Help with gate

Allyissia · Feb 05, 2008 11:42 am

We are desperate to get into our new house and pretty much the only thing holding us back is a side gate to keep our dog (beagle) from going awol.

We have had prices on a gate ranging from $1100 - $2400 which are way more than we anticipated and out of the budget. So we are hoping if we can work out how to DIY we can save ourselves some $$$.

Problem is I have no idea where to get started. Can anyone give me some advise on what to do??

The area in question is a section between our alfresco brick pillar wall and the colour bond fence. We were hoping to have the hinge on the fence side so the gate will swing open along the fence.

The width is 1.3m and height is 1.7m(between the cappings on the colorbond fence).

My main question is how can we put in the posts for the gate. The fencing has been installed on top of our retaining wall (our block raised above the neighbours on the fence side), so we have a gap of approx .14m from the fence to the edge of the retaining wall where we have sand.
Is it possible to put a post next to the fence in the retaining wall or will we have to put the post in the sand? If we have to put the post in the sand how would be cover up the gap??

Gah i hope that makes sense!! If anyone can offer any suggestions or advise i'd really appreciate it!!

mattwalker · Feb 05, 2008 11:51 am

Wow!!

Big $$$$

This gate is 1.7 wide x 1.8 high and cost around $300 DIY.

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It is hinged from the house but could easily be hung from a post.

Could you post a pic of the area you have to put the gate in?

Michelle · Feb 05, 2008 11:53 am

http://www.mitre10.com.au/DIY-Central/M ... mber-gate/

Check this out……they have “How to Do’s” on just about every home project! :wink:

Got Glen one on “How to do a Deck” I think he has deliberately lost it!
Never mind….I’ll pick him up another one next time I’m there, which is every week!!! :lol:

Allyissia · Feb 05, 2008 11:59 am

mattwalker

Wow!!

Big $$$$

This gate is 1.7 wide x 1.8 high and cost around $300 DIY.

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Gosh! Thats exactly the type of gate we are after!

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Does this pic give you a better idea??

sneakersss · Feb 05, 2008 12:27 pm

mattwalker

Wow!!

Big $$$$

This gate is 1.7 wide x 1.8 high and cost around $300 DIY.

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It is hinged from the house but could easily be hung from a post.

Could you post a pic of the area you have to put the gate in?

Matt, did you DIY the metal frame, too? Or did you get that already premade?

PhoenixStar · Feb 05, 2008 12:35 pm

Allyssia, Bunnings sell the pre-fabricated frames.... with hinges already attached.... You just need to choose your timber or whatever material you want to clad it in and screw (not nail) it on.... most Hardware stores should be able to sell you the materials and provide you with the advice for this job....

Imagine the satisfaction of doing it all yourself!!!!

_Al_ · Feb 05, 2008 12:36 pm

If you don't wish to use a metal frame, just make one from timber.

3 horizontal and 2 diagonals, palings vertical. I think you'll need to add a post and then use a piece of timber between it and the colorbond fence. I doubt the fence will support the weight.

Dig hole, bolt joiner piece to colorbond fence post, screw timber post into joiner and concrete post in hole. Then you can screw hinges to timber post and hand gate.

But personally I think you will be better off bolting a slice of timber to the house and hanging the gate off that side. You could mount a latch on a block attached to the colorbond fence. No weight on the fence, just the noise when it shuts. And use lift off hinges if you need to get a little more width if you have something to get thru.

Allyissia · Feb 05, 2008 1:14 pm

Thanks for all the info so far everyone.

I've considered putting it on the house wall, because it seems much easier. However the gate would open back onto the alfresco area, which i thought would be a pain in the behind and ugly.I thought having it tucked against the fence would look nicer

Thanks for that Al, I didn't think the fence would support the weight, but i had no idea if/how i could put a post into the retaining wall or how to fill in the gap between the retaining wall & gate post. .

I did visit bunnings but couldn't see any pre-fab frames.. only the timber ones. Looks like i may have to pay them another visit.

PhoenixStar · Feb 05, 2008 1:24 pm

Allyissia

I did visit bunnings but couldn't see any pre-fab frames.. only the timber ones. Looks like i may have to pay them another visit.

Just ask on of the salespeople... they'll have them with the picket fencing etc (well it is at our local one)... let us know how you go...

If you get a chance, see if you can upload a photo so that we can get a better idea of the area???

Dukekamaya · Feb 05, 2008 8:01 pm

_Al_

If you don't wish to use a metal frame, just make one from timber.

.

If using hardwood slats, steel is always better with a gate that size, the timber will nearly always sag even if only a little otherwise.

tan37 · Feb 17, 2008 12:30 am

Hi everyone,

I love coming on this forum, after getting a quote of $1400 today for our 2 gates we went driving around to see what else we could do and seen a gate the same as yours Matt, and I fell in love with it.
So I came home to see what I could find online and here it is all set and ready for me to read.
Now I just have to find somewhere that has the pre-fabricated frames in WA I have checked Bunnings here and no luck so far, if anyone knows somewhere over here that has them I would be very glad to hear where they are.

we only have 3 days till we get our keys now.....YAHHHHH

thanks
Tania

davinci · Feb 17, 2008 6:44 am

the large bunnings in wa have the prefab. gates not the small bunnings
they should be near the trade desk
they did have them when i was over there landscaping so asume they still do
what part of wa?

tan37 · Feb 17, 2008 11:36 am

I have been to the Inglewood store which is a smaller one so wasn't surprised and the Morley Store which is bigger.

We are moving down south more so I will have to check out the Rockingham store I think that is a bigger one after looking at there website.

What store did you see them in? I am happy to go to any for them.

thanks for your help.
Tania

davinci · Feb 19, 2008 5:42 pm

from memory it was bibra lake but havnt been in perth for quite a while

call them first and ask for trade desk
ask them if they have the pre fab. gates

better than driving to find they dont

Allyissia · Feb 20, 2008 11:52 am

davinci

from memory it was bibra lake but havnt been in perth for quite a while

call them first and ask for trade desk
ask them if they have the pre fab. gates

better than driving to find they dont

I visited the BL one (we live near there) and they don't stock any gate frames... or at least that what the guy at the trade desk told me :/

He suggested going to stratco

bunoluvas · Feb 25, 2008 10:20 pm

I built my own gates (one has a span of 2.3m and the other 900mm wide) and came in well under budget for my quotes. All up they cost me about$800 total.

I can't weld so had a local fencing/gate contractor come and quote me for the frames and hardware only. Putting the timber onto a gate is the time consuming job which is why a lot of gate quotes are high (my 2.3m gate quote was $1900 with timber attached). My total quote from him for 2 prefab frames made specifically for our location plus all the gate hardware came to $460. He offered to install it all for $90 but I did it myself.

I then used pine decking which cost about $300. Hex head bolts to fasten cost about $60 from memory (remembering though I did big gates).

I picked up some galvanized posts from a scrap yard real cheap and concreted them in myself.

While not the cheapest option it cost me just a third of what I was quoted for the whole job.

Good luck

NOC · May 18, 2008 7:42 pm

I've been a big fan of timber gates, and I reckon it kind gives houses abit of character.. colourbond fences are ok.. but just too many houses with the same look..

The missus went too the recycling centre and picked up gates for $15, got metal post for $60.. spent about $50 on pine decking timber..

I had to cut down the gates and reweld the gate frames back together....
a fairly cheap fence..

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both sides had post.. one of the concrete in the other side on the house had metal flanges welded on and I dynobolt in 6 spots to the house wall.. it aint going no where

Of course the other side is completed now.. boy it makes a difference.