Lead Times: How long will my porch railing order take? (estimated, not guaranteed)
Samples: 1 day
Wood railings: 4 weeks
Polyurethane railings: 4 weeks
FRP Columns: 2 weeks
PVC Craftsman Columns: 2 weeks
Custom products: Estimated lead time will be provided with your materials quote.
We are expanding our production capacity to meet ongoing heavy demand. Thank you for your patience while we work to serve you faster.
How long does shipping take?
Shipping Cost
Shipping cost will be shown in your Shopping Cart as you place your items there. You can enter your state and/or zip code and click Get a Quote for an instant price. Shipping cost will also be shown during the checkout process. For most orders, shipping costs usually run around 10% of the order total. Larger orders run around 5% of the order subtotal. There is NO SALES TAX on products ordered from us, which makes up for the shipping cost incurred for customers in most states.
Shipments to Canada, Alaska, Hawaii: To get you the best possible rate, shipping cost will be quoted for each order. We will contact you after your order is placed to discuss shipping cost, and make sure it works for you before the order is produced. Alternatively, you can email or call ahead for a shipping quote.
Because of the quantity of large, heavy porch railing shipments we send, we are able to broker very steep discounts with top quality freight companies throughout the U.S. We pass that savings to you. Your products are guaranteed to show up in the same condition as when they left our shop. Or as one customer in Washington state put it: “Whoever does your packaging is a ROCK STAR!”.
Although many of our products are big, heavy, beautiful items, we do our best to keep shipping costs down. Most often we utilize either UPS or LTL (less than truckload) freight to ship to our customers. UPS is often the most cost efficient for smaller orders and for orders that do not require the shipment of products over eight feet long. Many people are intimidated by shipping with freight companies, but we ship with them every day and we take care of everything for you.
If you happen to be near one of our facilities, we encourage you to pick up your order and save on shipping! Wood products ship from MT, Poly products from PA, and columns from OH.
Damaged Shipments/Claims
INSPECT ALL THE ITEMS IN YOUR SHIPMENT BEFORE THE DRIVE LEAVES. In the rare event any damage has occurred to the crate or boxes, please accept damaged shipments. This is very important, as a damage claim will be very difficult to pursue otherwise. Make sure to note the damage on the deliver receipt before the driver leaves. You must document damage (photos, descriptions, etc.) and contact American Porch within one business day to begin the claims process. Failure to report within this time frame will not allow us to file a claim with the shipping company and replace the items. All our shipments are insured for the full value of the product.
Shipping Done Right
Your porch railing is valuable, and we treat it as such. We package your millwork in individual boxes weighing around 70 lbs each. For orders shipped via UPS or FedEx, the boxes will have corner protectors and banding straps to ensure your items show up in perfect condition. For larger orders, we will build a crate specific for your order. We make the crate of lumber and sheeting for protection.
I.B. of Boston, MA writes: “The [column] base arrived promptly at my home in perfect condition. It was packed so well and carefully, the delivery driver probably could’ve thrown it from his speeding truck to my front door (of course he did not) without damaging the contents. The column base is a quality piece made from super lightweight, strong foam. Installation was simple and the repair to my home is perfect. Thank you American Porch! I will definitely use your services again if needed.”
