We build many domestic gates. Front, side, back garden, and probably made hundreds.

Front gates are important because they are the first thing people see. You want something that looks right and works properly. Opens smoothly, closed correctly, and won’t sag after six months. We can match existing railings or design something new.

Victorian gates have the decorative tops and some scrollwork. We make these with mortise and tenon joints, not just welded flat bars, which means the gates will last a lot longer.

Modern gates are a lot simper. We have made a lot with horizontal slats. Infill panels are great for privacy or keeping dogs in our out, and we have timber, metal sheeting, and perforated metal.

Side gates need to be secure – they give access to the back garden. We fit deadlocks as standard. The bolts go right into the post, and are secure from the street. You can unlock and open from the inside without a key.

Strong gate posts make big difference. Good gate on crooked posts, is crooked gate. We use 76mm or 100mm box section post, set them 600mm deep in concrete. If you’ve got brick posts we can use those, but they need to be solid and straight. We have seen plenty of gates hung on dodgy posts, and they never hang right.

Hinges need to be super strong, and we use adjustable ones so we can get the gate sitting just right. Then we can tweak it later if it settles. Cheap hinges sag, and rust. We have been replaced hinges enough to know it is not worth saving a tenner.

Domestic gates width is usually 900mm to 1200mm. Anything wider will need different hinges because the weight is more. A pair of gates works better than one big gate.

Most front gate heights sit at a metre to 1.2 metres. Taller looks odd on most houses. Side gates can be taller 5for security, we’ve done plenty at 1.8 metres.

Finish is galvanised, then powder coated. Galvanising stops rust and the colour is the powder coat. Most people get black but we do any colour. Some people match their front door or windows.

Every gate is templated on site before any fabrication takes place. Posts are never exactly where they should be, walls are never straight, and ground is never level. That’s why measuring on site is vital.

Usually takes a day for installation, maybe two if we’re setting new posts. We hang the gate, adjust for proper opening and closing, fit the handle, install the lock, and wrap it up.

Repairing a gate is simple if it is just the hinges or the locks. We stock the basic stuff in the van for repairs. If a gate is rusted all the way through, a replacement is usually better than just patching.