Wooden gates across a drive or a wide opening do a harder job than any garden gate. They are bigger, heavier, catch more wind and get opened and shut every day, so they have to be built and hung to carry that weight without dropping. We make and fit wooden driveway gates and large double gates across London and Hertfordshire, with our own team, after a free site visit and a written quote.
This page is about the larger timber gates. For a single gate down the side of the house, our garden side gates page covers that job on its own.
Styles of wooden gate
Most wooden driveway gates fall into a few styles. Solid tongue and groove gives full privacy and a clean face. Closeboard style gates match a closeboard fence. Framed gates with a curved or arched top add a softer look to a period house, and slatted or hit and miss boarding lets some light and air through while still screening the drive.
- Solid tongue and groove for full privacy
- Closeboard style to match the fence line
- Arched or curved tops for period houses
- Slatted or hit and miss for a lighter screen
Softwood or hardwood
Pressure treated softwood keeps the cost down and suits most drives. Hardwoods such as iroko cost more and last longer, and they are the choice for a front entrance that is meant to be a feature. Our bespoke hardwood gates page covers iroko gates, finishes and extras in more depth.
How a large wooden gate is built
Each leaf is built as a frame with a diagonal brace running up towards the hinge side, so the weight is pushed into the hinge post rather than left to pull the far end down. Leaves are typically around 44mm thick. On wide openings a pair of gates keeps each leaf a sensible weight, and a drop bolt holds the fixed leaf while the other one opens.
Posts that carry the weight
A dropped driveway gate is almost always a post problem. Gate posts are set in concrete deep enough for the weight and the swing, and where gates hang from brick piers, fixings go into sound masonry. Heavy leaves go on ball race or heavy strap hinges sized to the gate.
Clearing the drive
Drives often rise towards the house or fall to the road, and a gate that clears the ground when shut can hit it halfway open. On the site visit we check the fall across the swing and design the gates to clear it, whether that means hanging them a little higher, shaping the bottom rail or opening them the other way.
Ironmongery and security
Double gates get a drop bolt into a keep in the ground, a latch or lock where they meet and stops so they close to the same place. For a gate onto the street, a lock and a bolt on the inside add security. Everything is chosen for the gate and set out in the quote.
What affects the price
The width and height of the opening, softwood or hardwood, the style of boarding, whether new posts are needed or piers need attention, the ironmongery and how the ground falls all change the price. We do not guess it on a page; you get a written quote after the visit.