Driveway Gates! Anyone here make them? Recommendations?
Discussion
It looks like ive just secured my dream home after a very turbulant period in the hands of the housing market. All going well it'll be a long term home for me and the wife. One thing the place does need is a driveway gate. Details:
The property is a year 1900 build, period style cottage so the gate needs to be in keeping with the features of the house. The entrance to the driveway is approx 10ft wide and the current brick pillars have gate fitmemts already attached so thats a bonus so long as they are in good nick. I'd like a Field Gate style design in hardwood, a bit like a 5 bar gate you'd see in a farmers field. It would also be handy to have ram / motor opening / closing and remote activation. No need for intercom as its not a castle / mansion. Security is obviously important because of the cars so there needs to be some form of lock fitted.
So, thats what im after. Anyone here in the gate building / fitting buisness? Any good contacts?
Eddie
The property is a year 1900 build, period style cottage so the gate needs to be in keeping with the features of the house. The entrance to the driveway is approx 10ft wide and the current brick pillars have gate fitmemts already attached so thats a bonus so long as they are in good nick. I'd like a Field Gate style design in hardwood, a bit like a 5 bar gate you'd see in a farmers field. It would also be handy to have ram / motor opening / closing and remote activation. No need for intercom as its not a castle / mansion. Security is obviously important because of the cars so there needs to be some form of lock fitted.
So, thats what im after. Anyone here in the gate building / fitting buisness? Any good contacts?
Eddie
ecain63 said:
It looks like ive just secured my dream home after a very turbulant period in the hands of the housing market. All going well it'll be a long term home for me and the wife. One thing the place does need is a driveway gate. Details:
The property is a year 1900 build, period style cottage so the gate needs to be in keeping with the features of the house. The entrance to the driveway is approx 10ft wide and the current brick pillars have gate fitmemts already attached so thats a bonus so long as they are in good nick. I'd like a Field Gate style design in hardwood, a bit like a 5 bar gate you'd see in a farmers field. It would also be handy to have ram / motor opening / closing and remote activation. No need for intercom as its not a castle / mansion. Security is obviously important because of the cars so there needs to be some form of lock fitted.
So, thats what im after. Anyone here in the gate building / fitting buisness? Any good contacts?
Eddie
There is a place on New road (nearer Kinson than Parley) - that does gates. It looks like he does it from home and they look really good. No idea of the name, but drive past and you will see it. The bungalow / house is just near the speed camera after the bridge!The property is a year 1900 build, period style cottage so the gate needs to be in keeping with the features of the house. The entrance to the driveway is approx 10ft wide and the current brick pillars have gate fitmemts already attached so thats a bonus so long as they are in good nick. I'd like a Field Gate style design in hardwood, a bit like a 5 bar gate you'd see in a farmers field. It would also be handy to have ram / motor opening / closing and remote activation. No need for intercom as its not a castle / mansion. Security is obviously important because of the cars so there needs to be some form of lock fitted.
So, thats what im after. Anyone here in the gate building / fitting buisness? Any good contacts?
Eddie
I got a set of wooden gates from McHardy Gates a couple of years ago, they are excellent, and deliver etc.
Can't seem to find their website anywhere, but the details are as follows:
G R Mchardy Gates
Mr Graham McHardy
Okleith Farm
Andover
Hampshire
South West
England
SP11 8LD
Telephone 01264 889034
or: 07884 230957
Edited to add:
Website was: http://www.grmchardygates.co.uk/ but doesn't seem to be working
Can't seem to find their website anywhere, but the details are as follows:
G R Mchardy Gates
Mr Graham McHardy
Okleith Farm
Andover
Hampshire
South West
England
SP11 8LD
Telephone 01264 889034
or: 07884 230957
Edited to add:
Website was: http://www.grmchardygates.co.uk/ but doesn't seem to be working
Edited by GTSDave on Tuesday 5th April 10:32
Update:
In the end I decided, after some fruitless investigation work (most companies won't go above the standard 10ft length) to have the gate built and fitted by Gate Expectations. With it being a custom build I was paying over the odds but got a decent deal at £950 treated and fitted instead of the quoted £1200. So, they were booked in to fit the gate yesterday, the 29th (6 week wait for build) except they didn't fit it!
I've been quite regular with my calls to Gate Expectations over the 6 week wait, checking the finish date and finding out how its all going etc and it did seem from the start that seeing as they took the money at the begining they couldn't be bothered to return my calls. I had to chase up a lot of my requests and never really got 100% clarity in the answers. In fact, when I phoned on monday to ask if I was required to be at home for the fitting on friday they didn't seem to know anything about my gate and said they would all be at the New Forest Show and wouldn't be available anyway. I wasn't massively impressed with that seeing as I'd had the date confirmed numerous times and asked to speak to the manager. The following day they phoned back to tell me they were still ok to fit yesterday and I did not need to be there during fitting.
So, I'm all excited on friday morning and off to work I go. At 09.30 the phone rings. 'I'm terribly sorry Mr Cain but we seem to have the wrong gate for your house'. Unamused I asked if they'd picked up the wrong gate or had they made the wrong gate. She declined to say up front and requested I let her pass me on to the manager. An hour passes and no call back from the boss so I call them up again. The response I got was 'sorry but it appears we made the wrong gate and it'll take 2 weeks to prepare a new one'. What?????
I quickly asked for a refund by bacs transfer but was told they could only send me a cheque. Rubbished the reply and told them that seeing as I paid by bacs they should at least refund by bacs. A word with the accounts dept confirned my request. The thing that really got me was that when I asked for my money back they didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I mean, who turns dow a grand these days?
Long story short, I'm getting one made by another local independant so hopefully I'll get a better result there. I can't help but wonder though, could it be that they sold my gate at the New Forest Show at a pumped up price, thinking that a better option seeing as I'd got mine discounted? Really winds me up!
Eddie
In the end I decided, after some fruitless investigation work (most companies won't go above the standard 10ft length) to have the gate built and fitted by Gate Expectations. With it being a custom build I was paying over the odds but got a decent deal at £950 treated and fitted instead of the quoted £1200. So, they were booked in to fit the gate yesterday, the 29th (6 week wait for build) except they didn't fit it!
I've been quite regular with my calls to Gate Expectations over the 6 week wait, checking the finish date and finding out how its all going etc and it did seem from the start that seeing as they took the money at the begining they couldn't be bothered to return my calls. I had to chase up a lot of my requests and never really got 100% clarity in the answers. In fact, when I phoned on monday to ask if I was required to be at home for the fitting on friday they didn't seem to know anything about my gate and said they would all be at the New Forest Show and wouldn't be available anyway. I wasn't massively impressed with that seeing as I'd had the date confirmed numerous times and asked to speak to the manager. The following day they phoned back to tell me they were still ok to fit yesterday and I did not need to be there during fitting.
So, I'm all excited on friday morning and off to work I go. At 09.30 the phone rings. 'I'm terribly sorry Mr Cain but we seem to have the wrong gate for your house'. Unamused I asked if they'd picked up the wrong gate or had they made the wrong gate. She declined to say up front and requested I let her pass me on to the manager. An hour passes and no call back from the boss so I call them up again. The response I got was 'sorry but it appears we made the wrong gate and it'll take 2 weeks to prepare a new one'. What?????
I quickly asked for a refund by bacs transfer but was told they could only send me a cheque. Rubbished the reply and told them that seeing as I paid by bacs they should at least refund by bacs. A word with the accounts dept confirned my request. The thing that really got me was that when I asked for my money back they didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I mean, who turns dow a grand these days?
Long story short, I'm getting one made by another local independant so hopefully I'll get a better result there. I can't help but wonder though, could it be that they sold my gate at the New Forest Show at a pumped up price, thinking that a better option seeing as I'd got mine discounted? Really winds me up!
Eddie
For what its worth, I've been to see an X5 today in Essex and it turns out the chap sells and distributes gates and opening mechs etc.
Needless to say, getting into his property was very impressive and he's a really nice guy. Let me know if you're still having issues and I'll put you in touch.
ta
Breadvan.
Needless to say, getting into his property was very impressive and he's a really nice guy. Let me know if you're still having issues and I'll put you in touch.
ta
Breadvan.
ecain63 said:
Update:
In the end I decided, after some fruitless investigation work (most companies won't go above the standard 10ft length) to have the gate built and fitted by Gate Expectations. With it being a custom build I was paying over the odds but got a decent deal at £950 treated and fitted instead of the quoted £1200. So, they were booked in to fit the gate yesterday, the 29th (6 week wait for build) except they didn't fit it!
I've been quite regular with my calls to Gate Expectations over the 6 week wait, checking the finish date and finding out how its all going etc and it did seem from the start that seeing as they took the money at the begining they couldn't be bothered to return my calls. I had to chase up a lot of my requests and never really got 100% clarity in the answers. In fact, when I phoned on monday to ask if I was required to be at home for the fitting on friday they didn't seem to know anything about my gate and said they would all be at the New Forest Show and wouldn't be available anyway. I wasn't massively impressed with that seeing as I'd had the date confirmed numerous times and asked to speak to the manager. The following day they phoned back to tell me they were still ok to fit yesterday and I did not need to be there during fitting.
So, I'm all excited on friday morning and off to work I go. At 09.30 the phone rings. 'I'm terribly sorry Mr Cain but we seem to have the wrong gate for your house'. Unamused I asked if they'd picked up the wrong gate or had they made the wrong gate. She declined to say up front and requested I let her pass me on to the manager. An hour passes and no call back from the boss so I call them up again. The response I got was 'sorry but it appears we made the wrong gate and it'll take 2 weeks to prepare a new one'. What?????
I quickly asked for a refund by bacs transfer but was told they could only send me a cheque. Rubbished the reply and told them that seeing as I paid by bacs they should at least refund by bacs. A word with the accounts dept confirned my request. The thing that really got me was that when I asked for my money back they didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I mean, who turns dow a grand these days?
Long story short, I'm getting one made by another local independant so hopefully I'll get a better result there. I can't help but wonder though, could it be that they sold my gate at the New Forest Show at a pumped up price, thinking that a better option seeing as I'd got mine discounted? Really winds me up!
Eddie
Golden Rule: Never employ the services of a company the name of which is a pun or humerous word play. They are almost always sIn the end I decided, after some fruitless investigation work (most companies won't go above the standard 10ft length) to have the gate built and fitted by Gate Expectations. With it being a custom build I was paying over the odds but got a decent deal at £950 treated and fitted instead of the quoted £1200. So, they were booked in to fit the gate yesterday, the 29th (6 week wait for build) except they didn't fit it!
I've been quite regular with my calls to Gate Expectations over the 6 week wait, checking the finish date and finding out how its all going etc and it did seem from the start that seeing as they took the money at the begining they couldn't be bothered to return my calls. I had to chase up a lot of my requests and never really got 100% clarity in the answers. In fact, when I phoned on monday to ask if I was required to be at home for the fitting on friday they didn't seem to know anything about my gate and said they would all be at the New Forest Show and wouldn't be available anyway. I wasn't massively impressed with that seeing as I'd had the date confirmed numerous times and asked to speak to the manager. The following day they phoned back to tell me they were still ok to fit yesterday and I did not need to be there during fitting.
So, I'm all excited on friday morning and off to work I go. At 09.30 the phone rings. 'I'm terribly sorry Mr Cain but we seem to have the wrong gate for your house'. Unamused I asked if they'd picked up the wrong gate or had they made the wrong gate. She declined to say up front and requested I let her pass me on to the manager. An hour passes and no call back from the boss so I call them up again. The response I got was 'sorry but it appears we made the wrong gate and it'll take 2 weeks to prepare a new one'. What?????
I quickly asked for a refund by bacs transfer but was told they could only send me a cheque. Rubbished the reply and told them that seeing as I paid by bacs they should at least refund by bacs. A word with the accounts dept confirned my request. The thing that really got me was that when I asked for my money back they didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I mean, who turns dow a grand these days?
Long story short, I'm getting one made by another local independant so hopefully I'll get a better result there. I can't help but wonder though, could it be that they sold my gate at the New Forest Show at a pumped up price, thinking that a better option seeing as I'd got mine discounted? Really winds me up!
Eddie
t. Further, 10 quid says they dont make the gates themselves, they are made elsewhere and then shipped. Hence the two week turnaround and them not knowing there was a problem until the fitting day.This sort of t
ttery really winds me up. Least you got your cash back.ecain63 said:
Update:
In the end I decided, after some fruitless investigation work (most companies won't go above the standard 10ft length) to have the gate built and fitted by Gate Expectations. With it being a custom build I was paying over the odds but got a decent deal at £950 treated and fitted instead of the quoted £1200. So, they were booked in to fit the gate yesterday, the 29th (6 week wait for build) except they didn't fit it!
I've been quite regular with my calls to Gate Expectations over the 6 week wait, checking the finish date and finding out how its all going etc and it did seem from the start that seeing as they took the money at the begining they couldn't be bothered to return my calls. I had to chase up a lot of my requests and never really got 100% clarity in the answers. In fact, when I phoned on monday to ask if I was required to be at home for the fitting on friday they didn't seem to know anything about my gate and said they would all be at the New Forest Show and wouldn't be available anyway. I wasn't massively impressed with that seeing as I'd had the date confirmed numerous times and asked to speak to the manager. The following day they phoned back to tell me they were still ok to fit yesterday and I did not need to be there during fitting.
So, I'm all excited on friday morning and off to work I go. At 09.30 the phone rings. 'I'm terribly sorry Mr Cain but we seem to have the wrong gate for your house'. Unamused I asked if they'd picked up the wrong gate or had they made the wrong gate. She declined to say up front and requested I let her pass me on to the manager. An hour passes and no call back from the boss so I call them up again. The response I got was 'sorry but it appears we made the wrong gate and it'll take 2 weeks to prepare a new one'. What?????
I quickly asked for a refund by bacs transfer but was told they could only send me a cheque. Rubbished the reply and told them that seeing as I paid by bacs they should at least refund by bacs. A word with the accounts dept confirned my request. The thing that really got me was that when I asked for my money back they didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I mean, who turns dow a grand these days?
Long story short, I'm getting one made by another local independant so hopefully I'll get a better result there. I can't help but wonder though, could it be that they sold my gate at the New Forest Show at a pumped up price, thinking that a better option seeing as I'd got mine discounted? Really winds me up!
Eddie
Firstly, I'm in no way connected with Gate Expectations, but have just had a pair of gates fitted by them, and have no complaints. I had a visit from Gerry the owner, (a petrol-head, BTW) who explained the different types of actuation, and the different quality of the various manufacturers. He was perfectly candid, and didn't push to go the most expensive route.In the end I decided, after some fruitless investigation work (most companies won't go above the standard 10ft length) to have the gate built and fitted by Gate Expectations. With it being a custom build I was paying over the odds but got a decent deal at £950 treated and fitted instead of the quoted £1200. So, they were booked in to fit the gate yesterday, the 29th (6 week wait for build) except they didn't fit it!
I've been quite regular with my calls to Gate Expectations over the 6 week wait, checking the finish date and finding out how its all going etc and it did seem from the start that seeing as they took the money at the begining they couldn't be bothered to return my calls. I had to chase up a lot of my requests and never really got 100% clarity in the answers. In fact, when I phoned on monday to ask if I was required to be at home for the fitting on friday they didn't seem to know anything about my gate and said they would all be at the New Forest Show and wouldn't be available anyway. I wasn't massively impressed with that seeing as I'd had the date confirmed numerous times and asked to speak to the manager. The following day they phoned back to tell me they were still ok to fit yesterday and I did not need to be there during fitting.
So, I'm all excited on friday morning and off to work I go. At 09.30 the phone rings. 'I'm terribly sorry Mr Cain but we seem to have the wrong gate for your house'. Unamused I asked if they'd picked up the wrong gate or had they made the wrong gate. She declined to say up front and requested I let her pass me on to the manager. An hour passes and no call back from the boss so I call them up again. The response I got was 'sorry but it appears we made the wrong gate and it'll take 2 weeks to prepare a new one'. What?????
I quickly asked for a refund by bacs transfer but was told they could only send me a cheque. Rubbished the reply and told them that seeing as I paid by bacs they should at least refund by bacs. A word with the accounts dept confirned my request. The thing that really got me was that when I asked for my money back they didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I mean, who turns dow a grand these days?
Long story short, I'm getting one made by another local independant so hopefully I'll get a better result there. I can't help but wonder though, could it be that they sold my gate at the New Forest Show at a pumped up price, thinking that a better option seeing as I'd got mine discounted? Really winds me up!
Eddie
I had a pair of gates made to fit an existing opening, and I reckon they'd hold back a Panzer division! They're made in house, as the guy who fitted them explained how he put them together. They fit perfectly, and are aligned to the mm.
The control wiring was run down a 100' drive to the main switchboard, and you can't see where they ran it. I asked them to put in extra cabling for PIR lights and intercom on the spur of the moment, and it was all done straight away for no extra cost.
I wiped out one of the safety sensors with my truck a few Saturdays ago. I called up at 09.30 and they promised to be here in a couple of hours. I waited in for them to come and repair it. Having had a late night, I fell asleep and woke up around 14.00. No sign of them, so I called up and asked where they were. They'd been round, fixed it, seen I was asleep and gone on. Not even had a bill yet...
OK, the initial fitting took a little longer than quoted, and they were a couple of hours late on the first day, but that was due to a call out, apparently.
Anyway, just the other side of the coin. I'd definitely recommend them, and would certainly use them again.
Will do mate. I'm now using a Verwood based company actually. There's a father and son run gate builders called Froud & Son who make the gates and then a company called Colin Millhouse fit them. The only thing is that they don't do hard wood, but it seems nobody other than Gate Expectations do. They use Larch which is the nearest thing to it and looking at the quality of their stock it looks pretty solid compared to the cheap softwood stuff you see elsewhere. Upside is that I'm saving £600 over the hardwood so I cannot complain.
The guys at both Frouds and CM have been very helpfull so far, I'll let you know how it goes.
Eddie
The guys at both Frouds and CM have been very helpfull so far, I'll let you know how it goes.
Eddie
Update:
Finally Colin Millhouse came to fit my gate on Friday. Impressed aint the word, 'over-the-moon' is, lol. Custom built by Froud and Son, made from Larch its the hardest of the soft woods and it looks fantastic and feels incredibly strong. The gate is on an adjustable hinge so as it settles it can be adjusted to keep the beam level. I fitted the dog mesh myself incase you were wondering. For the money i am really happy and cannot believe i was going to spend 3 times the amount on a company who really didnt live up to their 'gate expectations'. If anyone wants their number just send me a message or arrange to pop round and have a look. Im off to pickle it in creosote now!
Eddie
Finally Colin Millhouse came to fit my gate on Friday. Impressed aint the word, 'over-the-moon' is, lol. Custom built by Froud and Son, made from Larch its the hardest of the soft woods and it looks fantastic and feels incredibly strong. The gate is on an adjustable hinge so as it settles it can be adjusted to keep the beam level. I fitted the dog mesh myself incase you were wondering. For the money i am really happy and cannot believe i was going to spend 3 times the amount on a company who really didnt live up to their 'gate expectations'. If anyone wants their number just send me a message or arrange to pop round and have a look. Im off to pickle it in creosote now!
Eddie
Loopyleesa said:
Looks ace 
I hope you're doing in dark creosote, to match the wood on the house! You can't possibly be leaving it light wood!
Yeah, dark all the way. I wanted to paint it black but the gate guy said that paint is the worst thing you can put on it. It'll crack due to it not being able to breathe and let out moisture. I'll mix some old oil in with the dark creosote to get it nice and black.I hope you're doing in dark creosote, to match the wood on the house! You can't possibly be leaving it light wood!
Eddie
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