Before and After: Custom Driveway Gate Installation

Driveway gates can make a big difference for a small investment. Here's what I like about them:

• They give the privacy of a continuous fence.
• You can still get your car or lawnmower through.
• The modern metal-frame systems are easy to adjust.
• They don't sag like old-fashioned gates.

​I've installed several of these, and I'm always satisfied with the outcome. Here's the story of my most recent custom driveway gate installation.

Before: This is a great fence, but the hole for the driveway kinda defeats the purpose.

One of my regular customers just adopted a 6 week old puppy. She wanted a gate installed so she could let the cute little troublemaker wander around in the yard without roaming into the road. She already had a fence, so we designed a gate to match it.

I started with a metal gate kit called "Adjust-a-Gate."

The big red box is the gate kit. I also bought a smaller version which I'll use later.

The gate when it's first installed.

This is a really nifty system. It's basically a pair of steel frames that I can adjust to be wider or narrower depending on my client's needs. Once I had the right width, I added lumber to the top and bottom to help it maintain its shape. The diagonal steel cable is also adjustable, and it's what keeps the fence from sagging over time.

Although it's very sturdy, I still needed to make sure the gate was level when I installed it.  I used an extra 2x4 as a level check.

Hanging a temporary level top rail...

...gives me a point of reference when I hang the gates.

Of course, no puppy is going to consider this a barrier. It's time to make this more than just a suggestion.

Street view

Interior view

Ta-da!

The neat thing about these gates is that they are infinitely customizable. Not only can I adjust the width and height, but I can change the look depending on what kind of boards I install. This one is made from simple fence boards cut on a straight line, but I could also make it curved, carved or curly. The design is up to you.

For example, I also installed a little side gate. Since I reused the old fence boards, the gate is nearly invisible. You can only tell by the handle. (You can click these three pictures to enlarge them.)

Here's one I installed a few years ago. I think it has a Japanese aesthetic. The owner later had an electrician install an automatic gate opener, which is nice when you're coming home on a rainy day.

And one more example... this has a driveway gate on one side and an ordinary wooden gate right next to it. Since the latches are all on the interior, it looks like a plain board fence from the road. And since this one uses old barn boards to match the barn it connects to, it just blends right into the landscape.

Street View: Like a plain fence

Yard View: Shows the hardware

These metal gate systems are very durable. Although they can be adjusted if they sag, I've never even had to adjust one of them. In fact, the one shown above is retrofitted to an existing gate, and it's wider than the recommended limit... but it's still in great shape three years later.

Do you have a driveway in need of a gate? If you're in Asheville or Weaverville, give me a call... I love this stuff.

Get a Custom Gate to Suit Your Needs