Build your own garden gate

Build your own garden gate: simple instructions

Are you looking for garden gate ideas and want to build one yourself? We'll give you tips on preparation, material selection, and explain how to build a simple garden gate made of wood or metal yourself.

Simple and convenient: Order garden gates online

First: Plan carefully

Before you start building your garden gate, there are important questions to clarify. Which material is suitable and what are the costs involved? What are the exact dimensions? Careful consideration always pays off.

Wood or metal? Choosing the material

Metal or wood – when deciding to build a garden gate yourself, the first question is which material to choose. To do this, clarify the following points:

Does the material match the rest of the fence system or the adjacent wall?
Does the material fit the surroundings or the design of your garden?
How difficult is DIY construction?
Can a garden gate made of your desired material be attached to the fence or wall?

Calculate costs

Is a DIY garden gate always cheaper than a purchased one? This calculation may not necessarily work. For this reason, carefully consider the costs of DIY construction. The following factors cause costs:

Materials
Tools
Labor hours

Especially when it comes to labor hours, it's worth calculating realistically. If you have experience with DIY, the hours may be less than if you have no DIY experience or simply don't have the knack for it. Tools can also quickly become expensive, especially if you don't have a saw, router, welder, etc. in your toolbox and have to buy everything new.

Make a sketch

How wide and high should your garden gate be, and what design should it have? Before starting construction, take all the important measurements, note down all your ideas for the garden gate, and create a sketch.

Disposing of Old Garden Gates

Do you already have a garden gate that you'd like to replace with a new one? Then you'll need to dispose of the old garden gate first – that goes without saying. Please note the following points:

When disposing of an old wooden gate, it matters whether the wood is treated or untreated.
Depending on their size, wooden garden gates are not considered bulky waste and must be disposed of through recycling companies.
Metal gates must not be disposed of with household waste. For more information, contact your local recycling or waste disposal center.

Homemade wooden gate made of slats as a garden entrance

A homemade wooden gate made of slats with Z-bracing is relatively quick to build.

Build your own wooden garden gate

The classic among DIY garden gates: the DIY wooden gate. And not without reason, because a wooden garden gate is much easier to build than a metal one. We'll explain the best way to go about it.

Select the type of wood

The following are suitable for building your own wooden gate:

Slats (preferably pressure-treated)
Boards (for a closed wooden door)
Pallets

It's important for the stability of your wooden garden gate that it has bracing. This means that one or more slats are placed across the gate to reinforce it. The most well-known model is the Z-brace (see image).

Materials and Tools

To build your own wooden garden gate, you will need the following tools:

Tape measure
Miter saw or handsaw
Drill
Screwdriver or cordless screwdriver
Spirit level
Hammer (if using nails)
Pencil
Paint or wood preservative

Wooden slats for a garden gate are sanded with a sander

For your wooden garden gate made of slats, these must be cut to size and optionally sanded. Image source: stock.adobe.com, Wellnhofer Designs

Instructions

1. Cutting the Wooden Slats

Measure the required lengths for the horizontal and vertical slats according to the gate size and the desired Z-bracing. Use a miter saw or hand saw to cut the slats to the correct lengths. Sand the slats if they will be painted later.

2. Installing the Slats

Lay out the horizontal slats on a flat surface and mark the locations for the vertical slats to form the Z-bracing. Attach the vertical slats to the horizontal slats in a Z-pattern using screws or nails. Ensure the slats are evenly spaced and the connections are tight and stable.

3. Attaching the Hinges

Attach the hinges to one side of the gate and to the post or wall to which the gate will be attached.

4. Installing Hardware and Locks

Install the lock to secure the gate. Attach all other hardware according to the manufacturer's instructions.

5. Surface Treatment

Finally, you can paint the gate with a wood preservative or varnish to protect it from the elements and enhance its appearance.

Tip: The gap between the slats should be narrow so that animals or children cannot pass through.

Patrick from PF.performance shows you how to build a garden gate yourself in the following video:

Haus Hof Hühnerstall also provides insights into his garden gate construction:

Belluno garden gate, hot-dip galvanized, from ELEO Express

For experienced DIYers: Build a metal garden gate yourself. Pictured: The Belluno garden gate in hot-dip galvanized from ELEO Express. © ELEO

Building a metal garden gate yourself

The ultimate challenge among DIY projects: the self-made metal garden gate. Unlike a wooden garden gate, building a garden gate yourself requires experience with metal and knowledge of tools. If you are inexperienced in working with metal and don't have a welding machine at your disposal, building it yourself can quickly become expensive and laborious.