Wood Gate Installation in Galveston, TX

What keeps a wood gate from sagging

A gate hangs its whole weight off the hinge side, so the latch corner is always trying to drop. Two things stop it: a brace that keeps the frame square, and a hinge post and hinges that don't move.

Bracing direction matters. Wood is strong when you push on it lengthwise, so a wood diagonal brace goes from the bottom of the hinge side up to the top of the latch side, where the sagging corner pushes back against it. Installed the other way, the brace does little. A steel cable works in tension, so it runs the opposite way. In Jewett-Cameron's Adjust-A-Gate instructions, the cable hooks into "the lower corner of the latch side" and the turnbuckle into "the opposite top corner on the hinge side", and tightening the turnbuckle fine-tunes how the gate meets its latch.

Hinges and post. The same instructions set the hinges 16″ above and below the center of the post, so the load is spread over a long lever. The hinge post takes all of the gate's weight and leverage, so it should be the soundest post in the line. If a gate you already have is dropping, see why wood gates sag.

Width. That kit covers openings of 30–60″ and 60–96″ in two models. For wider driveway openings, two leaves are lighter on each post, with one leaf held by a drop rod. See drop rods and center stops and single vs double swing gates.

Wood and fasteners for the coast

Species. The USDA Wood Handbook rates cedar heartwood as decay-resistant, and old-growth redwood and baldcypress heartwood as resistant (young growth only moderately). Pine heartwood is only slightly resistant or nonresistant, so pine gates and posts must be pressure-treated. The handbook adds that ratings drop in ground contact and in warm, humid climates. See wood fences for the full species comparison.

Treatment. Under the AWPA use categories in the handbook, fence pickets and rails are UC3B (above ground, fully exposed) and fence posts are UC4A (ground contact). Ask for the tag on the posts.

Fasteners and hardware. Cedar and redwood are high in tannins, and the USDA says to "expect iron stain" from plain steel fasteners on them. Stainless steel is the only option it calls safe from iron stain, and hot-dip galvanized fasteners to ASTM A153 are "far less likely" to stain. On pine, plain steel just rusts. Keep hinges, screws and bolts in compatible metals, because the handbook warns that mixed metals can speed corrosion of either one. For design ideas, see custom wood gate designs and sizing gaps for cedar movement. Considering composite instead? Read is a composite gate worth it?

From estimate to finished gate

1. Free on-site estimate. We measure the opening, check the posts on both sides and the slope under the swing, and talk through style and hardware.
2. Design and a written price. Single or double, height, board style to match the fence, bracing, hinges, latch or drop rod, and the wood and fasteners, in writing.
3. Posts. A sound hinge post, or a new one if the old post is loose or rotting.
4. Build and hang. The frame is squared and braced, the gate is hung with clearance underneath, and the latch is set.
5. Walkthrough. We check that it swings freely and latches, and go over care.

What affects cost and timing

We give you a written price after the free on-site visit. The main things that move it:

• Width and height. Wide and double driveway gates need more wood, heavier hinges and a drop rod.
• Species. Cedar costs more than treated pine.
• Style. Board-on-board, arched tops, framed or picture-frame designs and metal-framed gates take longer to build.
• Hardware. Heavy strap hinges, stainless fasteners, self-closing hinges and pool latches.
• Posts. Replacing a weak hinge post, or adding one.
• Finish. Staining or sealing to match the fence.

See what determines the cost of a custom gate. Financing is available through the providers on our financing page, subject to credit approval.

Questions we get about this