Timber Gate Cost NSW 2026 - Get Free Quotes

What Timber Gates Cost in New South Wales

Timber gate prices in New South Wales are usually quoted as supply and installation together, which is the opposite of how doors are priced and worth knowing before you compare quotes. A side access gate runs $400 to $800, a pedestrian entry gate $600 to $1,500, a single driveway gate $1,500 to $3,500, a double set $2,500 to $6,000 and a sliding gate $3,000 to $8,000. Automation adds $1,500 to $4,000. Posts are the common exception. Many quotes assume existing posts are sound and reusable, and where new posts and footings are needed that is an additional line instead of something buried in the rate. The jump from a pedestrian gate to a driveway gate is larger than the size difference suggests.

A 900mm gate hangs comfortably on a standard post, while a 3.5 metre leaf exerts enormous turning force on its hinge post, and the footing supporting that post becomes an engineering question, not a digging question. That is the single most common reason cheap driveway gates fail. The gate is usually fine and the post has moved, and the wider service is set out under fence and gate installation. This page covers costs by gate type, posts and footings, timber species, hardware and automation, and the New South Wales rules that apply, including pool barrier requirements and dividing fence cost sharing with a neighbour. Figures are indicative New South Wales rates for 2026 and assume ordinary residential work on reasonably level ground. Sloping sites, heritage properties, bushfire-prone land and pool barrier gates each carry additional requirements covered further down.

Side Access and Pedestrian Gates

Matching a side access gate to adjacent paling fencing costs $400 to $800 supplied and installed. This is the most economical gate there is, because it uses the same palings, rails and posts as the fence around it and needs no special detailing. A pedestrian entry gate runs $600 to $1,500 and sits in a different category despite the similar size. Entry gates are seen from the street, usually carry a feature design, and are built to a standard of finish that a side gate is not. Matching the palings, rails and post spacing to the fence either side is what makes it disappear into the run instead of reading as an addition. Where the fence is older, a new gate in fresh timber will stand out until it weathers.

Width drives more of the cost than height does. A 900mm gate is standard and economical, while anything over about 1.2 metres in a single leaf starts to sag under its own weight unless the frame is properly braced or a steel frame is used inside the timber cladding. Bracing is where quality shows on a timber gate. A diagonal brace must run from the bottom of the hinge side up to the top of the latch side, putting the brace in compression, and a brace fitted the other way does nothing and the gate will drop within a year.

Ledged and braced gates, framed and braced gates and fully framed mortice and tenon gates sit on a rising scale of cost and durability. Where an existing gate has dropped, not failed, timber fence and gate repairs is usually the cheaper answer. Self-closing hardware on a side gate is worth considering even where it is not required. A gate that latches itself is the difference between a secure side path and one that stands open every time somebody carries something through. Choosing between them is largely a question of how often the gate will be used. A gate opened several times a day earns the framed construction, while a rarely used rear access gate does not.

Driveway Gates

A single driveway gate runs $1,500 to $3,500 supplied and installed, and a double set $2,500 to $6,000. The difference is not simply two gates, not one, because a pair meeting in the middle must align with each other as well as with the posts. Span is the driver. A single leaf spanning a 3 to 3.5 metre driveway is a large, heavy object cantilevered off one post, and every millimetre of movement at the post becomes several millimetres of droop at the latch edge. A double set solves that by halving the span, which is why most driveway installations over about 3 metres use two leaves. Each leaf is lighter, the turning force on each post is lower, and the gates are easier to open by hand.

Ground clearance and fall across the opening matter more than people expect. A swinging gate needs clearance through its full arc, so a driveway that rises toward the house forces either a higher clearance underneath or a gate that only opens outward. It also halves the swing arc each leaf needs, which matters on a short driveway where a single wide gate would foul a parked car. The trade-off is a second hinge post and a centre stop or drop bolt.

Outward-opening driveway gates create a separate problem where the driveway meets the footpath. A gate swinging over public land is generally not permitted, and councils take this seriously because a gate opening across a footpath is a hazard to pedestrians. That constraint is often what pushes a project toward a sliding gate, not a swinging one. Powered systems are priced under automatic gate installation.

Sliding Gates

A sliding gate runs $3,000 to $8,000 and is the answer where a swinging gate will not work. Sloping driveways, narrow frontages and openings where a swing arc would cross a footpath all point in this direction. Sliding gates need side room. The gate has to travel its full width to one side of the opening, so a 4 metre gate needs roughly 4 metres of clear run alongside, plus the counterweight section on a cantilever design. Pedestrian traffic is worth thinking about separately, since a sliding gate is awkward to use on foot and many installations pair one with a small hinged gate alongside. That second gate is cheap to add during the same visit.

Two mechanisms dominate. A track-guided gate runs on a rail set into the driveway and is cheaper but collects debris and needs the track kept clear, while a cantilever gate carries its weight on rollers to one side with nothing crossing the driveway at all. Cantilever systems cost more and are generally worth it on a residential driveway. There is no track to clean, no rail to trip on, and nothing to jam when leaves and grit accumulate over a wet week.

Timber on a sliding gate is almost always cladding over a steel frame. A full timber sliding gate of any size is too heavy and too prone to seasonal movement to run reliably, so the frame does the structural work and the timber provides the appearance. That construction changes the maintenance picture. The steel frame needs its coating maintained, particularly at welds and fixings, and the timber cladding needs the same finishing attention as any exposed timber. Powder-coated or hot-dip galvanised steel is the usual frame specification, with galvanising preferred anywhere near the coast. Check what the frame treatment is instead of assuming.

Gate Automation

Automation adds $1,500 to $4,000 to a driveway gate, covering the motor, the control system and the safety devices. The figure varies with the gate weight, the mechanism and how the power and control cabling has to be run. Swing gate automation uses either articulated arm or underground ram operators. Arm operators are cheaper and easier to service, while underground rams are almost invisible and suit heritage or high-end installations at a premium. Sliding gate automation uses a rack and pinion drive along the bottom of the gate and is generally the more reliable arrangement.

There is one motor rather than two and the geometry is simpler. Safety devices are not optional and should appear as line items. Photoelectric beams across the opening, force limiting on the motor and an obstruction reversal function all exist because a powered gate closing on a child or a car does serious damage. Swing gate installations need two motors on a double set, which is part of why sliding automation often costs less to run and maintain over time. Fewer moving parts generally means fewer callouts.

Powered gates are covered by their own standards and by general product safety law, and a quote that omits safety devices is quoting an incomplete system, not a cheaper one. Ask specifically what is included. Power and access control add to the scope. Most systems need a dedicated circuit run by a licensed electrician, and entry options include remotes, keypads, intercoms and phone-based access, with scope at intercom and access control installation. Battery backup is worth specifying instead of adding later. A powered gate without it becomes a manual gate during an outage, and on a heavy sliding gate the manual release is awkward to operate in the dark.

Posts, Footings and Why Gates Fail

Almost every failed timber gate in New South Wales failed at the post rather than at the gate. Understanding that changes what you look for in a quote. A gate post carries the entire weight of the leaf as a cantilever, and it does so with a constant sideways force that a fence post never experiences. A post that would be perfectly adequate in a fence line is frequently inadequate as a hinge post.

Size and depth both matter. Hinge posts on pedestrian gates are commonly 100 by 100 millimetres, while driveway gates generally need 125 by 125 or 150 by 150, and footings need to be deeper and wider than the fence footings either side. Concrete footings for gate posts are standard and the detail matters. The concrete should extend below the post and not the post sitting on soil, and the top should be shaped to shed water away from the timber, not forming a bowl that holds it.

Reactive clay soils across much of Sydney and inland New South Wales make this worse. Ground that swells in winter and shrinks in summer moves shallow footings seasonally, which shows up as a gate that latches in one season and not the other. Steel posts clad in timber are a common solution on wide driveway gates, giving the stiffness of steel with the appearance of timber. Where an existing fence is being extended or replaced at the same time, timber fencing costs sets out the per metre rates. Ask what post size, footing depth and concrete mix are allowed for. A quote that specifies them can be checked, and one that says posts as required cannot.

How a Timber Gate Is Actually Built

Three construction methods dominate residential timber gates in New South Wales, and the difference between them is the main reason two gates of the same size and species can differ by hundreds of dollars. A ledged and braced gate is the simplest. Vertical palings are fixed to horizontal ledges across the back with a diagonal brace between them, and there is no perimeter frame, which makes it cheap, light and entirely dependent on the brace being correct. A framed, ledged and braced gate adds a perimeter frame of stiles and rails around the palings. The frame carries the load, not the palings, the gate holds its shape far better, and it is the standard construction for anything that will be used daily.

A mortice and tenon gate is proper joinery. Stiles and rails are jointed into each other, not screwed, the joints are wedged or pinned, and the result is the most durable timber gate available and the most expensive to build. Fixings matter as much as the method. Galvanised or stainless bolts and coach screws hold far better than nails in a structure that flexes, and a gate assembled with nails alone will loosen within a few seasons of use.

Cladding orientation affects both appearance and durability. Vertical palings shed water down and off the gate, while horizontal boards hold water on every upper edge and need better sealing and a species that tolerates it. Where a gate is matching existing fencing, the construction usually follows the fence. Other boundary materials are compared under fencing services.

Timber Species and What Suits New South Wales

Timber choice affects both the price and how long the gate stays square, and the right answer differs across this state. Treated pine is the most economical option and dominates side and garden gates. H4 treated pine is rated for in-ground contact and suits posts, while H3 is for above-ground exposed use and suits the gate frame and palings. Getting that treatment level right matters more than the species. An H3 post in the ground will fail years early, and it is a substitution that is invisible once installed and expensive to discover.

The same species dominate timber decking, where the weathering behaviour is easier to observe. Merbau remains popular for feature gates because it is dense, stable and takes a finish well. It bleeds tannin heavily when new, which stains concrete and paving, so a gate over a light-coloured driveway wants sealing before installation and not after. Bringing back greyed timber is covered under timber deck restoration. Spotted gum and blackbutt are the premium Australian hardwoods for entry gates, offering excellent durability and a strong appearance. Blackbutt also carries a bushfire resistance classification that matters on bushfire-prone land.

Western red cedar is the traditional choice for high-end gates because it is light, stable and resists movement, and the weight saving on a large leaf is genuinely useful. It is soft and marks easily, which makes it a poor choice for a side gate that takes daily knocks. Coastal exposure changes the calculation from Wollongong through Sydney to the north coast. Salt air accelerates corrosion on fixings and hardware, so stainless steel or heavily galvanised fittings are worth the premium within a few kilometres of the water.

Timber Against the Alternatives

Timber is not always the right material for a gate, and knowing where it is weakest helps you decide whether to spend more on it or choose something else. Confirming that before the quote is prepared avoids a revision once the installer is on site. Timber's advantages are appearance, warmth, ease of repair and that it can be made to any dimension on site. A timber gate can be matched to existing fencing, modified when a driveway is resurfaced and repaired component by component and not replaced. Its weakness is movement. Timber swells and shrinks with moisture through the New South Wales seasons, and on a wide leaf that movement is enough to change how a gate latches between February and August.

Aluminium gates cost more up front and do not move seasonally. They suit wide driveway spans, pool barriers and coastal properties, and powder-coated finishes are available in timber-look options that read convincingly from the street. Steel framed gates with timber cladding are the common compromise on large openings. The steel carries the structure and holds the gate square while the timber provides the appearance, and it is the standard approach on sliding gates for exactly that reason.

Composite and aluminium slat gates have taken a share of the market for low maintenance reasons. They avoid the recoating cycle entirely, and the trade-off is a look that some owners find less warm than real timber. The honest answer is that timber suits side gates, pedestrian gates and feature entries very well, and is hardest to justify on wide automated driveway gates and pool barriers. Pool-specific options sit at pool fencing and glass alternatives at glass pool balustrades.

Hinges, Latches and Hardware

Hardware is where timber gate quotes differ quietly, and it is the component most likely to fail first. Hinge capacity has to match the gate weight. Standard tee hinges suit a light paling gate, while heavy field gate hinges or adjustable bolt-through hinges are needed on anything sizeable, and undersized hinges tear out of the post over time. Adjustable hinges are worth the premium on any gate that matters. Timber moves, footings settle and ground shifts seasonally, and a hinge that can be tuned with a spanner turns a callout into a two-minute adjustment. Self-closing hinges use either a spring or a hydraulic mechanism.

Spring hinges are cheap and snap the gate shut hard, while hydraulic closers control the speed and are far kinder to both the gate and anyone following it through. Latch choice depends on which side you need to operate it from and how secure it needs to be. Ring latches, gravity latches, lockable latches and magnetic latches all suit different situations, and magnetic latches have become common because they tolerate a gate that has moved slightly. Corrosion resistance is the specification to insist on. Hot-dip galvanised or stainless steel hardware costs more than zinc plated and lasts many times longer outdoors, particularly near the coast. Keyed and padlockable options are fitted under lock installation.

Pool Barrier Gates and NSW Law

A gate forming part of a swimming pool barrier is the most heavily regulated gate in New South Wales, and the rules are specific and measurable rather than general principles. The framework is the Swimming Pools Act 1992 together with Australian Standard AS 1926.1, published by Standards Australia. Every swimming pool in this state must be registered on the NSW Swimming Pool Register, and a pool capable of holding more than 300 millimetres of water requires a compliant child-resistant barrier. The barrier itself must be at least 1200 millimetres high measured from the finished ground level outside it, and that height must be achieved at every point including across sloping ground.

Gate requirements are where most compliance failures occur. The gate must swing outward away from the pool area, close automatically from any open position without manual force, and latch automatically when it closes. The latch release must sit at least 1500 millimetres above ground level, or be positioned on the pool side of the gate behind a child-resistant shield that prevents a child reaching through. The gap under a closed gate must not exceed 100 millimetres. A non-climbable zone of 900 millimetres applies outside the barrier, and it catches things people do not think of as climbable.

Pot plants, furniture, retaining walls, air conditioning units and tree branches within that zone can all render an otherwise compliant barrier non-compliant. The practical warning for a timber gate is seasonal movement. A timber pool gate that self-latches reliably in winter may fail to latch after summer swelling, and inspectors test from multiple open positions, not just one. That is the main reason timber is a difficult material for a pool gate, and many installers will recommend aluminium or glass for that specific application. Compliant barriers are quoted under pool fencing installation, and a gate must never be propped open.

Gates in a Boundary Fence and Sharing the Cost

Where a gate sits in a fence on the boundary between two properties, the Dividing Fences Act 1991 governs who pays for what, and knowing the process avoids a neighbour dispute. The general principle is that adjoining owners contribute equally to fencing work of a sufficient standard. Where one owner wants something better than sufficient, that owner pays the difference. A decorative entry gate is a good example of that distinction. A neighbour can reasonably be asked to contribute to a standard gate replacing a failed one, and cannot reasonably be asked to fund an upgrade to a feature gate in a premium hardwood. The formal process starts with a Fencing Notice under section 11 of the Act, served on the adjoining owner and describing the proposed work, the materials, the height, the length and the estimated cost, with a quote attached.

Your neighbour then has one month to respond. If there is no agreement after that, either owner may apply to NCAT or the Local Court for a fencing order, and NCAT can determine the materials, the height, the position, the timing and how costs are split. Urgent repairs are the exception worth knowing. Where a fence is damaged and it is not practical to serve a notice first, you can carry out the work and then claim a contribution, though keeping photographs and evidence of the urgency is essential. Councils have no jurisdiction in dividing fence disputes and will not adjudicate them, which surprises many owners. The dispute pathway is NCAT or the Local Court, not the council.

Security, Privacy and Practical Design

Gates are asked to do several jobs at once, and the design decisions that serve one often work against another. Height is the clearest example. A tall solid gate gives privacy and looks imposing, and it also gives an intruder complete cover once they are behind it, which is why security advice generally favours visibility at the front boundary and solid barriers at the sides and rear. Front gates that allow some visibility through them are usually the better compromise.

Vertical slats with gaps, a lattice top section or a partly open design let you see out and let neighbours see in. Self-closing hardware improves security more than height does on a side gate. A gate that latches itself every time closes the most common failure, which is a side path left open after the bins went out. Lockable latches suit side and rear gates where the same access point is used by a gardener, a meter reader or a pool servicer.

A keyed latch or a padlockable hasp on the inside is a modest addition at installation. Clearance is the practical detail people regret. A gate needs clearance through its full arc including over paving that rises, and a gate that scrapes within six months usually had insufficient allowance for ground movement or paving settlement. Access control on an automated gate extends the same thinking, with remotes, keypads, intercoms and phone-based entry all available. Entry devices are fitted under intercom and video doorbell installation.

Approvals, Heritage and Bushfire

Most residential gates do not need council approval, but the exceptions matter and they are cheaper to check than to reverse. Fences and gates below a certain height generally fall within exempt development, meaning no development application is required. Heights, setbacks and materials vary by zone and by council, and the planning framework is published by NSW Planning. Front boundary gates are where the limits most often bite, because height restrictions on street frontages are tighter than on side and rear boundaries.

A tall solid entry gate at the street frontage is the configuration most likely to need approval. Heritage adds a layer. Where a property is heritage listed or sits in a conservation area, replacing or adding a front gate frequently requires consent even where it would otherwise be exempt, and councils generally expect the design to suit the period of the house. Corner properties and sight lines are a further consideration. A solid gate near a driveway or intersection can obstruct visibility, and councils apply sight line requirements for exactly that reason.

Bushfire-prone land brings AS 3959 into play for construction near a dwelling, with material and detailing requirements rising with the Bushfire Attack Level. Whether your land is mapped as bushfire-prone is determined through your council and NSW Rural Fire Service. Anything involving the surface itself falls under driveway installation. Easements and services are the last check and the most commonly missed. Digging a footing for a gate post over a sewer, stormwater or telecommunications easement can be both expensive and dangerous, so a dial-before-you-dig enquiry belongs in the process.

Finishing and Maintenance

Finishing is what determines whether a timber gate lasts five years or twenty, and it is the step most often compressed to save money. Every face should be finished before the gate is hung, including the top edge, the bottom edge and the end grain. End grain absorbs many times more moisture than face grain, and an unsealed bottom edge is the most common entry point for rot. Oil and stain finishes penetrate the timber and weather by fading instead of peeling, which makes recoating straightforward. They need attention every one to two years on exposed gates in New South Wales sun.

Paint and solid stain build a film on the surface and last longer between coats, but when they fail they blister and peel and the preparation for recoating is far more work. On a gate that will be maintained irregularly, oil is usually the more forgiving choice. Orientation changes the interval. A north or west-facing gate takes far more ultraviolet exposure than a shaded side gate, and it is normal for one gate on a property to need recoating twice as often as another. Ongoing maintenance is minimal but worth doing. Checking hinge bolts annually, lubricating the latch, clearing the swing arc and keeping the bottom edge clear of soil and mulch prevents most failures, and recoating is priced with fence painting.

What Moves a Timber Gate Quote

Size and span is the largest variable and it is not linear. Doubling the width of a gate more than doubles the structural demand on the post and footing, which is why driveway gates sit so far above pedestrian gates. Whether posts are included is the second and the most common source of quote variation. A quote assuming sound existing posts and one allowing for new posts and concrete footings are pricing different jobs. Timber species and grade is the third. Treated pine, merbau, spotted gum and western red cedar sit at rising price points, and the treatment level on pine matters as much as the species does.

Construction method is the fourth. A ledged and braced gate, a framed and braced gate and a mortice and tenon gate represent rising levels of joinery and durability at rising cost. Hardware and automation is the fifth and the most variable of all. Basic hinges and a ring latch sit at one end, and adjustable stainless hinges, hydraulic closers, electric strikes and a full automation package sit at the other. Site conditions round it out. Sloping ground, rock, reactive clay, restricted access for a post-hole auger and the need to remove an existing gate and posts all add time that does not appear in the gate itself.

Timeframes and What to Expect

Gate work is quick once it starts, and the lead time on the gate itself usually determines the schedule rather than the installer's availability. A side access gate matching existing fencing is a two to four hour job where the posts are staying. Where new posts are needed, the concrete has to cure before the gate is hung, which turns it into two visits over several days. That curing period is the part most people do not anticipate. Concrete footings generally need at least a few days before a heavy gate is hung on them, and hanging early is a common cause of a post that moves in its first year.

Driveway gates run a day for a standard pair where posts are already set, and one to two days where they are not. Sliding gates take two to three days because the track or cantilever system must be set accurately and adjusted. Automation is usually a separate day and sometimes a separate trade. The electrical supply needs a licensed electrician, and the installer commissions and adjusts the system once power is available. Custom gates carry the real lead time. A made-to-measure hardwood entry gate commonly runs three to eight weeks from order, and confirming final measurements on site before ordering is essential because a custom gate made to a wrong dimension is not returnable.

Sydney and Regional NSW Pricing

Sydney sits at the top of the ranges on this page, driven by labour rates and by access constraints on narrow inner-suburban blocks. Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast generally run below Sydney for equivalent work, with easier site access in most areas and established local trade markets. Regional centres including Orange, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Albury, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour price competitively for standard gate work. Large automated driveway systems may need a specialist from a larger centre, which brings travel into the quote. Ground conditions vary more than labour rates across the state.

Where the ground needs holding back first, that is work for retaining wall builders. Sandstone shelf across parts of Sydney's north and west can turn a straightforward post hole into rock excavation, while reactive clay through the inner west and south west drives deeper footings. Coastal salt exposure changes the hardware specification from Wollongong through Sydney and up the north coast, and budgeting for stainless steel rather than galvanised fittings is realistic within a few kilometres of the water. Suburban boundaries are priced under garden fence installation. Rural properties are a category of their own. Long-span farm gates, stock-proof requirements and vehicle access widths well beyond suburban dimensions all price differently, and steel is frequently the more practical material at those spans.

Repair or Replace

Plenty of failing timber gates are repairable, and knowing which are saves real money. A gate that has dropped on its hinges is usually a post or hinge problem, not a gate problem. Re-plumbing the post, replacing tear-out with longer bolt-through fixings, or fitting adjustable hinges resolves most of these. A gate that has gone out of square is a bracing problem. A sagging leaf can frequently be pulled back square with a tension cable and turnbuckle across the diagonal, which is a modest job compared with a new gate. Latch problems are usually alignment rather than hardware.

Where a gate has moved slightly, repositioning the keeper or switching to a magnetic latch that tolerates movement is a far cheaper answer than replacement. Rot at the bottom of palings or the bottom rail can often be addressed by replacing the affected components while keeping the frame. Rot in the stiles or through the hinge post is a different matter and generally means replacement. The clear replacement cases are a frame that has failed at the joints, a hinge post that has rotted below ground, and any pool barrier gate that will not reliably self-latch. Both timber fence and gate repairs and fence repair costs cover the alternatives.

What to Look Out For

Confirm whether posts, footings and hardware are included, since this is the single largest source of confusion on gate quotes and conventions differ between installers. Ask for the post size, the footing dimensions and the timber treatment level in writing. H4 in the ground and H3 above it is the standard specification for treated pine, and a substitution to H3 in the ground is invisible until it fails. Check the brace direction on any drawing or existing example.

It must run from the bottom of the hinge side to the top of the latch side, and a brace running the other way is a sign to ask more questions. Get the hardware named by type and finish rather than described generically. Hot-dip galvanised or stainless steel is what you want outdoors, and zinc plated hardware near the coast will stain and seize. Establish the licensing position where it applies. Residential building work over $5,000 requires a licensed contractor in New South Wales, licences can be checked through Service NSW, and consumer protections sit with NSW Fair Trading.

On automation, confirm that safety devices and a licensed electrician are included. Powered gates carry real crush and impact risks, and site safety obligations are administered by SafeWork NSW. On a pool barrier gate, confirm the installer has worked to AS 1926.1 before and ask how the gate will be adjusted for seasonal timber movement. Getting a certificate of compliance is the outcome that matters.

Getting Comparable Quotes

Three prices are only useful when all three cover the same gate, and these quotes differ far more in inclusions than in rate. Measure the opening between the existing posts or between the points where new posts will sit, and state whether the existing posts are staying. That single fact moves the price more than anything else. Describe the gate type and the purpose, including whether it is a side gate, an entry gate, a driveway gate or part of a pool barrier. A pool gate is a different product with different requirements and should be flagged at the enquiry. Say whether the gate sits on a boundary shared with a neighbour, since that brings the Dividing Fences Act into the picture and may change how the work is organised and paid for.

Note the ground conditions if you know them, including rock, fill, reactive clay or a significant slope across the opening. Installers who know in advance quote more accurately, not more expensively. State whether you want automation now or later. Running conduit and power during the original installation costs a fraction of retrofitting it through a finished driveway. Ask for the gate, the posts and footings, the hardware, the finishing and any automation as separate lines. That structure makes three quotes readable and lets you defer an element to meet a budget.

Getting the Best Value

A few decisions before quoting change the total more than negotiating on rate. Brick and masonry boundaries sit at brick fences and walls. Combining gate work with adjacent fencing is the largest. Posts, concrete, tools and travel are shared across the job, and doing a gate at the same time as the fence beside it is materially cheaper than doing it separately later. Choosing a standard width where the opening allows keeps you in stock sizes and avoids custom fabrication. Custom widths are sometimes unavoidable on an existing opening and are worth confirming against the alternative of resetting a post.

Specifying adjustable hinges is a small premium that pays for itself the first time the gate needs tuning. On a timber gate in a reactive clay area, that will happen. Running conduit for future automation during installation is the classic deferred saving. Even where automation is years away, the conduit costs very little while the driveway is open. The false economies are undersized posts, shallow footings and skipped finishing on the bottom edge and end grain. All three save a small amount at installation and cause the failure that ends the gate's life early.

Making the Decision

On gate work the cheapest quote is frequently the one excluding posts and footings, so read the inclusions before the total. A wide spread almost always comes down to what each installer allowed for below ground. An installer specifying 150 by 150 posts in deep concrete footings and one reusing existing 75 by 75 posts are quoting different jobs with different lifespans. Favour the installer who looked at the posts, not just the opening. Post condition, ground type and fall across the opening are established on site, and a quote given without them will be revised.

Be wary of an unusually low price on a wide driveway gate. The structural demand at that span is real, and a gate that drops within a year costs more to put right than doing it properly first time. Get the agreed scope in writing before any deposit, covering the timber species and treatment level, the post size and footing detail, the hardware finish, the finishing system and the automation inclusions. Finally, keep the timber and finish details with your property records. Recoating in the same system is simpler than guessing, and on a pool barrier gate the compliance paperwork matters again at sale.