How to Choose a Garden Gate Wisely? The Districlos Experts’ Answer!

choose garden gate

If you are planning to install a fence, whether it is flexible mesh or rigid, to enclose your property, it is quite natural to think about the type of opening to install. You need to be able to enter or leave your home! Among the different models available on the market, there is the garden gate.

This type of opening is highly appreciated for its aesthetic and practical qualities. But is it suitable for all types of use? Why choose this model? We explain everything in this article!

The Characteristics of a Garden Gate

A garden gate is a small, low door with a swinging structure. This type of opening is mainly suited for outdoor use. The height of a garden gate varies between 1 and 2 meters, with a width of about 1 meter. This is the standard dimension for a garden gate.

This type of opening is mainly used as a complement to a gate: a passage between two gardens or between two plots of land, whether the space is enclosed by a natural fence or by an artificial hedge.

Most garden gates on the market are equipped with a single leaf and a handle. Depending on the model, it can open to the left or to the right. During installation, it must be fixed to two pillars mounted on foundations using hinges. Note that the gate can be mounted on a concrete pillar, but also on posts sold for installing rigid or flexible mesh.

Criteria to Consider for Choosing Wisely

Compliance with the Local Urban Plan (PLU)

The first thing to check before you even start looking for the gate of your dreams according to your tastes: consult the Local Urban Plan (PLU) at your town hall!

Indeed, just as with the installation of a gate or a fence, this type of equipment must comply with the rules defined in your municipality. Color, height, material… The PLU may impose specific constraints. It is therefore better to know them to avoid having to change your gate once it is installed!

Its Use

If your garden gate is intended solely to separate two spaces, you can opt for a small-sized model (1 meter high).

However, to avoid any risk of intrusion or to protect yourself from being overlooked, it is better to choose a gate at head height.

Sturdiness

Your metal and barred garden gate, whether in aluminum or wood, for example, the sturdiness of your gate remains a priority selection criterion.

Materials such as aluminum, wood, or iron are suitable for security constraints. Aluminum is a popular choice for the balance between lightness and sturdiness it offers. Its price is also more attractive than an iron gate, however.

Focus on the Different Types of Garden Gates

Like any other type of opening, garden gates come in several models. There are decorative gates, gates for the garden, and gates for professional spaces.

What Material for a Garden Gate?

There are different manufacturing materials: some models are made of aluminum, PVC, wood… You can choose based on the use you intend for it, but also according to the advantages and disadvantages of each material.

For example, aluminum garden gates require no specific maintenance. Installed in your garden, they do not rust and can withstand external aggressions. Moreover, they are available in a wide range of shades to meet everyone’s aesthetic desires. It is a very good choice in terms of quality/price ratio. They have everything to please!

Good to know: at Districlos, you will surely find the aluminum gate of your dreams! Heights, shapes (solid or openwork), you have the choice, always with the same quality guarantee!

PVC garden gates, on the other hand, are the ideal solution for those looking for an opening type that is easy to install, inexpensive, and easy to maintain. The only downside: the aesthetic result; the plastic look may put off some homeowners.

Mesh garden gates are very affordable, lightweight, and discreet. Perfect for harmonizing with a flexible mesh fence or a rigid one and for installation in your garden! Note: the security level of this type of gate may be slightly lower than with other materials.

Good to know: are you looking for a resistant mesh gate, compatible with a privacy screen and available in different shades and heights? Discover the Districlos range and its privacy kit to preserve your intimacy!

And finally, wooden garden gates which add a more designer touch to your home. It is the choice of authenticity to give character to your property. However, regular maintenance (paint, varnish, stain…) is necessary to protect them from the weather in the long term.

What Color for Your Garden Gate?

A garden gate is generally associated with a gate and a fence, in an identical material, or in a way that creates a harmonious result in all cases. A good tip to apply to avoid.

For materials like aluminum, for example, you have a choice between many colors, with the most sober and classic ones generally being the most appreciated. Gray, black, or dark green are, for example, choices that allow for easy coordination with other elements of your home’s decor.

If you have already chosen your aluminum gate, it is not mandatory to opt for an identical color for the gate. A different shade of gray, anthracite, or black can thus be chosen. This allows you to differentiate the two closures (gate and garden gate), while maintaining an obvious harmony.

But you can also opt for mismatched colors to create original styles.

Ultimately, for the color, it is above all about making a choice you find pleasant. And as the saying confirms: “There’s no accounting for taste!”

What Shape for the Garden Gate?

For modern homes, the most geometric shapes are the most sought after today.

A rectangular garden gate is thus a safe choice in terms of taste, to bring a certain refinement without a false note. Straight gates and garden gates bring a classic touch that suits all architectural styles.

A garden gate can, however, be chosen in a different shape from the gate, especially if the two openings are not on the same alignment. A V-shaped or arched gate, a curved gate, or a gendarme’s hat-shaped gate, a gate under an arch: the possibilities are numerous, from the most traditional to the most original. Good news for distinguishing your outdoor equipment from your neighbor’s!

The Districlos tip: remember, for the height, the important thing is to respect the PLU of your locality. To preserve your privacy, a height of 2 meters is generally more than sufficient.

An Openwork or Solid Garden Gate

The type of openwork mainly relates to your desire for privacy.

A solid garden gate allows you to keep all the privacy of your outdoor space. A good option if you want to protect yourself from the indiscreet and insistent looks of passersby!

It all depends on the use you intend to make of the garden and the space visible through the gate.

The openwork garden gate has the advantage of allowing maximum light. Offering a view from the outside onto the garden is also, in some cases, a way to showcase the flower beds, trees, and shrubs you tend to all year round! Openwork metal gates, for example, can be very suitable for professional premises and businesses.

In various styles, openwork or solid, the garden gate always plays its role as a protective barrier.

The Different Options for a More Secure Garden Gate

For reasons of comfort or security, it is possible to enjoy various options with your aluminum garden gate, for example.

A motorization system is not limited to gates. Garden gates also gain in practicality and comfort of use with an adequate motorization system. Motorization allows the opening and closing of the gate to be activated by various security-focused means. Remote controls, intercoms, and keypads can thus be associated with your aluminum garden gate, to give it even more modernity and style.

This type of option increases the security dimension of this closing equipment, making it as important an element as your fence or gate.

The good tip from the Districlos experts: do you have children? To secure this access, opt for a magnetic safety lock. This type of equipment fits on any garden gate lock, even yours!

Installing a Garden Gate: What Are the Advantages?

The garden gate is a very practical type of opening: it is very easy to handle and offers easy access for pedestrians. You can easily access your outdoor spaces without needing to open a large, heavy gate. It is light and simple to maneuver when closing or opening the gate. Installing a garden gate at the vehicle entrance or at a passage leading to your garden is an excellent idea. Due to its size and configuration, the garden gate is very easy and quick to install. And that’s not all; it also brings a more aesthetic and modern aspect to your home. Its design, size, and style can adapt to your needs. Especially since it easily fits in many places. The garden gate is an inexpensive opening solution: its price largely depends on its manufacturing material.

Good to know: installing a garden gate does not require any particular technical expertise. Good news for those of you who are not handy! If, however, you prefer to follow a tutorial, discover the one from the Districlos experts right now.

The garden gate holds no more secrets for you: you are ready to make the right choice! That is, the one that meets urban planning rules, your aesthetic, practical, and security criteria…

Valentine Chiquet
Valentine Chiquet – Digital Content Manager
Expert in fencing, gates, and outdoor landscaping since 2019.
Holds a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing – SEO, UX/UI.

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