Steel Tree Installation in Kachina Springs
There’s been a tree growing in our shop for a few months.
This week it took flight and landed in its final resting place in the atrium of a beautiful home in Kachina Springs near Entrada.
It’s been a labor of love building this spectacular work of art and while we’ll be happy to have the space in our shop back, it was a little bittersweet to see this beautiful tree go.
The Construction Process
The tree took shape slowly. It was created mainly from steel pipe twisted and shaped then etched to create a life-like appearance.
We wanted it to look like a real tree. Almost as if an eruption of molten steel had covered a live tree and formed a perfect copy of the bark and leaves. Like the molten rock and ash of Mount Vesuvius that covered Pompei and created lava rock copies of the people, plants, and animals who perished in the disaster.
Branches were created, one by one. And the tree took shape, filling out as more and more were added to the truck and larger branches.
Finally, a few weeks ago, we were finished with the process of creation and the time came to move the now enormous sculpture.
Planting Our Steel Tree
We absolutely love working with builders like the Shakespeare Development Group, Richardson Brothers Custom Homes, Adams and Co Construction, and many others. It’s our day-to-day, bread and butter, installing fascia, sconces, gates and more for new homes.
But, we also enjoy working directly with homeowners on custom works of art for their homes.
This particular homeowner was faced with an atrium surrounding the front door of the home where installing landscaping at the bottom of a canyon-like shaft that allows light to flow through the home would’ve created a serious flood risk. His second thought was to install some sort of fire feature to make a statement at the home’s entrance. But the prospect of getting gas lines to the atrium and city codes prevented that from becoming a reality.
So we crafted a tree that requires no water and will add additional copper accents that will create a space that won’t just be covered in decorative rocks but will become a show-stopping work of art at the center of the home.
The Steel Tree Takes Flight
Installing the tree required lifting it on a flatbed trailer and driving through town. We took it slowly and carefully. And upon arrival, we had a crane ready to hoist the tree into place.
Our crane operator from Ruesch Machine was an absolute pro and moved the tree through the air with grace.
It took some maneuvering and in the end, the base we’d built for it wasn’t quite in the right place but we got enough of the tree onto the platform to bolt it into place.
We managed to lose just one leaf from the tree through the entire craning operation.
With it now set into place we can finish the additional touches to the atrium and will bring you more photos when the whole project is completed. This has been a fantastic project to be involved with and we’re excited to have it done!
