A garden gate in 5 EASY steps!
I am not sure when or where I learned to make gates but … they are so very easy!
This gate literally took me a half hour from start to finish … once I assembled my materials.
Step 1
Measure the width of your opening and subtract an inch.
Figure out how tall you want your gate to be. Subtract a foot.
* I wanted mine to be 4 feet tall to match the height of the fence so I subtracted a foot and made my frame 3 feet tall.
Assemble your materials …
2 X 4′s to make the frame
1 X 4′s for the gate slats
My work space is outside where I have plenty of room to move around!
Step 2
In order to make your frame SQUARE you need to make sure that your diagonal measurements are the same.
ie. 45 inches both ways (whatever your measurement is)
* If you don’t have your diagonal measurements the same … your gate will be lopsided and not fit in the opening.
Seriously, this is the step that takes the most time, as this is the MOST important.
Step 3
The diagonal board is a 2X4 but for this gate I did not have a left over 2X4.
I used 2 – 2X2′s.
(I was using left over wood that I had on hand … making this gate … FREE!)
I lay the diagonal wood under the frame to mark it with a pencil , but for teaching purposes, I took the photo this way to show you.
My gate is going to be 4 feet high so I cut 1X4X8 boards in half.
Cut off 1 inch diagonal on each top corner (just to make it pretty) and use a piece of wood for a spacer between slats for easy measurement.
I like to place the slats a bit higher toward the top of the frame than the bottom.
Add your hinges and latch according to how you want your gate to open.
(It helps to have another person to hold the gate while you attach the gate to the posts!)
You can find the rest of making the garden {HERE}
I am thinking I want to paint the gate a whimsical color but as of this post there has not been a dry day to paint.
If you have any questions … please comment or email me.
Hugs,
