Garage driveway gates and garden gates

If you are replacing or upgrading your garage door, then you may also be looking at replacing or adding gates to your driveway, garden or yard.

Gates not only add additional security to your property, they also complete the boundary and they can be used to add individuality to the grounds of your house. Just like garage doors there are many different styles and designs of gates and you will find single and double gates, gates that hinge and gates that slide. Below you will find more information about these options.

Styles of garden and driveway gate

Most gates will manufactured from either wood or metal. The wooden gates tend to be solid and panelled, sometimes with square or round perforations designed into them.

The metal gates are often cast iron, but sometimes tubular and they have an open lattice like appearance.

If you want visibility through your gates it is a good idea to have metal gates, however if you want a barrier and privacy, the wooden option will serve your purposes better.

Wooden gates

Wooden or timber gates are still the traditional gate style and, although they require maintaining, they always look good. They are available with painted finishes or in seasoned hardwood and they come in many width and height options.

Wooden driveway gates normally come in pairs although it is possible to have a single extended width gate. The styles vary significantly, but some have a panelled look which can even match a garage door.

The most popular design is a pair of gates composed of vertical timbers with a flat or curved top edge. Slats or open panels are often incorporated into these designs.

Another popular wooden gate is the ranch style gate which has a much more open construction. Typically it will have one or more diagonal bracing members that create a visual feature. It is normally one of the lighter wooden gates.

Different styles and names of wooden gates include, ranch style gate, builder’s gate, brace and ledge gate (there are many versions of this design), palisade gate, bowed frame gate (where the top edge is curved or sometimes undulating), swept frame gate (the reverse of a basic bow frame), church pale gate, arched frame gate etc.

Wooden gates are almost always side hinged and they come in pairs, normally of an equal with. Despite this, some people like a split gate where one gate is much smaller than the other and suitable for pedestrian only access.

Metal gates

Metal gates have become increasingly popular and there are a number of reasons for this that relate to their practicality, ease of use and cost.

Metal gates have come down significantly in price and, although once very expensive, they are now often cheaper than a wooden equivalent.

Metal gates have an open lattice like appearance and this means that you can see through them. For many people this is a big advantage.

Metal gates are comparatively lightweight and this makes them easy to open and close or to add automation to. Because of their open design they are also easy to open and close on windy days.

Metal gates are strong and robust and they cannot rot like wood, they can be painted in a wide range of colours and there are many different ironmongery patterns and designs.

In addition to the points mentioned above, a further option that is only available on this type of gate is to have a sliding operation. When this is the case the gate slides on runners and opens to one side of the path or driveway entrance. This does require some free space to one side of the opening, however it results in a totally unobstructed driveway when the gate slides open. This type of gate is ideal for remote control automation.

Garden gates

Garden gates are really just scaled down versions of driveway gates. They come as single units and it is almost always possible to buy a garden gate that matches the driveway gate or gate set.