Double driveway metal gate build

[Smouser]

My double driveway metal gate build.

Disclaimer: Professional welders and painters look away now! I am a hobby welder and painter with no formal training. What I know I have learnt by reading posts on forums/watched youtube videos and by messing LOADS of stuff up .


The problem: We had two pairs of wooden double gates leading to our driveway with a brick and concrete centre pillar separating the two sets of gates. The gates were the original gates that have been put up when the house got built in 2008 and they started to rot. Additionally, I and my wife both have big wide cars and it was always a struggle to get the vehicles through the gates without hitting the mirrors.

I do not have any recent photos of the old gates, but these should give you an idea of the post and gates we had.

The solution: Let's start with the plan (no way am I jumping into building something AGAIN without a plan).

Remove the brick and concrete pillar and replace it with a 100mm x 100mm hollow section steel post and build new metal gates with composite board cladding.

I designed the gates on SketchUp, making sure I have accurate measurements of the driveway.

Gathering materials: The first dilemma was to choose the composite boards for the gates. I ordered lots of samples from lots of different suppliers with massively varying prices.

Still not 100% sure on which one to choose, the ones I like, my wife didn’t and vice versa.
Sooooo we got some more samples.

Now, don’t worry, all these samples did not go to waste. It went to a childminder and the kids use them as playing blocks.

We finally managed to choose composite boards that we both liked and which were in our budget. We chose Envirobuild as the supplier as they responded quickly to my enquiries, provided excellent customer service, use 100% renewable energy in their manufacturing and they also donate 10% of their profits to the Rainforest Trust UK (https://www.envirobuild.com/collections/fencing).

However, the wife then decided that it would be completely unacceptable to have composite boarded gates and a wooden fence as they won’t match.

That is how the gate build got sidetracked with putting up some fencing first.

The old fence

The new fence

To be continued due to 10 photos per post limit.

 

[Smouser]

Back on track gathering materials: I now had an excuse to get a new welder and some gas, woohoo!

Armed with an R-Tech 180 Mig welder and some SGS argon gas (thanks for the cashback on the cylinder @Agautosport) things were starting to come together.

The next step was to order some steel and gate hardware. I got most of the things from https://www.dciron.co.uk/.

Unfortunately, (or luckily?) I was on a conference call when the steel arrived and could not help to offload. I sent the wife out while keeping a watchful eye on the CCTV cameras.

The hinges I ordered MIGHT be a little overkill…

The next order of business was to think about some paint for the newly acquired steel. I read on the forum that people rate Jotun Jotamstic highly so I decided to try it. I ordered some Jotamastic 90 winter-grade paint as a primer and Rustoleum Combicolor as a topcoat. I think the paint went twice around the world judging by the state of the packaging and the dents on the tins but luckily there were no leaks.

With all the necessary materials the build can finally start!

Gate build: Hold your horses, the old brick and concrete post needs to go first.

Much better!

The demolition of the post went fairly easy armed with a sledgehammer. All I needed to do now was to dig the hole for the new 100mm x 100mm steel post.

As I said, the demolition of the post was fairly easy and did not take too long at all. However, once I reached the concrete foundation it was a completely different matter.

I tried to chip/chisel away at it but quickly abandoned that silly idea once I realised it was the hardest concrete known to man.

I required a new tactic. I seriously considered explosives, but then I could get noise complaints from the neighbours and a potential knock on the door by the Bill. Instead, I borrowed a breaker from my mate and subjected the neighbours to two hours of breaker noise (remember it was the hardest concrete know to man).

The hole is finally dug!

I painted the post with a paintbrush but I was not too happy with the result. While the Jotamastic 90 might be hard-wearing, I found it was pretty difficult to get a smooth finish. I was not going to sand the post down to get the paint on a little smoother so in it went!

To be continued……

 

[Smouser]

I started with the wall post/bracket.

Capping the bottom end.

The R-Tech is much better to use than my previous welder but unfortunately, I can not blame the weld quality on my old SIP (never fed smoothly) welder anymore.

It turned out not too good but also not too bad. It will do!

Finally, I could start building the gates. Welding the hinge brackets onto the start of the gate.

Trying and failing to weld the frame up square.

At least it did not fall apart once I stood it up. The first welding test has been passed!

Checking to make sure the composite boards will fit.

To be continued….

 

[EM1L4]

Like your descriptive post, look forward to the end result!

 

[Smouser]

I welded the other gate up and took the gates for a test fit.

Slight adjustments needed but more importantly, the post did not fall over and neither did any of the gates fall apart on their 10-metre journey to the driveway. That is surely a positive result!

Off to the paint booth with these gates.

The Jotamastic 90 result.

I then painted the topcoat and went to install the wall post/bracket including the composite board.

Almost finished with the first pair.

To be continued…

 

[Smouser]

The first pair is done.

By this time I was pretty tired of grinding and welding and painting and fixing screw-ups and adjusting and typing and and……

BUT

There was one more pair to go. Luckily I was a bit quicker building the second set of gates and this is the final result.

I started the project on 5 Feb (drawing the plan) and finished on 24 Apr 21.

Thank you for looking at my thread.

Leave a comment and feel free to come and teach me how to weld and paint!

The End.

 

[frank horton]

gates are fun x 4......
like I value my privacy.....nice one....

 

[Mark 2]

Well done.

 

[My Old Landy]

The end result was certainly worth the effort. Nice job, I too value my privacy and would have similar if I had a driveway! Thanks for posting, it is great to see projects like this from concept to completion.

 

[addjunkie]

Nice job, and when grey is out of fashion youll be able to replace the composite easily. Wonder how long it will be before you decide to motorise these?

 

[Smouser]

Nice job, and when grey is out of fashion youll be able to replace the composite easily. Wonder how long it will be before you decide to motorise these?

Thank you all.

They are automatic and voice activated!
I have a 4 year old son that operates the automation side of things

 

[addjunkie]

Thank you all.

They are automatic and voice activated!
I have a 4 year old son that operates the automation side of things

Bout 10 years then for motors when he turns into the teenager!

 

[Smouser]

Bout 10 years then for motors when he turns into the teenager!

Hahaha.
If he wants to live and eat here, he has got to pay his way with chores and gate opening/closing .

 

[KimB]

Nice job of that . Making gates is hard work.

 

[8ob]

Nice job of that . Making gates is hard work.

How would you know

Bob

 

[KimB]

How would you know

Bob

Well if it’s according to the wiener on my youtube. I just thought the idea and paid someone to do it

 

[Smouser]

Nice job of that . Making gates is hard work.

Thank you.

I Just looked at your gate. WOW! That is on a whole new level.

Maybe at our next property, I will attempt something fancier with remotes and motors.

 

[KimB]

Thank you.

I Just looked at your gate. WOW! That is on a whole new level.

Maybe at our next property, I will attempt something fancier with remotes and motors.

I mean you’ve got the basics haven’t you so just motorising them is the next step. Quite expensive though haha

 

[not done it yet]

I think I would have knocked down that central pillar and built two new piers (or planted steel posts) and fitted a pedestrian access door adjacent to the house, a single pair of wider gates (than the current ones) and fenced/bricked off the rest of the gap. Just a different approach to the job...

 

[Smouser]

I think I would have knocked down that central pillar and built two new piers (or planted steel posts) and fitted a pedestrian access door adjacent to the house, a single pair of wider gates (than the current ones) and fenced/bricked off the rest of the gap. Just a different approach to the job...

Cool idea and it is one way of going about it.

The reason I did not go with that approach is:
1. We have a front door to the property which people use so no real need for a pedestrian gate.
2. Wider gates = more space required on the driveway for the gates to be opened - that space then gets lost as you can't have a car parked there.