Apr. 29, 2024
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A garden’s gate is the equivalent of a house’s front door.
“Doors are the most important part of a structure. They take you from one space to another, outdoors to in or in to out, public to private,” said Eron Johnson, owner of Eron Johnson Antiques in Denver. “Doors were constructed specially to give a first impression of who lived inside.”
An ideal garden gate can integrate form and function, keeping children and pets in a yard and trespassers out. Beyond pragmatic applications, a garden gate can add a charming portal and an intriguing invitation to access a sanctuary.
Looking to add a garden gate? Here are the nuts and bolts you’ll need to know. >Read here
“Security is a consideration, but so is an artistic first impression,” said Chad Beall, who 22 years ago founded Denver-based Tree Frog Woodworking.
“We come in after homeowners invested in landscaping and want to make a great entrance. The architect or landscape designer brings us in to create a showpiece, an artistic component,” said Beall, who crafts custom gates from wood, metal and combinations of the two materials.
“It’s the romance of history. The old gates and doors really give a sense of entrance and transition from one space to another,” Johnson said.
Boasting antique provenance and the patina of time, his salvaged gates hail mainly from the 19th century through 1920. Some gates are more than 200 years old.
“You don’t see many of them anymore,” he said. “A lot are in collections or repurposed in buildings, but a few pieces float around.”
His vintage gate selection ranges from ornate Argentine Beaux Arts gates to Spanish and French wrought iron, from painted teak to Indo-Portuguese rosewood double doors with brass nail heads.
Some clients purchase antique gates and doors as period pieces for historic structures. Vintage gates also serve as architectural counterpoints. Johnson cited a case in point: a Denver condominium project known as The Greenhouse applied antique pieces in a modern setting.
“They used antique wrought iron doors and fencing and planted around them, so it’s like walking into a secret garden,” Johnson said. “They’re expanding and using more.”
Beyond intriguing provenance or the eco-friendly repurposing of building components, Johnson noted the value of antique garden gates: “You’re not paying today’s wages and materials costs when you buy an old door. You’re essentially buying materials, but not time to build it,” Johnson said. “Some of these things — to have them remade would be prohibitive in price.”
And that’s if you could find somebody with the Old World skills to craft such ornate gates.
While antique gates add an exotic architectural accent, Beall typically prioritizes complementing the structure or the fence.
“We usually try to pull from existing architecture so the garden gate looks like part of what’s going on. But sometimes, we get way more outside the box with an original artistic approach,” Beall said. “We’ve done some with forged vines, leaves and willows — very organic. We’ve done all-metal gates that are almost transparent and have nothing to do with security.”
Many homeowners opt for wooden gates.
“Wood looks warmer and appears softer. It’s totally organic and a lot of clients prefer how it ties in with their architecture,” Beall said.
Wood gates often are lighter in weight than metal gates, but wood can require more upkeep.
“You need to keep wood stained or sealed or it will split and crack,” Beall said. “Structurally, my wood gates will last, but they will weather. And some people like that look when wood goes gray. The reclaimed look is super in right now, so some people let wood get splintery because cosmetically they like it.”
When working with wood for garden gates, Beall uses western red cedar, mahogany, redwood, and ipe — a hardwood suitable for exterior applications in Colorado. And he factors in the contraction and expansion effects of high plains freeze-thaw cycles.
“Wood gates move in Colorado. I’ll go back and tweak gates, shim them around, plane something until they acclimate,” said Beall. “Then they’re good for years.”
Wood gates can create privacy.
“You can’t see through a solid wood gate,” Beall said. “But sometimes we add metal bars to peek out or so dogs can see out.”
Metal gates offer increased security and durability.
“Metal is harder to kick through than a wood gate,” Beall said. “A powder-coated gate requires very little upkeep and they last and last.”
Disadvantages to metal gates include issues with weight: “They’re heavier so metal gates need strong posts to support,” says Beall. “And metal gets a lot hotter in the Colorado sun.”
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One of the most common questions we get is about gate widths. Folks aren’t always sure what gate options we offer and what width they need for their project. So I thought I would put something together going over some common gate widths and what size your project may require.
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This article is only going to focus on yard or pedestrian gates. There will be a separate article coming later dealing exclusively with driveway gate width options.
Single Gate vs Double Gate
There are two types of walk gates: single and double.
A single gate is a one-piece gate leaf. So a 4ft single gate means its one 4ft wide gate leaf. The arched gate in the image at the start of this article is a single gate.
A double gate is comprised of two smaller gate leafs to make a larger gate. So an 8ft double gate means that its made up of two single 4ft wide gate leafs to make the larger 8ft opening. Below is an image of a 4×8 double gate:
An 8ft double gate installed between wallsWhat Gate Width Options are Available?
The gate widths we offer will vary based on the style and material you are looking at. Some of our newer styles like Hoop and Picket have less gate options available than our main Classic style. Here is a quick rundown of the widths available by style and materials:
STRONGHOLD IRON
4ft Wide Single Gate – All Stronghold Iron styles and grades
4ft Arched Single Gate – Classic only
5ft Wide Single Gate – All Stronghold Iron styles and grades
6ft Wide Single Gate – Classic only
8ft Wide Double Gate – All Stronghold Iron styles and grades
10ft Wide Double Gate – All Stronghold Iron styles and grades
12ft Wide Double Gate – Classic only
INFINITY ALUMINUM
4ft Wide Single Gate – All Infinity Aluminum styles and grades
4ft Arched Single Gate – All Infinity Aluminum styles and grades
5ft Wide Single Gate – All Infinity Aluminum styles and grades
6ft Wide Single Gate – All Infinity Aluminum styles and grades
8ft Wide Double Gate – All Infinity Aluminum styles and grades
10ft Wide Double Gate – All Infinity Aluminum styles and grades
12ft Wide Double Gate – All Infinity Aluminum styles and grades
Which Gate Width Do I Need?
This is going to vary a bit by project. To determine the gate width you need, come up with the largest item that would ever need to pass through the gate into your yard. If you have a riding mower or a lawn service, you will want to see how wide those mowers are and size your gate accordingly. If you have a larger yard, do you think you may ever need to to drive your truck or SUV in the back to unload something? In that case, plan for a larger gate that will fit the vehicle.
For simple walkways and sidewalks that are only allowing people through, a 4ft walk gate is perfect. It’s wide enough to walk through with bags in your hands and can fit push lawnmowers and wheel barrows through it as well. 4ft wide is by far our most popular gate width.
5ft and 6ft wide gates are good if you have a smaller riding mower or have a wider sidewalk. It is always a good idea to size your gate larger than your paved walkway. A 5ft wide gate fits a 4ft wide sidewalk nicely. That way you do not have to dig your post holes too close to the sidewalk and the gate posts are not ‘crowding’ the sidewalk.
Moving up to an 8ft double gate will ensure any type of riding or zero turn mower used by a lawn service will fit. If you think you may need to utilize a smaller tractor like a Bobcat/ skid steer, this is a good size to consider as well. You can fit a full size truck through an 8ft gate if you are careful and can come straight at it. Most full size pickup trucks these days are 80-83 inches wide or about 6.5ft wide.
10ft and 12ft gates are typically used if you are going to be driving through the gate with full size trucks or larger vehicles like RVs or trailers. A modern full size pickup truck is a little over 6.5ft wide. So it will easily fit through a 10ft gate. A single axle dump truck like many landscaping companies will use is about 8.5ft wide and will need a 10ft gate opening minimum. RVs are typically 8 to 8.5ft wide as well. They can fit a 10ft gate, but due to their length, its easier to fit them though a wider 12ft gate that allows you to steer and position the vehicle as you back it in.
Still Have Gate Questions?
If this article didn’t address your situation or if you had other questions about what gate width would work best for your project; feel free to give us a call at 800-261-2729 or shoot us an email to [email protected]. Share some details about your situation and we would be happy to advise and help out!
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