The fence is only perfect with a garden gate. This applies equally to brick, planted and timbered enclosures. Don't want to make the compromises that usually come with buying ready-made doors? Then simply build your garden gate yourself. These instructions use the example of a wooden gate to explain how to do it.

A skilled craftsman can also use a wooden garden gate

Which wood is suitable?

Local woods are well-armed against the Central European climate and can be purchased inexpensively. Therefore, use one of the following types of wood to build your garden gate:

  • Douglas fir: naturally resistant and durable
  • Larch: one of the hardest and most valuable native softwoods
  • Pine: medium-weight softwood with excellent processing properties

Bargain foxes go for pressure-treated spruce wood. Thanks to a pre-treatment, the weather resistance of spruce wood is strengthened, making it suitable for the construction of wooden gates and fences at a reasonable price. The same applies to ash. If the wood is subjected to a heat treatment, it counts as a thermal ash in durability class 1 and is still cheap in price.

Material and tool list

The following materials and tools should be at hand so that you can assemble your garden gate without annoying interruptions:

  • 1 wooden slat (150x10x5cm) for diagonal bracing
  • 2 wooden slats (140x10x5cm) for the frame
  • 2 wooden slats (100x10x5cm) for the frame
  • 2 strips (120x8x3cm) for the decoration
  • 2 strips (115x8x3cm) ditto
  • 2 strips (110x8x3cm) ditto
  • 2 strips (117.5x8x3cm) ditto
  • 2 strips (112.5x8x3cm) ditto
  • 2 beams (120x12x12cm) as goal posts
  • 2 drive-in sleeves for the goal posts
  • 2 gate hinges for fixation
  • 1 gate trap as a door opener
  • Stainless steel screws, nuts, bolts
  • wood glue
  • Wood stain and brush

The tools required are: spirit level, screwdriver, hammer, carpenter's pencil, tape measure and saw. If you invest a little more when buying the trimmed strips for the decoration, you will get shapely profile heads in a semicircular, pointed or wavy shape.

Build the frame yourself - this is how it works

Build the frame for the garden gate from the 10 x 5 cm thick slats. To do this, cut out the two 140 cm and 100 cm long pieces of wood 2.5 cm deep and 10 cm wide at the ends. After you have applied the wood glue to the cut surfaces, put the pieces of wood together in such a way that the format of 10 x 5 cm is restored at the corners.

Diagonal bracing now ensures stability. This task is fulfilled by the 150 cm long piece of wood. Cut the batten at the ends so that it can be pressed flush into the frame. Two stainless steel screws on each side fix the cross frame. Now mount the gate hinges and the door latch on the back and fasten them with continuous bolts. Nuts secure the bolts on the front of the wooden gate.

Set goal posts correctly - you should pay attention to this

So that the garden gate does not have direct contact with the ground, it is later hung between the two gate posts. The distance to the floor should be such that no moisture gets to the wood. At the same time, small animals should not be able to gain access to the garden under the gate. How to install the posts correctly:

  • Align the drive-in sleeves with a spirit level and drive them into the ground
  • Position and sharpen the two 12 cm thick wooden beams
  • Secure using the bolts and nuts
  • Place the prefabricated wooden gate against the post
  • Mark the places where the counterparts of the door latch and gate hinges are to be fixed

After you have screwed on the gate hinges and the door latch, you can hang in the self-made garden gate. Please check beforehand whether all right angles have been maintained so that the gate does not hang crooked later.

Beautify and finish the garden gate - tips for decorating

After the chore comes the freestyle in the do-it-yourself construction of your garden gate. The 8 cm wide and 3 cm thick strips are used to give the gate an attractive appearance. You can give free rein to your ideas for the arrangement of the decorative strips. Optionally, mount the boards as strips of equal length in a row. A beautiful look is created if you attach the wood in a length that increases from the outside to the middle.

It is important to note that there should be a distance of less than 5 cm between the individual decorative strips. Otherwise, uninvited guests, such as martens and other small animals, cannot be prevented from visiting your property through the garden gate.

In the last step, you impregnate your new garden gate with wood stain. We recommend using a glaze with the 'Blue Angel' eco-label, which guarantees a low content of ingredients that are harmful to health and the environment.

tips

If you design your garden according to the principles of Feng Shui, the garden gate becomes more important. A particularly massive gate serves as a symbolic barrier so that the flow of energy cannot leave the garden unchecked. If you equip a wooden gate with columns made of stones or gabions on the right and left, this premise is also fulfilled.

Category:

Garden design