How to Build a Gate for a Privacy Fence
Almost all yards enclosed by a privacy fence need at least one entrance or exit point through a gate. During construction of your privacy fence---and even afterwards---you can add a convenient and attractive gate that will compliment the fence design. Fortunately, kits are now available at home improvement stores that will make gate-building less complicated and time consuming. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Circular saw
- Gate building kit
- Green-treated 2 inch-by-4 inch lumber
- Power drill/driver
- Hammer
- Nail gun (optional)
- Galvanized nails, staples, or wood screws
- Carpenter's level
- Scrap lumber (for shimming)
- Wood chisel
- Router (optional)
Instructions
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Prepare your gateway entrance. You'll need two sturdy fence posts on either side of the gate entrance. Because you'll be using a gate kit, you don't have to worry about the width of your gate: the kit is flexible. But, make sure the gate posts are correctly and permanently set in concrete so they cannot shift over the years and affect gate operation. Make any remedial efforts to achieve rock-solid gate posts that are square to each other.
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Measure the width of the gate opening and determine the height of the gate that you want to make. Make a sketch of the gate and note these dimensions. Leave at least 2 inches or more of "swing" clearance between the ground and the bottom of the gate.
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3
Open the gate kit packaging and lay the gate building parts out on the ground or on a large workbench, roughly to the dimensions of your gate. Most gate kits come with four welded angle irons with special strap bars and pre-drilled holes. These angle irons will help you build a perfectly "square" or "plumb" gate.
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Cut treated 2-by-4 lumber, according to the gate kit directions, to create the frame for the gate.
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Assemble the gate frame using the gate kit parts. Align the gate kit angle irons with the wooden studs according to the directions. Attach the angle irons to the studs, where indicated, with wood screws.
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Attach your fence boards to this gate frame. Nail or screw the fence boards to the upper and lower cross members on the frame. Make sure these fence panels are vertically level and spaced evenly.
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Test the look of the gate by propping it up in position within the gate posts. Raise the gate up on scrap lumber to achieve the correct elevation off the ground or walkway. Adjust the gate fence boards as needed.
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Plan which side of the gate will be the hinged side and which side will be the handle or hasp side. If you want the gate to swing from left to right (pantomime this operation) you'll put the hinges on the right hand side of the gate. Hinges should go on the left hand side of the gate for a right-to-left swing. Install the hinges that came in the kit, according to the directions.
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Install the gate handle or hasp by following the kit instructions. Most kits come with a two-sided handle or hasp mechanism that will make it possible for someone to turn the handle and open the gate from either side.
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10
Hang the gate on the hinge-side of the gate posts. Prop the gate up on scrap lumber to the proper height while you install the gate. It helps to have an assistant hold a heavy gate in position while you drive the screws into the hinges and into the post.
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Check the gate for level and free swing after removing the scrap lumber shims. Make sure the handle or hasp part of the gate aligns with the opposite gate post. There should be a little "wiggle room" between the gate and the gate post to accommodate minute shifting from season to season. Adjust the position of the hinges at the gate post as necessary to correct any problems.
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Create the "locking" part of the handset by carving out any strike plate area on the non-hinged gate post. Follow the kit maker's instructions for installing this strike plate. You may need to route or carve out wood in the post in order to accommodate the strike plate.
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Test the completed gate system. The gate should close firmly and reliably under various types of conditions (careful closing, for example, versus slamming the gate shut). The handle should operate relatively effortlessly. Make adjustments as necessary.
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Paint or stain the fence. Green-treated fences should be allowed to weather for at least a year before staining or painting.
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Tips & Warnings
Attach a small brass bell to your gate so you can be gently alerted whenever someone is entering your yard area through the gate.
Refrain from padlocking a gate. Locked gates are illegal in some communities for safety reasons. If you must secure the gate to deter trespassing or to keep a small child or pet inside the fence, fashion a quick release system that doesn't require a key or combination and that operates quickly from the inside of the gate in emergency situations.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit frog gate image by MHPhoto from Fotolia.com
