What a Driveway Gate Installation Actually Involves

A driveway gate installation is mostly groundwork. The posts and their foundations do the work, the hanging and alignment decide whether the gate still closes properly in five years, and the gate itself is the part that arrives ready to fit. Most of the cost and most of the risk sit in the ground, not in the metalwork. We make gates; we do not install them outside Pakistan. Your own contractor does that. This article exists because the questions people ask us most about installation are ones we can answer usefully even though we are not the ones doing it — and because a gate made without regard to how it will be fitted causes problems that no fitter can solve on site. The posts and foundations This is the part that matters most and the part that is least visible when it is finished. A driveway gate leaf is heavy and it hangs off one edge, which means the post is carrying a constant twisting force, not just weight. Every time the gate swings, that force cycles. A post set in insufficient foundation will move over time — not dramatically, but enough that the gate stops meeting in the middle, drags on the ground, or will not latch. What determines the foundation is the weight and width of the leaf, the soil, the frost depth where you are, and whether the gate will be automated. It is a question for your groundworker or engineer, not something to guess at. If the gate is going onto existing pillars, they need assessing rather than assuming — decorative masonry pillars are frequently not built to carry a gate. A common and avoidable mistake is building the pillars first and ordering the gate afterwards, to a measurement taken between them. If the pillars are not plumb or not parallel, the gate is made to a shape that does not exist. Measure carefully, and tell us if the opening is not square — we would rather know. Hanging and alignment Hanging is where a good fitter earns their money. The gate has to sit level, meet in the middle, clear the ground through its full swing, and close onto its stop without strain. Points that cause trouble on site: • GROUND CLEARANCE. A driveway that slopes upward inside the gate line will catch a leaf that swings inward. Tell us the slope direction and we will allow for it in the design rather than leaving your fitter to cut metal. • HINGE ADJUSTMENT. Adjustable hinges are worth having. Buildings and ground move, and a gate that can be trimmed by a few millimetres in five years is far better than one that cannot. • THE MEETING EDGE. On a pair of leaves, the closing edges need to align vertically. That depends on both posts being plumb and both leaves hanging true. • THE DROP BOLT OR GROUND STOP. Manual gates need something to hold them closed and something to stop them swinging past the line. Automation If you intend to automate the gate, decide before it is made rather than afterwards. It changes what the gate needs. • WEIGHT AND LEAF WIDTH determine which operator is suitable. An operator rated below the leaf will fail early. • HINGE POSITION AND TYPE has to suit the operator geometry. Underground operators, ram arms and articulated arms all need different things. • MOUNTING POINTS for a ram or arm are far easier to build into the frame than to add later. • POWER AND CONDUIT must be run before the driveway surface goes down. This is the single most common regret — nobody wants to cut a finished driveway to lay a cable. • SAFETY DEVICES such as photocells and edge protection are required in many places for powered gates, and requirements vary by country. Your installer should confirm what applies where you are. We do not supply automation. What we do is build the gate to accept it, if you tell us at the design stage which type you intend to use. What your fitter needs from the gate This is where the workshop can prevent problems rather than cause them. Every export order ships with drawings, a fixing schedule and an installation guide. Where you have a fitter or engineer, we speak with them during production so the gate suits how it will actually be installed and the requirements where you are. Practically, that means agreeing before fabrication: the fixing method, the hinge type, the ground clearance, whether the opening is square, and whether automation is coming. Every one of those is straightforward to build in and awkward to add on site. Sequence, if you are planning a project 6. Decide the opening width, and whether the gate swings in, out, or slides. 7. Confirm the ground conditions and whether existing pillars can carry a gate. 8. Decide about automation now, not later. 9. Run power and conduit before any driveway surfacing. 10. Commission the gate, giving us the opening dimensions, ground slope, fixing method and automation intentions. 11. Set the posts and foundations while the gate is in production. 12. Hang, align and adjust when the gate arrives. Groundwork and fabrication can run in parallel, which is worth knowing if you have a deadline. A note on cost Installation is not included in our price and should be budgeted separately. It varies enormously with ground conditions, whether pillars already exist, and whether automation is involved — so any number we gave you would be misleading. Get a local quote for the groundwork and fitting alongside ours for the gate. Frequently asked questions Do you install the gates you make? Not outside Pakistan. Your own contractor installs it. The gate arrives ready to hang, with drawings, a fixing schedule and an installation guide. Can my existing pillars carry a gate? Possibly, but they need assessing rather than assuming. Decorative masonry pillars are frequently not built to take the twisting load of a gate leaf. Should I decide about automation before ordering? Yes. Automation affects hinge type, mounting points and structure. It is straightforward to build in and awkward to add afterwards. What if my driveway slopes? Tell us the direction and rough degree of slope. We allow for ground clearance in the design rather than leaving your fitter to modify the gate on site. What if the opening is not square? Tell us. Openings between existing pillars frequently are not, and a gate made to a squared assumption will not fit. Measure at the top and bottom and give us both figures. How much does installation cost? It varies too much with ground conditions and automation for us to give a figure. Get a local quote for groundwork and fitting alongside our quote for the gate. Send us your opening width, the ground slope and a photograph of the entrance, and we will come back with a firm price, usually within one to three working days.