what the price and delivery schedule will be. We will give clients a variety of options, samples of what their railing will look like and samples of different types of railings to help them make their choice,” says Basheer. “Most of the manufacturing is done onsite. All wooden components are manufactured in our plant, and all custom railings are made here, too.” Once the order has been made, clients can look forward to their stunning railing to be delivered on budget and on time.
In terms of what’s trending when it comes to railings, Reem, who heads marketing at the company, says there are a variety of styles clients are looking for. “We’ve made railings for the Princess Margaret Home Lottery — we did the railing for the current 2021 Toronto home — and what we did was a very simple metal railing. Black metal railings are still hugely popular,” she says. “In last year’s show home, we did a mix of white oak, wrought iron and glass — all three in one.” Reem says the railings clients’ choice is dependent on their style and budget. “There’s farmhouse chic, there’s very modern, there’s industrial — there are all kinds of houses being built in the GTA depending on the area, so it’s varied. Custom homes tend to be more ornate and elaborate, but very simple designs are also in right now, as is mixing materials,” she explains. “A lot of it is personal taste and in custom homes especially, a lot of it is what the interior designer has in mind.” Reem mentions one high-end home they worked on that has a railing entirely made of glass. “The one wall on the side of the steps is a big wall of glass and the railing on the other side is all glass. They didn’t want any hinges, no hardware showing, so the stair maker we partnered with made a groove and the glass sits right in it. It has really clean lines.” Ultimately, says Reem, “people realize their stairs and railings are the focal point when you enter the home and they put a lot of emphasis on that reflecting their style and the style of their home. And they’re willing to spend on it because it makes such a huge impact right when you walk in most people’s houses.”