Measuring a Driveway Opening for a Gate

By the time the tape is run across the opening, the width of the widest vehicle has already set the size of the gate, as the notes at driveway gates georgetown museum house on bloor explain for a driveway in Georgetown, TX. The opening is measured at the narrowest point, post to post, and again at the height of a truck mirror.

What is measured first at a driveway opening?

The clear width between the posts comes first, taken at three heights: near the ground, at the middle rail and at the top. Brick columns and old fence posts are rarely plumb, so the three numbers differ by an inch or more. The smallest number is the one that counts. A gate built to the widest reading will bind on the tight side.

How wide should the clear opening be?

The widest vehicle that will pass sets the minimum. A pickup with its mirrors out needs about eight feet, and a trailer or a delivery truck needs ten or more. A single swing leaf over twelve feet puts a heavy load on one hinge post, so a wide opening usually becomes a dual swing pair or a slide gate. Williamson County lots with a long setback have room for either layout.

What about the posts and the ground under them?

The post spacing sets the hinge and latch positions, and the soil sets the footing. Limestone soil near Lake Georgetown holds a post tightly, and clay near the San Gabriel River swells and moves it. The measuring visit checks both posts, because one side of a drive can sit on rock and the other on clay.

A steel post for a driveway gate is usually four inch square tubing or larger, with a base plate or a drilled footing at least thirty inches deep.

How is the grade measured?

A string line is stretched across the opening at the height of the bottom rail, and a level shows how far the ground rises or falls under the arc. A rise of a few inches across the swing path is common on lots near Georgetown Square and Sun City Texas. A rising hinge, a higher bottom rail or a slide gate solves it, and the choice is made before any steel is cut.

What gets written down before fabrication?

The sheet lists the three widths, the rise across the arc, the free space behind each post, the post size, the overhead clearance and the distance to the street. It also records the finish, either powder coat or galvanized, and the type of operator if one is planned. Steel and tubing are ordered from that sheet, and a second measurement is taken against the finished frame before it leaves the shop.