Secure foundations are essential due to the weight of our hardwood swing gates (100-200 kg), when hung on hardwood posts or brick piers. On a new site, where brick piers are desired, we fix a steel post of no less than 150 x 150 mm into a concrete foundation measuring approximately 1000 x 800 x 800 mm. This is more than many installers use, but it is our minimum requirement. By doing this we can guarantee a sufficient counterweight that prevents the posts from leaning or moving. When soil conditions are unstable, susceptible to ground heave, or near a watercourse or ditch, we may choose to increase this.

Once the steel posts are in place and our custom-made adjustable hinge brackets are welded on, brick work can commence. Commonly we build 550 – 600 mm square piers. Although depending on the quality of the soil conditions and the proportions of the gates, they may be partially backfilled with concrete. The rest of the hollow cavity which contains the steel post is used for cabling ducts.

When the brickwork is complete the hinge pins will be protruding from the piers.These will be at the correct position for gates that will hang dead plumb and level. This position will be agreed upon at the design stage by our CAD designer. Providing this work is carried out correctly,  you may not need to backfill the cavity as the mass foundation around the steel posts will be enough to take the weight of the gates.

Our hinges are also custom-made in house, and are adjustable to account for any natural movement of timber that may happen over or after the process of manufacturing. As heavy as our hardwood gates may be, they are perfectly supported by our hinges. When our gates are unlocked, you can swing them with just your little finger!

For information about how are gates are constructed go to our Craftmanship Page.