A fence is a static thing. A gate is a machine, and it is the only part of the job with moving pieces, a load that shifts every time it is used, and hardware that wears. That is why the gate is almost always what people call about. The run itself is fine and the gate drags, sags, will not latch, or has to be lifted with a knee to get it closed. It is not bad luck. It is the predictable result of the one component that works for a living.
Almost every gate failure traces back to one of three things. The gate post was not sized or set for a swinging load and has slowly tipped toward the opening. The gate frame itself racked out of square because it was not braced properly. Or the hardware was undersized for the weight and width it was asked to carry. All three are solvable, and all three are much easier to get right at build time than to chase afterward with shims and adjustments.
Wide enough for a mower, a trailer, a wheelbarrow or nothing but people. Gate width drives post size, hardware and cost, so it gets decided before posts are set.
Bigger post, deeper hole, more concrete than a line post gets. A hinge post that shifts even slightly turns into a gate that drags months later.
The frame gets squared and braced so it holds shape under its own weight. This is the step that separates a gate that stays true from one that slowly droops.
Hardware goes on, the gate gets hung, and then it gets swung and latched repeatedly and adjusted. Testing it once at the end is not the same as testing it properly.
Gates are priced individually rather than by linear footage, which is why the gate count changes a fence quote more than people expect. Width is the main driver, since a wide vehicle gate needs bigger posts, heavier framing and stronger hardware than a walk gate. Material matters, hardware grade matters a lot, and anything automated is a different scope entirely. Slope at the opening counts too, since a gate on a grade has to clear the ground through its whole swing. On repairs, the question is whether the post is sound or has to come out. Ask about access, and about removal and disposal of the old gate and hardware.
Because the gate is the only part carrying a moving load. Either the hinge post has tipped toward the opening under years of leverage, or the gate frame has racked out of square, or the hardware was undersized for the weight. Diagnosing which one it is comes first: a plumb post with a racked frame is usually fixable with bracing, while a leaning post means the post itself has to be addressed.
Wider than you think, and it depends on what has to pass through. A gate sized only for people means carrying every bag of mulch by hand and getting creative with a mower. If a trailer, a small machine or a wheelbarrow needs access, size for that now, because widening later means new posts. Wider gates also need heavier posts and hardware, so the decision affects more than the opening.
Hinges and latch, and both should be chosen for the gate's weight and width rather than picked from whatever is in the aisle. Adjustable hinges make it far easier to fix alignment later without dismantling anything. A latch that is easy to operate from both sides is what determines whether the gate gets latched at all. Self-closing, self-latching hardware is required where a pool barrier is involved.
Sometimes, and it depends on why it leans. If the post is sound and the footing simply is not big enough for the load, resetting or enlarging the footing can solve it. If the post is rotted at grade or the concrete has cracked apart, replacement is the honest answer. A contractor should tell you which one you have rather than bracing a failing post and calling it repaired.
Cedar or treated pine, built board by board on site, which is why wood follows a slope and an odd corner better than anything else. It moves with the seasons, it takes stain, and it wants that attention on a schedule.
Learn more →Vinyl keeps its color and never asks for a stain rag, which is most of the appeal. The real questions are how the posts are set and how much wind those solid panels are going to catch out where you are putting them.
Learn more →Ornamental aluminum and steel where you want a boundary you can see through, chain link where you want dogs contained and a back line marked. Both let wind pass instead of fighting it, which matters on an exposed lot.
Learn more →Leaning posts, wind-broken panels, a section a falling limb took out, a gate that quit latching. Sometimes a whole run has to come down and sometimes four posts are the entire problem, and those are very different jobs.
Learn more →Get quotes from contractors who set posts properly. No fee to be matched.
Request a QuoteA few details about the yard is all we need to route it correctly.