How to Build a Pergola Gate

Give a new look to your yard by giving your pergola a gate. A pergola can separate the front yard from the back, or define different parts of your garden. Both decorative and functional, a pergola gate is an invitation to your family and friends to enter the pergola's oasis-like space, or continue through it to the space beyond.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2-by-12 inch board
• Hacksaw
• 2-by-4 inch boards
• 4 hinge sets
• Latch set
• Wood screws
• Wood stain or varnish

Build the Basic Gate

1. Contact your city or county building department to find out if you need a permit to add a gate to an existing pergola. It's not required in most areas, but if you need one, get it.

2. Measure the width between the two supporting pergola posts from which you plan to hang the gate. Be sure to measure from the inside of one post to the inside of the other. A double gate is more decorative and can be used even if the inside width is 4 feet.

3. Make sure the pergola posts are plumb and securely anchored in concrete. If they aren't plumb, place a topper board the width of the bottom's opening between the posts at an angle. Knock the board up with a hammer until it's securely between the tops of the posts, so that the opening is the same width from bottom to top.

4. Ensure that the surface under the gate is level. If it isn't, make sure the gate is at the highest part of the slope. You'll want between 2 and 6 inches of space between the bottom of the gate and the surface beneath it.

5. Build the gate frame with the 2-by-4 inch boards. For this gate, assume a 4-foot width for the gate width, and adjust the measurements if your gate is a different size. Cut two 40-inch long side pieces for each gate, and one bottom piece for each that will fit between them to make two 22-inch wide gates. Assemble them with nails using a mortise and tenon joint.

6. Cut two 2-by-1.5 inch pieces, the same length as the bottom piece for each gate, to use as cross pieces. Attach the first piece on each gate between the 2-by-4 inch sides, 11 inches up from the bottom, and the second piece 16 inches up from the first piece.

7. Take the 1.5-by-1.5 inch wood and cut five 40-inch long pickets for each gate. Attach them to the cross pieces so that the bottom of each picket touches the bottom piece of the frame, and they're evenly spaced across the gate.

Complete and Hang the Gate

8. Use the jigsaw or table saw to cut the 2-by-12 inch board into two even pieces. Use these pieces to make a decorative top for the gate by drawing then cutting a 4-inch wide length that has about 5 straight inches, then curves down to meet the other side in the middle, 22 inches long. The top pieces for each gate should be identical.

9. Trim the tops of the pickets so that they'll fit the curved top board. Fasten the top boards to the pickets on each gate with half-lap joints.

10. Fasten a 4-foot long 2-by-4 inch board to each support post on the inside where the gate attaches. It should be centered in the width of the support post, about 1 inch below where the bottom of the gate will be.

11. Connect the hinges to the tops and bottoms of the long side of each gate. Hold one gate up against the 2-by-4 inch board on the support post and mark the spots where the hinges will join. Measure those spots from the bottom of the post, and mark them on the other post at the same height.

12. Attach the hinges to the boards in the marked places, and attach one to the hinge parts on the gate, making sure both hinges are secure. Hold up the other gate and see if it will meet. Shave the 2-by-4 inch board on the support post if necessary for them to fit properly, then hang the other gate.

13. Screw the latch set onto the middle parts of each gate, and make sure it's adjusted so that the gate fastens smoothly.

14. Finish the gate with the same stain or varnish that you used on the pergola.

Tips & Warnings

• When you cut the top piece of each gate from the 2-by-12 inch board, you'll want a 4-inch wide piece that is higher where it attaches to the post, and lower where it meets the other gate in the middle. Draw a straight line along one edge of each piece that is 6 inches long, then draw a curve that is 16 inches long but ends 4 inches from the other side of the board, then draw another line that parallels the first but is 4 inches from it, so the top piece will be a 4-inch-wide curved board.
• There are many different types of hinges. Make sure you choose one that is sturdy enough to last for the life of your pergola and withstand the weather.
• Just as there are different types of hinges, there are many different kinds of latches to consider. Decide if you want it to be opened from only one side, or from both. Figure out if you want it to catch when you push the gates together, or if you want it to be more complicated so that children can't accidentally latch the gate.
• Be sure to use safety goggles and take any other necessary safety precautions when working with wood.