Fence gate

House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

shan2themax

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
May 31, 2007
Messages
1,103
Reaction score
1,320
Location
Proctorville, Ohio
How do I make a gate out of this as is? I am going to be getting a roll off dumpster in July I believe and I can't physically carrying stuff all the way around the house, so.... using what is already here and making a gate would make things easier. The roll off would be 20 feet in front of it. 20210520_200621.jpg
 
What's wrong with the gate that is already there?
 
She wants to turn a fence section into a gate, but what is that steel piece or darker lumber on the left?
Agree that this already looks like a gate, so wtf?
 
Last edited:
Do you need it to be a gate permanently or just for the time you'll have the dumpster? If just for the time with the dumpster I'd just cut the 2x4 braces at the midpoint on each of the two posts and remove that section of fence. When you're done put it back in place. Making a swinging gate that wide will require some rebuilding. You'd need to install a cross brace to support the gate. I'd cut the panel in half and then install a Z brace from the top middle down to the hinge on each post.

Here is a decent video.
 
I don't know why it was built this way. The fence between the houses yards has the support at the bottom. The gate is question has a long story behind it and I don't want to type all of that. However, the neighbor next door and I have stuff pulled up here and are going to be tossing it when we rent a dumpster after my oldest moves out (he's buying a house!).
Do I want it to be permanent..... yes, I believe so. I could actually buy a small riding lawn mower that could fit into the back yard (after I fixed the mess of yard under all this stuff).
So, it an 8 foot span. 77 inches between the pressure treated wood. However it wouldnt have to be that wide. I'm thinking 50-55" would be plenty for a 42" rider. Although, there is a dip stand and pullup bar built in front of it, so I need to measure that out before doing anything drastic.

I also want to be able to use the spigot on that side of the house, however, I would need to plumb to what is there (that spigot use to belong to a well).

Here's a picture that shows the whole fence. I have watched several videos (including the one above) and have a good idea of what I need to do. I'd have to complete it all in one day as I have dogs that are outback several times a day. 20210521_120735.jpg
 
Thanks for the update.Is your property on the left, or right?
It clarifies, but also adds another dimension, to be considered.

Somewhere, in the expanse, between the two occupancies, is a property line, which needs to be respected, because properties change hands.

The property title will give you accurate dimensions of your lot, from which you will be able to ascertain, the approximate location of where that is, in that open space. Whoever built that fence may have taken that into consideration, however, it doesn't appear so.
 
Could be, however, if you don't ask, you don't receive.

A person can write paragraphs re. their intentions, however not telling the whole story, in detail, just simply elicits speculative responses.
 
So my property is on the right and goes to the left at about 15 inches from the house on the left, for an excerpt of the long story.... the previous owner put the fence up between the houses because she didnt want her grandson to be able to go between the house (he, his sister and mom lived there. The owner was the tenants, grandmother in law?) To say we didn't get along would be an understatement. I took it for a while and then I exploded one day amd that brought an end to the issues, and then she sold it about 6 months later... maybe a little longer.

The person that built it was a handyman of sorts. He left all the dirt he dug up for fence posts on this fence and the fence separating back yards just paying wherever, my old fence that he pulled up, he left laying and left concrete from previous posts laying.... which is why I said it would be a future endeavor for a riding lawn mower. I will have to get all of the crap of both of ours cleaned up and then work on releveling the yard in that area.

I'm still having alot of physical problems, going to Orthopedic surgeon next week to look at my right knee and hip and left achilles tendon....

I am hoping for some decent relief of problems so I can get these things done.
 
Thanks again. We're getting closer.

The true process on insuring the exact property line locations, is a survey, conducted by a lic. surveyor, and the resulting legal report and map.

Should the adjacent property be sold, and the new owner decides to enclose the property with a boundary defining fence, you, in a neighborly gesture, can provide them with a copy of that, legal, survey. Which will preclude an exhausting dispute and damages.

Were I you, I would insert a new post 3' from the neighboring structure, construct the gate and the necessary fence amendments, and call it a day.
 
Farmers use a gate wheel to avoid the sag problem. They are pricey but for a fence gate you might be able to repurpose a flea market wheel (wagon, lawnmower etc.). Amazon.com: Tech Team 4-Inch Spring Loaded Fence Gate Wheel Caster, 130 Pound Capacity, Fence Hardware, Flat Free Gate Wheel : Industrial & Scientific

31MVf+-ikmL._AC_.jpg
 
Last edited:
Sparky has the right idea I think. If you don't mind the gate swinging in, you can cut the top and bottom 2x4s (or are those 1x4s?) off and add pressure treated lumber as framing sides, top, and middle brace. Add about 3 gate hinges on the side (might get away with 2, but 3 would be sturdier) and add a latch on the other side. This way you could use existing posts. Although, you may want to dig around the post closer to the house and add reinforcement to make it sturdier. Maybe add another brace to the corner to make sure the top stays toward the house more. You'll have to make sure the pieces you pad out with on the sides are the same depth/thickness as the posts so they line up properly.
1637193316183.png

You can add a rope or something to pull the latch from the opposite side to unlock it, or have it in a spot where you can reach over and pull it.

You can get something like this style (if they aren't too long)
1637194017288.png
1637194061661.png
I'm trying to find the kind I used... Not seeing them, but maybe something like this:
1637194101884.png

Not sure if they sell 3 hinge kits or not.

There's also the latch
1637194170952.png
Or
1637194380265.png

Now, you could make the gate smaller if you want and add another support post for the latch on the inside.
I suppose you could also figure out how to make the gate swing the opposite way and have a different type of latch and different style hinge.

Eddie, the wheel would be good over paving stones or slab, but not so great over dirt as it will sink and possibly snag on grass.
 
Here's the other extreme for a gate wheel. I wouldn't add one unless necessary then prolly lawn mower size.


Screenshot 2021-11-17 8.15.22 PM.png
 
Another issue with a wheel is that the ground has to be level or else it either doesn't have support or it gets in the way of the swing, but if the ground & fence are level and solid then it would be a good thing.
 
Right but only the wheel path needs to be near level. It doesn't matter if the wheel is high in spots but you don't want to stress the gate. But I wouldn't do anything unless it become needed.
 
Depending on how frequently you think that you might need to open that gate and perhaps most importantly keep it open for an extended period of time, you might not have to worry about sag too much. If you build the gate with the brace like @zannej suggested, maybe add an additional horizontal middle 2x4, the sagging should be minimal. That's what I did on the gate on my backyard. The sag is minimal, although some of boards twisted but that's a different problem.

Moreover, I would add a flat stone against the 4x4 on the other side such that the gate can sit on it when closed to keep it up and reduce the load on the hinge-side. And/or, you can add a steel cable with a tensioner in the crossing direction to the wood brace (lower left to upper right corners in zannej's picture), so that you can periodically lift the opposite corner if needed.
 
My father used metal wire from the post to the end of the gate to add a little more support on some of ours. I wish I could find pictures. Worked up until a tree fell on the fence/gate.

If you want the gate to swing out you can mount the hinges to the side of the post (instead of the back like in my drawing) and use the type of latch I have in the last picture. That way people from the outside aren't going to be able to just remove hinges or access the latch as easily-- so less likely to have trespassers.

You can probably check the weight/load capacity of hinges to make sure they can support the gate, but you may also want to reinforce the post by doubling up- adding another post next to it to the right. And you may want to dig up a bit around it to do what they call a key- put a board meant for direct ground burial in the ground braced against the post to make sure it doesn't tip/move when the gate swings. I've found that the posts set in concrete (even if they were direct burial/treated) rot over time & break off just above the concrete. Sometimes the concrete isn't wide enough so they still have movement (we've encountered both of those but we're in a very wet humid area).

Not sure if you have any preference for the color of the hinges. But Amazon has some.
https://www.amazon.com/National-Hardware-N223-867-Extra-Hinges/dp/B000BPNMX6/
https://www.amazon.com/National-Hardware-N238-212-Hinges-Galvanized/dp/B004D7JV5Q/
 
Last edited:
I would make this a double outswing gate (swing towards the front yard). If this is only used occasionally, then 2 hinges per gate is OK. You will need the x bracing to keep them from sagging.
Then on the outside (front yard side), cut the top rail on the left in the space closest to the post. Now install a hinge over that cut to rejoin the rail. Then in the same space, cut the bottom rail and install a hinge over that cut on the bottom. Now go over to the right side and in the space closest to the right post, cut the top rail and install a hinge. And then do the same for the bottom rail.
The next step is to cut the fence down the middle and you end up with two swinging gates. Make sure you have put the x bracing on the back before you cut the fence in half. You do not need any wheels as these gates are not that heavy. Add a latch to finish the job.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top