Our Custom Process

A lot of our wood gate customers ask about our design process and how we’re able to create such high quality gates that are both beautiful as well as long-lasting.

Here are the general steps that go into making your custom wooden gate:

1) Determining The Best Wood Gate Design For You

We listen to you first.

When you contact us, we work with you to come up with the best gate design that will suit your budget as well as your functional and aesthetic needs.

We need just three pieces of information from you in order to get started with the design of your custom wood gate.

a) Tell us the approximate dimensions of your gate.

We only need an approximate size to come up with a cost estimate so don’t worry about measuring things to the precise millimeter. We will come out to your location to take exact measurements after you approve our estimate.

b) Let us know what style of gate you have in mind.

You can look at our huge gallery of gate designs to help you with ideas and you can refer to them by gate number. You can even combine different gate styles to let us know what you want.

For example, you may say that you want a gate that has the top part like gate #4 and the bottom part like gate #16. This is perfectly OK and we’ll be happy to work with you on coming up with the right design for you.

c) Finally, let us know if you are wanting a gate that is going to be painted or a gate that you will stain so that the wood grain shows.

There are advantages to both kinds of gates that you can read about here: Paint Grade Wood Gates and Stain Grade Wood Gates >>

You can either call or fax us with your gate information.

We typically provide you with a cost estimate within 24 hours, and very often you will get an estimate the very same day.

2) Getting Precise Measurements

Once you approve the estimate, we visit your location to take precise measurements for your gate.

3) Blueprint Design

We then create a full sized blueprint of your gate design. This allows us to check the design aesthetics as well as determine the amount and sizes of wood that we will need to build your gate.

4) Wood Selection

We carefully select the wood, looking for proper grain and color. This is especially important for Stain Grade gates since the wood grain and color will show through the stain and we want it to look as beautiful as possible.

Read more about how we select wood here: Selecting The Right Wood For Your Gate >>

5) Cutting and Gluing

We use high performance cutting tools along with custom blades to get the most precise cuts for your gate.

In addition, when creating the wood components for your gate we use highly durable waterproof two-part epoxy which has superior adhesion under diverse environmental conditions.

Unlike many of our competitors who use inexpensive $15 / gallon wood glue, our two-part epoxy costs upwards of $100 / gallon and is the same type of epoxy used for building yachts so you know that it is both strong and waterproof.

6) Assemble Wood Pieces To Check For Form and Fit

Next, we dry-assemble the entire gate to make sure everything looks good in terms of form and fit.

When we dry-assemble, we use rubber mallets to tap the pieces into place and take great care to make sure that none of the wood gets dented or damaged during the assembly process.

7) Disassemble and Reassemble Using High Quality Epoxy

Once we are satisfied that the gate pieces fit precisely, we disassemble the entire gate and reassemble it again, this time using our high quality two-part epoxy.

8) Quality Inspection

All gates are allowed to dry for a minimum of 24 hours before we perform our first quality inspection.

9) Sanding For A Smooth Finish

Once the gate passes the first quality inspection, we sand the entire gate to give it a clean, smooth surface.

10) Router To Soften Edges

Lastly, we use a router to soften any edges and to give it a final finish that prepares the gate for either painting or staining.

At this stage we give the gate a second and final quality inspection and once we are satisfied that the gate is perfect it is then ready for delivery and installation.

11) Delivery and Installation

We contact you to let you know that the gate is ready for delivery and installation.

You are now ready to enjoy your new custom wood gate!