Categories: HOME IMPROVEMENT

DIY: Five Outdoor Gates You Can Build

Instead of hiring a contractor to design and build a garden or gate for your yard, or lamenting the lack of choices (or prices) of kits at your local DIY store, do it yourself.

Here are five designs you can build in a weekend. If you don’t have woodworking skills, perhaps you have a friend who does. If you’re handy with cars, you have something to trade- perhaps a tune-up and an oil change for a gate.

Ron Hazelton’s Garden Gate

Ron gives dimensions and easy directions to build an arbor garden gate. Included in his free online instructions are videos of each step, so you don’t have to guess at what he’s trying to tell you.

This arbor gate works well with two story houses built around the 1900’s, or those with “old-world” styling.

The traditional simple gate

Buildeazy is a wonderful site that offers hundreds of free plans for every level of woodworker. This simple, no-frills gate is easy to build from any wood. Cedar or redwood are great choices as they last the longest outside with minimal care.

Picket gate

The white picket fence isn’t just a thing of old Hollywood movies. They’re adorable, and the picket gates are too. These aren’t privacy gates- they’re traditionally no higher than an adult’s waist with space in between the pickets.

HGTV offers clear instructions with pictures for reference. One note about picket fences and gates- some municipalities or homeowners associations don’t like them, so check before you purchase your materials.

Privacy gate

This gate is equal to the fence in height, and is adorned with the same trim. In short, it looks as if it’s part of the fence itself. This is a great way to incorporate a secret gate into your project.

The plans are straightforward and easy to follow. Intermediate woodworking skills are required for this job.

5. A simple ranch gate

This is great for a backyard garden. I use 2-by-4’s for mine; a lighter version is easily built from 1-by-4’s.

Cut three horizontal rails to the desired length. Lay on a level, flat surface at equal distances apart the height your gate will be. Measure the height at the sides and cut two boards. Using outdoor screws, attach to the three rails.

Now measure the upper corner at the right side down to the left corner. You’ll be cutting an angle for this piece. The degree of angle depends on how wide your gate is. I lay my crosspiece over the boards and mark the angle visually, but this doesn’t always fit perfectly. It still makes a strong gate. Attach the angle piece.

Finally, attach your fence hardware and hang your gate.

Source: The author of this article has over 40 years of experience in diverse forms of DIY, home improvement and repair, crafting, designing, and building furniture, outdoor projects and more.