Gate Installation Tips from New England Woodworks
New England Woodworks receives alot of questions regarding the ease of installation on many of the Western Red Cedar products that we manufacture including Garden Arbors, Garden Walkway Gates, Pyramid Picket Gates and Fences, even our Lantern Posts and Mailbox Posts, but primarily our custom made Cedar Driveway Gates with the concealed welded steel frame with ball bearings.
Maybe it is the size of this cedar gate, or the uniqueness of such a beautiful outdoor product that concerns customers. However we couldn't have made the installation any easier! The Cedar Driveway Gates are quality all the way, and completely assembled and ready for installation the day it delivers to your home. Presanded like fine furniture, the customers normally feel our driveway gates are too nice to leave outside. but they were designed specifically to last through decades of even the harshest of weather.
And as far as installation, the most difficult task is digging for the foundation post holes. The foundation posts need to be deep enough to support the gate in the worst weather Mother Nature is going to present - especially strong gusty winds. We like to see these 4 to 5 foot deep if the soil is soft or sandy. If it is next to impossible to get that deep, that's okay because it means there will be plenty of solid ground or rocks around the foundation posts for proper support.
Besides digging the holes, which can be easily accomplished by renting a pneumatic post hole auger, mixing the concrete and filling the holes around the foundation posts is the second biggest chore.
The Cedar Driveway Gate installation itself is actually quite simple with the use of our easily adjustable gate hardware. This driveway gate hardware simply lag bolts onto the foundation posts (pressure treated 6x6 southern pine typically picked up at your local lumber yard.) Even our biggest and most elaborate Cedar Driveway Gates only weigh a couple hundred pounds and typically just need to be set on the driveway gate hardware pins. The driveway gates ride on a ball bearing and can be pushed open with one hand.
