The first thing to decide on when
installing a driveway gate is whether you are going to build the gate
your self or use a kit. If have never done it before it is probably
best to use a kit and for the rest of this article we are going to
assume that is what you are going to do. If however you decide to
build your own gates there is lots of information on the internet
about how to do it.
The next consideration is where you are
going to put the gate. The natural thought for most people is to put
the gate at the very end of the driveway, this is usually not the
best option however. You have to keep in mind that you are going to
have to wait for the gate to open, it is best to not have to do this
on the road. Ideally you should leave enough space for your car to
sit at the end of your driveway while the gates open, keeping mind of
course that you need enough room behind the gate to park your car. It
is also important to make sure that the gates will be able to opens
safely so look around for any obstructions that might be in the way.
The first step in the actual
installation of a driveway gate is to level the ground on either side of the driveway at
the location where you are planning to put the gate. The gates won't
open properly if there is a change in elevation. It should not be too
difficult to level the ground as we are talking about a fairly small
area so you should be able to do it with a shovel.
The most difficult part of the
installation is digging the post holes. The first step in doing this
is to figure out exactly where to put them. This you should be able
to find in the instructions that come with your driveway gate. It is
important to make sure that you get the posts the right distance from
each other and from the driveway as well as to the right depth so
make sure that you read the instructions and measure carefully.
You can dig the post holes using a post
hole digger, this is by far the easiest way to do it as you will not
need to go too deep. When you are digging the post holes however it
is a good idea to go down about six inches deeper than is necessary
and put in some concrete for a base, this will help to keep things
nice and steady.
Once you have the post hole dug you are
going to need to put in the posts. It is critically important that
the posts be straight and level, both horizontally and vertically,
you can check this with a plumb bob. When you put in the second post
it is also critically important that it is at the same height as the
first one, a laser level will make this easy but you can also use a
string level if that is all you have.
Once you have made sure that the posts
are straight and level take some time to double check that they are
the right distance apart. I can't stress enough how important getting
the posts in the right place is to proper installation of a driveway
gate. If you get it wrong you are going to need to get out a hammer drill and break up the concrete just to move the posts, a major hassle that you will want to avoid. Once you are sure that everything is right you can fill in the
post holes with concrete to secure the posts.
Once the posts are firmly in place most
of the work is done. At this point it is just a matter of attaching
the gate to the posts which is fairly straightforward. The exact
steps will vary from one gate to another so make sure that you read
the instructions that come with yours.
Find Driveway Gates at Amazon
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