CUSTOM WOOD GARDEN GATES #4

This Garden Gate is Base Price +8%
Go to Base Price Table

Carmel, CA

Craftsman Wood Garden Gate #4-4 in Carmel, California.

Carmel, CA

The weathered aesthetic of the flanking fence and arbor find a charming allowance with the garden gate finished with a Cape Cod blue.

* There is a subtly at work here that many viewers will miss. A decidedly purposeful subtly, by homeowners who have calculated an aesthetic with an approach that appears modest and altogether unassuming. The approaching walkway is muted, becoming almost haphazard once through the gate and within the property. Color coded to lead the eye to the similar tones of the posts and arbor that flank that walkway. To either side of the gate is a grape stakes fence, also weathered. The plantings within the gate are a desert variety bedded with decomposed granite, whereas upon approach-see above photo–from the street, a few carefully placed dollops of color with the violas and lobelia that in turn lure our eye to the almost cerulean blueness of the gate. These are homeowners who would make for an interesting luncheon conversation. And my first inquiry would be, ‘What’s up with the Terracotta bunny, shown in the photo above?

San Luis Obispo, CA
(5 columns of grids, without relief blocks)

As with the above #4-4, we are shown an approach that is a work of art. The insouciant gifts of our homeowners in creating a canvas where everything works in unison. Garden Gate designs loosely mimicking the house color and therefore instantly makes that association as a part of the house. The connectivity of a portal. The cold hard texture of the block column and their rough-hewn mortar joints accentuated with a flat black patina to shoulder something effeminate, something almost sensual by comparison.

All of it given the ballast of a perfect composition with two rangy potted plantings corroborated by the similar motif bordering the entry walk. Had the walk been planted with a sumptuous flowering color, that balance would be lost.

Hats off to the gifted eye behind this presentation.
Rocky Mountain latch E236

San Mateo, CA

Craftsman wood garden gate #4-18 features a lower horizontal floating panel.
Accompanied by Pony Panels Style #4 and Arbor Style #9

Kent Woodlands, CA
(3 columns of grids with Relief Blocks)

A craftsman wood gate design in Marin County, California.

Eventually the natural fence-line of the hedge will mature to a consistent height and provide a better visual balance to the centered Entry Gates.

Kent Woodlands, CA

Narrow solid panels flanking the  gate designs to establish a subtle announcement, or foyer. Small relief blocks accentuate the planks that are peculiar to the style #4-1.

Flanking panels: Base Cost

Playa Del Rey, CA
(4 columns of grids without Relief Blocks. Prepped for glass. Wider grid dividers)

Garden Gate #4-13 was shipped such that obscure glass could be inserted on site. This included grid dividers of 2-1/2″ widths, rabetted from the back to accept the glass, and shipped with the thin wood stops to secure the glass tacked in place.

Another example of the Garden Gate #4 painted a coastal blue.

Birmingham, Michigan
(4 columns of grids)

Gate #4-19 set to jambs on a contrasting plain stucco wall.

Birmingham, Michigan

A closer look at garden gate #4-19. 48″W x 68-½” ht.
Rocky Mountain latch E414
WoodRX pre-finish ‘Classic PT’

Mill Valley, CA
(7 columns of grids)

Garden Gate #4-17 are 52″ wide each x 52″ ht from the grade.

Rocky Mountain latch E236
Bronze cane bolt 80-100 and bronze gate stop.

Santa Monica, CA
(6 columns of grids. Lower open slots )

Garden Gate #4-22 with matching flanking panel. Paint finish.
Flanking panel style #22
Rocky Mt latch E504 and dead bolt DB511

Santa Monica, CA

Let’s pause and ponder one of the more endearing gardens on the web site. One of three smallish cottages built in 1921, 2 blocks from one of the world’s most notable beaches. The Ipanema of the states. We can’t help but imagine this location, with its present-day clustered affluence against that of 100 years ago. When these cottages were built, Santa Monica, like the western half of San Francisco, was largely sand dunes.

Kenwood, CA (Sonoma County)
(5 columns of grids with Relief Blocks)

Garden Gate #4-3 will gradually weather to a silvery gray, which is appropriate for such a natural and woody landscape.

Kenwood, CA

The sister wood gate at the primary entry.

Seattle, Washington
(4 columns of grids without Relief Blocks)

Once again, as with #4-4 in Carmel, we are shown an entry approach with a decidedly organic dismissal of a more formal, planned landscape. Planned, yes, and laid out with more care and thought than we’re lead to believe. Which is the idea.

Seattle, Washington

A little closer look. gate #4-5 with four grids per row, no Craftsman Blocks beneath the middle horizontal rail.

The arbor and fence are not Prowell products.

Richardson, Texas
(7 columns of grids w/o Relief Block. With lower open slots)

A series of six Craftsman Gates #4-6 featured at the Noah’s Multi-Use facilities in various locations. Below, Noah’s in Richardson, Texas.

Garden Gate #4-6 features smaller grids of approximately 4″. The same two rows as the standard #4, but simply more grids. There is also an absence of the Craftsman Relief Blocks.

Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
(7 columns of grids with lower pickets)

Early photos of a garden gate design #4-9 accompanied with a series of Fence style #27.

The lower pickets are from 1-1/4″ – 1-1/2″ thickness x 3-1/4″ width: Hence +14%

Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

The cedar here has weathered naturally for 1-1/2 years. Eventually turning the same silvery gray as the trademark shingles on the house shown above.

Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

A before photo, as the inimitable aesthetic of Martha’s Vineyard.

Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

The resident young’ns with the newest addition to the family. Meet Gus. Who, we’re told, demands more attention than both the granddaughters combined.

A House for Moe

One morning, out of the blue
Whisty thinks, while tying his shoe.
That he’ll build a home, with an elaborate dome,
Where Moe can sleep, and count some sheep,
In a doghouse all his own.

Father says fine, but we’ll need to assign,
A foreman we’ll pay well, if we’re planning to excel.
From the moment we’ve begun, to the moment we’re done,
It’s an absolute must, this man we can trust.
We’ll pay him big dough, for running the show.

And a good architect, with a fair amount of circumspect,
To work with the foreman, whose name could be . . . Norman.
Who’ll draw the foundations, and layout the locations,
All the specifications, and the fancy notations.
We’ll pay him big dough, and his name could be . . . Joe.

And a plumber, whose rates are a bummer
Who can afford safaris, and restored Ferraris.
And a roofer, who will show up drunk,
In a beat up car, who sleeps in the trunk
We will pay him big dough, cause that’s how it is, you know.

And don’t forget, a painter,
Who is not, a complainter.
And a banker to send us,
All the money he’ll lend us
And what an expense, the dollars and cents.
A house for Moe is a lot of dough.

But Dad, it’s me, don’t you see,
I’m all those guys, and I work for free.
Just Moe and me and you, until we’re through.
design’n and draw’n, hammer’n and saw’n,
Just Moe and you and me, only us three.

Well Whisty, you really wanna pursue it?
Yeah Daddy-o, let’s get busy and do it.
We must unpack the box, and count the parts,
We must stack the blocks, before we starts.
We must collect our tools, as if they were jewels,
We can paint it red, or maybe orange instead.

Read me the instructions Whisty, word by word.
I am only five, Dad. Don’t be absurd.
Well what shall we do, if we can’t read it through?
Mom could do it, I bet. She could do it, no sweat.
Are you serious? Are you delirious?
Mom reads good, even about wood.

A trick to marriage is never disparage, the quid pro quo,
Follow the rules, the precious jewels, of what’s apropos.
Let them win, now and again, just for good fun,
And be sure to grin, if and when, you’re outdone.
But hold your best hand, and trust in blind faith,
You do not end up, like Henry the Eighth.

Da-ad, why won’t you just read the instructions?
Because they require too many deductions.
Just read the first things to do, could you please, would you?
Connect A to B with toggled screw, and F to C with dab of glue.
X to Y to Q (see side view), then Z to F to U, and bolt it through.
Turn to the rafter pitch, bye and bye,
Calculate this n’ that , divisible by . . .

Good job, Dad, now we’re started.
Hey, was that Moe who just farted?
Da-ad.
Run, boy! Make for the door! Moe’s about to fart some more!
You’re stalling, Dad. It’ll take us a week.
It’s appalling, Son. It’s written in Greek.

I’m callin Mom.
Now Whister . . . stay calm.
Mom can be the boss, only we’ll call her . . . Ross.
The eponymous ross-a-boss, as the anonymous . . . alb-a-tross.
Ross is the boss and we are the crew.
But we’ll pretend, Whisty, it’s just Moe and me and you.

A House for Moe
Prowell, May 2008

Lafayette, Ca
(5 columns of grids with Craftsman Blocks)

Garden Gate style #4-10 mounted to flagstone columns.

(5 columns of grids with lower open-mortised squares)

Garden Gate style #4-10 with the lower open mortised squares.

Cupertino, CA

Garden Gate #4-10 flanked by one of the more unique 3rd-party fence styles.

Altadena, CA
(7 columns of grids without lower open-slots)

Garden Gate style #4-23 at 52″ width x 42″ ht.  Normally we prefer not to have the width of a gate extend much beyond that of the height, as the stress load on the top hinge joint then requires a thru-tenon with locking wedges, or the prowell Joint #6

At the risk of boring you, we’ll scroll through a few more offerings of Gate style #4

Base Cost + 10% (5 columns of grids without Craftsman Relief Blocks)
Los Gatos, CA

Garden gate #4-12 with flanking fence panels style #22. The installer has elected to set their posts with brackets, and hiding those with the blocks shown.
Inset: Rocky Mountain latch E414 and dead bolt DB511.

Base Cost + 9%(5 columns of grids with Craftsman Relief Blocks)
San Anselmo, CA

We throw this in to show one of the more unusual applications. A gate that appears to separate the garage door. Utilizing the Lockey self-closer, there is no latch or latch post. A piece of wood on the pavement serves as the gate stop.

IN-PROGRESS

An interesting F-setting on the camera gives us the #4-18 and flanking panels in the shop

Depending on the gate style and the size of the gate, the process varies. Of the 140 gate designs spanning 4 galleries, we’ll illustrate the various methodologies that somehow add up to a complete tutorial.

Here we see joint #6 and #9, but with the locking pin revised to set within the lower dado and up into the floating tenon.
The long through tenon will receive two kerfs to accept a pair of oak wedges that, when tapped in during the final assembly, spread the tenon tight against the shoulders of the mortise. Once exposed to the elements–the moisture of humidity, fog, dew, rain–the tenon expands and the joints becomes even tighter. A joint that will insure your great-grandchildren pass in and out of the same gate at a time when those of us reading these words are long gone.

Prowell’s Joint #6

Prowell’s Joint #9

Creating the upper grid.

A 54″ wide gate #4 ready for assembly.

And Lewella, as in Lewella Longings, stands ready to insure Charles and Ben work in a clean environment.