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Building on a Solid Foundation

One of the most important aspects to consider in any driveway gate installation is the foundation of your project.  If the footings and structural support of your gate are not installed properly, what starts out as a beautiful addition to your home will soon become a costly eye sore. This is especially important on double gates that require the centers to align properly to maintain in order to maintain a pleasing appearance.

Before you start any excavation on your project you should contact your local utility companies to do a site check. The various utility companies will usually come to the site at no cost to mark any underground gas or water pipes and electrical lines. This will help to remove any liability from the contractor or homeowner if any buried lines happen to be severed.

The first thing you need to look at before you start is the soil conditions of your job site. Soil that is unstable or has major clay content can cause the gate to sag and will need additional structural support for a long lasting installation. In the case of single gates the best solutions is usually to install outriggers (view outrigger diagram), metal arms which extend out from the post in both directions of the swing and are anchored in concrete. If you are installing a double gate it becomes necessary to install a grade beam (view grade beam diagram). This will tie the two posts or columns together.  This way the entire installation settles as one unit and prevents misalignment of the gate leafs.

We always recommend that the gate itself be hung from steel posts rather than wood or masonry.  Wood tends to warp and rot over time, and masonry will crack. In the case of stone columns we advise installing steel skeletons (view skeleton diagram) in the center of the columns. This will provide a support structure (view structure diagram)  for the hinges, gate operators, control cabinets, and lighting.

Gate posts should be at least 5”x 5” and set 36” below grade (view post diagram). The minimum width of the hole should be 20” x 20” and it should be square to prevent the soil from loosening due to the gates swinging action.

In the case of columns, it is required that you build a concrete footing (view column footing diagram). The size of the footing will be determined by the column size and the soil conditions. In firm soil conditions, the footing should be at least 30” down and at least 6” wider than the column on all sides. If the soil is loamy, clay, or sandy then you will need a shallower hole with wider footings. For a typical 30” x 30” column this would be a 60” x 60” hole, 18” deep, with 12” of concrete and rebar. This is another instance where you may consider installing a grade beam to provide a larger footprint for your installation to prevent shifting and settling.

If you need any further information, feel free to take a look at our online installation diagram library (view diagram library) or contact us toll free at 1.888.818.4283 or 707.938.1002.