WOOD DRIVE GATES with OPEN GRIDS  #13

Driveway Gate #13 is Base Price + 18%
> Go to Base Price Table

The wood entry gates #13 feature an equal number of square grids horizontally within the fixed width at approximately 5 inches square.. To create an equal number of full grids vertically becomes more difficult. Here we were able to increase the width of the bottom rail to 11-1/2″, up from the normal 8-1/2″. The homeowner preferred this over the aesthetics of a row of partial grids along the bottom.

San Geronimo, CA

The wood driveway gates #13-1 nestled in the rolling hills of west Marin County, California–flanked by a matching garden gate on the right and a fixed panel on the left. At 14-1/2′ overall between the columns, the gates are mounted to a steel frame exposed on the property side and automated with above-grade motors.

Prowell Woodworks provides the wood entry gates and panels.
Automation, keypads, and steel frames are provided and installed by the site contractor.
See Product Specifications for more information on the various site options for Driveway Gates.

San Geronimo, CA

Showing the exposed steel frame on the property side of the wood entry gates (Option #2 on the Price Table). The steel frame is fabricated to the dimensioned drawings provided by Prowell Woodworks to insure it aligns with the gate rails and stiles.

San Geronimo, CA

And finally, in keeping with a tradition that began ages ago, we post a photo of the resident munchkin.

Jamestown, Rhode island

Driveway gates #13-3, exposed to those invited off a two-lane tributary and onto a one-lane graveled trickle to yet another meandering lane through the woods on this small island braced against Block Island Sound and, in the viewable distance, Martha’s Vineyard.

Accompanied by the pedestrian garden gate style #60.

Jamestown, Rhode Islad

As a manual swing, we see the need for a latch (Rocky Mountain e414), and a cane bolt. At the top, a simply bronze slide bolt.

As an interesting side note, a few days after this project was shipped, our freight carrier, Yellow Freight, went bankrupt, effective the following day. Thousands of employees off the job. What to do. What to do. We call Customer Service . . . no answer. We call our rep . . . no answer. We call and call and ultimately catch a single employee who locates our shipment in a warehouse in Chicago Heights. We call and call and a few days later a lone employee answers. We send her a photo of the crate and the reference # and she goes wandering through hundreds of abandoned crates and locates the crate. We arrange a back-up carrier to pick it up, but the crate has gone missing. We try again, and again, and eventually a seasoned driver with FedEx Freight sympathizes, finds the crate, loads the crate, and out relieved patron finds her gate safely delivered, delayed by several fretful weeks. Sheesh!

Jamestown, Rhode Islad

At 7′ width per gate leaf, a steel frame is required. Here we opt for Option #2 on the Base Price Pages: An exposed 2″ x 2″ hollow core frame fabricated on site to the Prowell specs.

Mill Valley, CA

Driveway gates #13-2 applies Option #3 in the Sloping Grades. The top and bottom horizontal rails are built on the bias, or parallel to the slope, whereas the grids themselves are level.

Mill Valley, CA

Calculating the angle takes us back to high school trigonometry. What we need from your installer is the total run between the columns, and the level rise. Here we had a 14′ run with an 18″ rise. At 14′, the auto gates are mounted to a pair of exposed steel frames.

Kentfield, CA
(Grid Openings: 4.27″W x 5.09″ H.)

The original wood auto gates #13, with flush-joined grids at a slight vertical rectangle. Because the gate height is almost exactly the same as the net width of each gate, we were able to add only 1/4″ to the width of the bottom rail to accomplish the equal grids.

Many communities require that a certain percentage of the driveway wood entry gates is open, with a smaller percentage as solid. This is obviously to prevent a neighborhood with barrier-like gates fronting the properties.

Kentfield, CA

There is a decided difference between grids that overlap, such as lattice, and grids that are joined flush.

Note: The below finish was applied on site and with a product that features a top sealer coat. The result is often not only a splotchy finish, but a sealer coat that will ultimately peel. The best exterior finish on the market today regarding maintenance and lifeline, is WoodRX. An absorbing, non-solvent, finish with a 7-8-year lifeline that will never peel or check and if not maintained, it simply fades over the years to a natural graying patina. A fresh coat can be applied at any time.

Note: we do not recommend any product that is two-part, with the second coat as a sealing luster. The second coat is vulnerable to checking, yellowing, and cracking, making the refinishing a labor-intensive endeavor. Paints and solid-body stains are better, with uniform finishes and longer lifelines, but because they are non-absorbing, the cedar must be fully exposed to the elements for 2-3 weeks prior to finishing. They also require due diligence–if their maintenance is ignored, they peel and crack, requiring scraping and sanding prior to re-painting.

The construction methodology and grades / specifications of the cedar Prowell stocks does not need any finish, whether you are in Duluth or Atlanta.. And yet it is often aesthetically preferable, in which case follow our suggestions offered in the link below.

See Exterior Finish Options

Kentfield, CA

D riveway gate #13-3, showing the In-Ground Viking I-8 motors. Mounted to pins that pivot, with the top and bottom pins perfectly aligned. The motor is under the steel plate on the bottom. More information on this type of automation motor can be found on the Product Specifications page. If you or your installer opt for the in-ground motor, Prowell will call out the clearance and provide the plates top and bottom mortised into the gate.

Below, the steel post below is obviously in-progress and will ultimately be wrapped in cedar.

Kentfield, CA

The matching Pedestrian Gate style #60-1

An equal number of square grids horizontally is easily calculated within a fixed width. Vertically, however, and we are almost always left with the choice of either a partial grid at the bottom, or an over sized grid height, or a bottom rail with an increased width. Here our bottom row of grids are the same size as the others by increasing the width of the bottom rail. But beware, in that this is not always possible and depends largely on the size of the remainder grid.

IN-PROGRESS

The math for wood entry gates on the bias:

The angle itself is transferred to the cut-off saw. If that cut is .5º off, the extrapolated rise will be off exponentially to the overall rough opening and the result will be a set of gates that are not parallel to the sloping grade.