Residential Gates

Your first main decision is to decide the material the gate is made from; a softwood or hardwood (from FSC accredited sources) residential gate or a metal “wrought iron” residential gate. If privacy is your goal, consider a close boarded wooden gate so that prying eyes cannot see through. If an ornamental looking gate is your aim then a traditional wrought iron gate with beautifully complex designs will better suit; metal gates come with many more options than wooden gates. If maintenance is a key consideration it should be noted that Portcullis metal gates are galvanised and then powder coated during manufacture so there is no need to re-paint them, while wooden gates will need rubbing down and treating or painting usually once per year.

Your second main decision is the overall outer shape of the gate, and there are three main options to choose from. They are down-swept arch, flattop and up-swept arch, as shown in the images below, with the standard five bar wooden gate falling into the flattop category.

Further important decisions to be made are:

• Will the residential gate be manual or automated, generally referred to as electric gates, and if automated whether the electric gate automation will use above ground operators or below ground operators?
• Will it be a sliding gate or swing gate? Or would a bi-folding gate be more suitable if there is a sloping driveway or lack of space. Our surveyors generally advise which is most suitable based on your site layout and your requirements?
• Will extra security be needed through the use of additional locks, access control and CCTV?
• Will any added design features such as finials, dog guards and name plates for metal residential gates be required?

First the surveyor will discuss all functional requirements of the residential gate. These may include standard requirements such as whether you are intending to manually operate the gate or if it is to be an electric gate using either above ground gate operators or below ground gate operators. They may also include more abstract requests such as keeping wildlife out or the family dog in.

They will survey the site layout and ground conditions to assess whether a swing gate, sliding gate or bi-folding gate may best suit and discuss the options with you. For example if the gate is to be situated on a hill then a swing gate may not be the ideal solution, or if there is a high water table underground operators may be less than ideal.

They will discuss your aesthetic requirements, provide product information showing you numerous residential gate designs and assess the level of gate security that must be achieved through additional locks, access control and CCTV. A change in the type of gate automation may even be considered to achieve enhanced security.

Most importantly the surveyor will carry out a full risk assessment and health and safety check, part of the Portcullis Gate Automation service, outlining potential crushing, cutting, shearing or dragging hazards and other dangers. Plus address any concerns you may have to ensure that the gate installation meets the requirements of both the customer and all current legislation.

Portcullis Gate Automation surveyors will explain the installation process so that you are fully informed and aware of what lies ahead, and work to provide you with the most beneficial overall solution while bearing budgets in mind.

This is because gate automation is now enforced by law to adhere to the Machinery Directive. Safety and compliance to the Machinery Directive and strict health and safety guidelines as set out by the Health and Safety Executive mean we do not supply off-the-shelf third-party electric gates. We choose the best suited components from leading gate manufacturers, assemble them into a machine, install it for our customers and then warranty the complete gate installation.

Installing manual gates does not fall under the same electric gate legislation therefore Portcullis Gate Automation in Kent and Buckinghamshire are able to supply a wide range of off-the-shelf manual gates once a site survey and risk assessment has been carried out.