Making a side gate

Furp

I have a 7ft gap between the side my house and the party wall fence, I want to put a timber gate & fence in and was thinking of just making it myself, I have all the tools needed but its been a while since I bought raw timber rather then premade stuff and was wondering what lengths does timber come in now.

I was thinking of building the gate and fence as follows.

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Post-Fence-Post-gate-wallplate.

I can't remember what size treated timber comes in and won't be able to find out till I go to the builders providers.

But for the posts I was thinking 3"square and the fence and gate 3" by 1/4 inch planed timber joined together at the back with the standard Z pattern braces and wood screws. Then varnished and hinged.

tapest

If you're only using 2 posts a wise invesrment would be metal post holders into ground first. 7 ft overall gap means short fence , Why not use T&G floorboards (3/4"poa).It's relatively cheap.Your choice of 1/4" is a bit on the light side.If used lengthways on fence ,no brace needed ..if used vertically ,brace as intended. You might have trouble with varnish , most if not all pre-treated timber is green..Yuk. If putting un -treated timber posts in ground, heavy grease on that part of post and cover with plastic bag (just to stop mess) is as good as any.
regards
t

Furp

Thanks for yopur comments Tapest.

I was thinking that 1/4 myself was way to thin 3/4 inch would be much better and sturdier, as for the post ill definatley go with metal ground post holders and then water ever size fits. I was thinking of having the timber vertical so i could use my mitre box to make some kind of zig-zag on top but in on second thoughts and your suggestion running the timber horizontal will give a cleaner look.

tapest

Back 2 you
T&G ,lengyhways will make fence look longer If vertical it will look taller but it would be narrow enough to look like 2 gates...Think about it 4 a min...You could have some fun here hehe, but then maybe you have a normal sense of humour.
With T & G and a llittle bracing (3"x1", not 2"x1" or even use some offcuts from T&G...they're long ///That's even better) make up 2 panels ..one for gate and one for fence. Now before you fix them...go mad with your jig saw...Bought some T&G last year for sister's floor . Brooks & Thomas were cheepest, can't remember lengths but way too long for car roof , delivery charge €2o i think. Go to yard and pick out boards if you can. Buy extra to allow for "damaged" or knotted parts you wont use.....except for bracing.
Twin doors, one opening false handles....drive people mad lol ???
t

Lex Luthor

I have a 7ft side entrance and most of the houses in the street went for teh T&G style gate, but due to the wind I had to go for the lollipop style with a gap between each one to allow wind to pass thro so the gate wouldn't eventually blow over.
Bear that in mind ..

Furp

Hadn't thought of that Thanks Lex.

positron

Useful thread.

I have a similar situation to Furp, the gap between the house and the boundary wall is 7’ 6” and I am thinking of something like the following (instead of part fence and a small gate).

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Post --- 4’6” gate --- 2’ 6” gate --- Wall plate

Total novice working with wood, but I have a fair idea of how to go about it (after hours of googling), and this is what I think I need:

5” x 5” pole for the 4’ 6” gate (thinking of a metal post holder and some concrete, just to be sure)
Both gates with T&G floorboards (too heavy?), Z pattern etc

We need the gates at least 5’6” tall (to keep a hyperactive dog in); Does this sound like a feasible plan, also other than Woodies/Homebase etc, is there a cheaper way to source the wood, hinges etc?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!!

starman100

Not sure about using untreated T+G for outdoors. Better to use
tanalised (pre-treated timber) if you can get it. You can get
heavy duty fencing rail at a lot of builder's providers (D-cross
section, PAO, 4" x 1 1/2"), this is ideal for making gates / panels.
Keep a slight gap (10-15mm) between the uprights to allow the
wind to pass through and also to allow for expansion / contraction
of the timber. Standard Z-bracing on the back of the gate required.

Get a decent quality oil-based woodstain (Sadolins or Bondex) and this
will soak into the timber, covering up the greenish tinge and providing
good protection.

An 8' long 3" x 3" square post sunk into the ground (providing you
have the usual 3' footpath then grass border) and concreted in will
secure the panel. The gate should be hinged off the house wall plate.

Alternatively, you could always go for a double gate to provide for
a larger opening / access. Just make sure the side wall is strong enough
i.e. not light duty fencing. A post by itself might not be strong enough
to prevent the gate sagging over time.

Just my tuppence's worth

cmred

Hi
anyone have an answer as to which is best security wise. I know if someone gets to get in, they will. But which would be more of deterrent?

thank!

goz83

cmred wrote: »

Hi
anyone have an answer as to which is best security wise. I know if someone gets to get in, they will. But which would be more of deterrent?

thank!

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