Notes On Aluminum Gate Placement
The placement of entry gates is important to the flow, aesthetics and functionality of your property.
There aren’t too many choices when it comes to placing your fence on your property. You will already have an idea of where it should go, such as around your pool, front yard, back yard, or another specific part of the property. You will find out about any zoning rules or regulations from the municipality regarding how far to place your aluminum panel fence from the neighboring properties. However, the main choice you’ll have to make is where to put your gates. This includes your driveway gate and any entry gates for people to walk through. While the placement of these may seem obvious, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Ease of access
The first thing you’ll want to do decide is on which side of the fence you’ll want your entry gate. This depends on the purpose of the gate first and foremost. If you will need the gate to bring work equipment through – perhaps for farms or larger properties with necessary ground maintenance – the gate should be in an area that is easily accessible to the bulk of the property. If the gate is strictly for people to access the main building or home on the property, it’s easiest for the gate to be in line with the door of the building. Remember that it’s your fence and you get to choose where the gates go. If you feel having a gate for foot traffic and an extra gate in the back for equipment would be ideal, that’s what you should do! It’s much harder to change things once the fence has already been erected.
Size it up
The next aspect to consider is size. Driveway gates come in a few different choices and normally depend on the driveway size itself. If the driveway is quite wide but you only plan to need to open it one car’s width at a time, you can choose a driveway gate that helps with this. That means putting a gate that opens from the middle so you only need to open the left or right most of the time, or a sliding gate that only needs to be opened halfway before it closes behind the car as you pull through. As for the size of footpath gates, they usually come standard as a bit larger than a doorway itself. You can even choose to have a footpath gate built into the driveway gate if there is no room for the placement of a footpath gate. There are so many options, and a fencing professional will be able to help with the specifics of your unique situation.
Elevation matters
Elevation is important for gate placement so water drainage doesn’t ruin your fence. The posts of your aluminum panel fence will be secure, but enough water drainage could slowly erode surrounding dirt to make even the toughest fence less stable. Before putting up your new fence, take note of water drainage on your property. Head outside during the next rainstorm and take a look around to determine which areas might not be the suitable for fence posts. While looking around, you should also keep gate placement in mind. You won’t want the gates to be in an area that is constantly a muddy puddle.
Ultimately, you will want your gate to be the best way in and out, so it should be in a very useful area no matter the weather.