Open or Boarded Timber Gates: Choose the Frontage Before the Fine Detail
A new timber gate should make sense with the fence on either side. Before choosing an arch, spindle or pierced detail, decide how much of the garden you want visible and how the gate should relate to the frontage.
The Heritage timber gate range includes open and more screened designs made to the required size. The right starting point is a photograph of the whole entrance, not a cropped image of a gate from a different property.
Decide what the gate should reveal
An open picket or spindle design allows more of the garden and path to remain visible. A boarded design presents a more continuous surface. A design with a solid lower section and decorative upper area makes a different compromise again.
Choose according to the sightline you want from the street and from inside the property. Do not treat openness as a security rating or assume a decorative timber gate meets pool-barrier or other regulated requirements. Have any such requirements assessed separately before selecting the design.
Read the fence as one composition
Photograph the fence profile, posts and nearby house details. Note the top line, spacing and any shapes you want to repeat. A gate can relate to a fence without copying every detail, but the decision is easier when both are visible in the enquiry.
If the fence remains and only the gate changes, say so. If the posts and fence will also be replaced, include the proposed layout rather than asking the workshop to infer it from the old frontage. A gate photograph does not automatically include the surrounding fence or posts in the supply.
Use named designs as references
Heritage’s catalogue contains named patterns such as Canterbury, Hawthorn and Emerald. Record the preferred name and attach or identify the exact product photograph. This is more reliable than describing a gate as simply “Federation style”.
Explain which features you want to retain if you are using more than one picture. For example, an arch from one design and boarding from another is a custom enquiry requiring confirmation, not an existing catalogue combination with an assumed price.
Single leaf and driveway pair need different briefs
State whether the entrance needs a single gate or a matched pair. Show the clear opening, the proposed height and the post positions. Opening width is not the same as a finished leaf width because hardware and fitting allowances still need to be resolved.
For a pair, identify any preferred meeting arrangement or unequal leaf requirement. Have the installer determine the practical swing, fixing and hardware details. The gate-opening measurement guide explains what to record without confusing the opening with the finished gate specification.
Flag ground levels and automation early
Include a side view where the ground rises through the intended swing. A front elevation alone can hide that constraint. If automation is planned, provide the installer’s equipment and gate-design requirements before the joinery is finalised.
Do not assume that a manually operated design can be automated without further assessment. The proposed gate size, construction and hardware need to be considered together by the relevant suppliers and installer.
Make the quote comparison meaningful
- Preferred design and a whole-frontage photograph.
- Single leaf or pair, opening dimensions and requested height.
- Existing or proposed posts, fence profile and ground-level photographs.
- Hardware, automation and finishing requirements to be confirmed.
- Quantity, delivery address and any access constraints for delivery.
Ask the written quote to distinguish the gates from posts, hardware, finishing, freight and installation. If you are considering a roofed entrance, the lych-gate range is a separate enquiry. Send your gate design brief once those main choices are clear.