How to convert a fence into a gate
Hope you are having a great week, today we are sharing how we turned our existing fence into a gate and we absolutely love it!
Please read my notes at the end of the post, after years of use we had to install a new post on the right side of the gate.
As you can see, right behind this gate are neighbors. Some might ask why the heck we would do such a thing, I have to say, we are truly blessed. Our neighbors are our best friends, we are very fortunate! Wouldn’t it be nice if all neighbors could be like that!!
TUTORIAL
This will be a little different based on the size and the type of fence that already exists. It’s safe to assume you’ll need the following.
Materials:
Level
Drill
Tape measure
Saw
Pencil
Wood
Hinges
Gate Latch
Bolts
Stain: Dark Walnut by Behr
This is what the fence looked like before Ray started on the gate. You can see he had put one cut in on the top before I said “WAIT, I have to snap a picture”.
Step 1 – Determine Your Preferred Gate Size and mark for cuts on each side, top, and bottom.
Step 2- Where you made your marks cut down that line at a 50 to a 60-degree angle so the gate doesn’t bind when it’s opened or closed.
Step 3- Carefully take the gate down.
Step 4- This is where you need to reinforce the gate. First, we added 2 horizontal boards, one on the top of the gate, and one at the bottom. Next, we added a diagonal board from the upper right-hand corner to the bottom left-hand corner.
Step 5– Attach the gate to the fence posts.
You will most likely want to put a piece of wood on the ground to help keep it level while another person helps hold the gate.
Screw one side of the hinges to the fence post, align the gate between the adjoining gate posts, and screw the other side of the hinges to the gate. Do this for the top and the bottom, making sure to use a leveler. It should be attached so that the bottom is about an inch off the ground.
Step 6- Install the gate latch and stain any of the wood that does not match.
Voila~you have a new entrance. This actually has already come in handy for our next project. We have completely demolished our old fountain that did not work and look what is taking its place. I can’t wait!
~Thanks for stopping in today~
Note: As you can see, when we originally turned it into a gate we did not add a post on the right. However, over time because the gate is used so much the gate became wobbly and we took out the piece of fencing (where the latch is attached) and added a post. We did this by digging down into the dirt, adding cement, and placing the post into the cement. It’s been about 3 years since we added the post and it is still holding up nicely.
Isn’t it a blessing to have nice neighbors! Love the gate and so much easier now to pop over to the neighbors! We are grateful for our good neighbors, too.
Fabulous tutorial!….and can not wait to see your finished fireplace! I know it’s going to be beautiful!
Nancy
Thanks Nancy, I am super excited about it 🙂 have a great weekend.
Wow! Kristin. It looks great! And it doesn’t look too hard either. Thanks for the tip.
I am so happy you are safe and sound from the fires last week. That must have been so scary.
Make it a great weekend!
Meegan
That is very clever of you, love that DIY!! The new new gate looks great too, like it was always there!!
THanks Heather, it has definitely come in handy!
You said this could be done with other fences made of other material. We have a wrought iron fence around our porch. It looks lieit wouldn’t be to hard but I don’t know how. Our son is a quadriplegic and has not been able to get access to ou new home because of the stairs/fence arrangements. Any ideas? Love ur site btw!
Hi Sandy, gosh that is a hard one. I know it wouldn’t be difficult to cut if you had a hacksaw or a right angle grinder which would give the closest, smoothest cut, however, I’m not sure how you would then attach it back together. I wish I could be of more help. I wish you all the best with your son!
That gate will swing in? Looks like hinges that only swing out. Raf
Correct, it swings out.
It looks like you attached a vertical piece of wood to the side of the fence where the latch goes. Am I seeing that correctly? Just wondering if there might have been a step missing in your instructions before I get started? I love how simple this. I’m hoping my husband will help me get this done this summer!!
So, yes and no. When we originally turned it into a gate we did not add the post on the right. The picture is deceiving, the latch is actually just attached to the existing fence. However, over time because the gate is used so much the gate became wobbly and we took out the piece of fencing (where the latch is attached) and added a post. He did this by digging down into the dirt, adding cement, and placing the post into the cement. It’s super sturdy now.