Driveway Gates

The gate, especially a driveway gate, makes the first impression of the property. It's a major focal point and one of the crucial segments that affect the overall curb appeal. Furthermore, a gate is an asset that adds convenience to daily life and blocks the unwanted intruders. It should feature a high-quality material and smooth operation, to remain reliable even after years of extensive use. 

Various Outdoor Gates and Purposes

Driveway Gates

A driveway gate is an investment that needs serious attention. There is a range of benefits to consider before buying, starting from safety and security to the visual aspects and curb appeal of the property. A driveway gate prevents children and pets from wandering onto the road while restricting access to trespassing visitors. Additionally, automated driveway gates bring everyday convenience to a whole new level. 

Other Uses

Some of the more common reasons to choose metal or timber gates are safety and privacy. Security gates reduce visibility, keep undesirables out of the property, and more. Security gates are also an essential part of pool fencing, commonly made of glass to allow better visual control. 

Intricate curves or whimsical white pillars provide a touch of style for a floral escape, and timber pickets or iron trellis could make an excellent choice for garden gates. When matching the rest of the fencing and a privacy or driveway entrance, garden gates stand as a charming integral part of the landscape design.

Livestock gates allow for easy movement of animals in and out of their enclosure. Field farm gates are used as entrances/exits to fields across the roadways of a farm. It's recommendable to choose thicker frames for more frequent use and thinner frames for occasional use.

Types of Gates

Sliding Gates

Sliding gates are effortless to use and ideal for short driveways and difficult approaches. A cantilever gate is a sturdy option that rides on rollers, never touching the ground. The opposite type is a track system, where rolling gates travel smoothly over a metal track attached to a concrete footing. Finally, a telescopic sliding gate consists of several adjacent panels that slide on parallel tracks, overlapping each other.

Swing Gates

Swing gates can be single or double, made of timber, steel or aluminium, and offered in a vast range of styles and colour palettes. They come with either manual or automatic swing gate openers, in a composition of panels attached to hinged posts. Shape variations include single and double leaf gates, short, tall, and framed versions, with or without railheads. Two essential types of swing gates are single and bi-parting.

Gate Materials

Timber Gates

Timber gates are a common choice for both sliding and swing options, that can be operated manually or electrically. The available range of timber materials goes from standard selections of hardwood and softwood to the modern combinations with aluminium, called "smartwood." The latter is actually a premium kind of timber-coated aluminium. It offers a traditional wooden appeal but enhanced with benefits like being maintenance-free and exceptionally durable. 

Metal Gates

Aluminium gates are a versatile and durable choice. The rust-proof character makes them convenient for use in all climate conditions. Aluminium is also affordable, hassle-free and literally effortless to maintain. 

Quality iron is a slightly less affordable choice. Still, it can withstand almost all types of climate, especially when coated for protection. Genuine, hand-made wrought iron gates are impressive, striking features, hard to beat in traditional environments.

Steel beats aluminium in terms of sturdiness and durability, as the strongest metal fencing solution in the market. A steel gate is a heavy-duty feature that can withstand frequent use. Nevertheless, unless galvanised, steel is naturally very prone to rust and requires maintenance and protection. 

Gate Mechanism 

There are several basic types of gate mechanism available. Manual operation is the simplest form, also the most affordable one. It’s available for almost any size and design, and an excellent choice for a side gate or a pedestrian gate. However, it's not the most convenient solution for a driveway gate, especially next to a busy street, or when driving a toddler.  In such a case, gate automation is highly recommended for several reasons. 

Besides convenience, electric gates provide additional levels of security. They also allow for various accessories like security cameras, and features like key-operated switches, digital coded keypads, or sensors that detect vehicles. 

Solar gate openers use renewable energy as an alternative to electricity, relying on the power of the sun. Not only these systems can downsize the monthly electricity bill, but they also provide a solution for remote areas without a connection to the power grid. 

More Things to Consider Before Buying a Gate

Space and surroundings, as well as the entrance slope, define the style and operation of a driveway gate. The size of the entrance also depends on the level of privacy and security it needs to provide. Gate openers put a final stamp on the convenience of use, and the choice of mechanism should relate to the expected traffic.  

The height of the gate depends on the purpose, as well as the local codes. The higher entrance brings more security, but blocks the view, while a gate too short may be easy to jump over.

Choosing a gate: automatic, swing or sliding?

Residential gates are a central part of access to a property and can offer many benefits from added security to ease of use. Many modern driveway automatic gates are operated via remote control, keypad or sensor, whether sliding or swing gates, with automatic gate openers a generally preferred option. More traditional manually operated gates are often popular as a garden gate for pedestrian access to a property. For security fencing, locked or automatic gates are generally a preferred option.

For rural properties, the outlook on fences can be slightly different, with traditional post fences still a popular option for larger properties. However, in many cases, a feature can be created around the residential part of a larger rural property with fence panels and ornate farm gates.