Good driveway gate ideas start with your house, your fence and how you use the driveway. Around the Mornington Peninsula, I mostly build Hamptons, country, braced feature, beach house and fence-matching gates. Each can swing or slide, and each can take a motor.
Written by Sam, owner and gate builder, Hastings.
I'm Sam, and I build every gate myself at Factory 3, 2 Sovereign Drive, Hastings. Most people who text me have a photo saved from somewhere. That is a great place to start. Here are the ideas I see work on real driveways, with jobs I have done, so you can see what suits your place.
What makes a good Hamptons-style driveway gate?
A good one keeps the painted, panelled look without hiding water traps in its joints. A Hamptons-style gate is a painted gate with a framed, panelled look, usually in white or a soft colour. It suits weatherboard homes and the coastal look common on the Peninsula. It is also the style that taught me the most about building gates.
One of my earliest jobs was replacing a set of Hamptons-style gates in Mount Eliza. They were hardwood and only about ten years old, but they had totally rotted. The mortice and tenon joints (a tongue glued into a slot) and the routed groove hiding the board ends had trapped water. As I cut through one joint, water poured out onto the floor.
So if you love the Hamptons look, I build it with the bracing set inside the gate and every cut surface treated. You get the look without the hidden water traps. Ask me to show you how I build the panels at the consultation.
Rural and country-style gates for wider entrances
A country-style gate suits a farm, an estate or a big block with a post and rail fence. These openings are often wider than a suburban driveway, so the gate has to cope with more wind and more weight.
One job I'm proud of is a pair of new Blackbutt gates in Flinders. Blackbutt is an Australian hardwood. The gates hang from the property's old pillars. I wasn't sure about hanging new gates from those pillars, but once they were up they looked right at home.
I have also built curved-top Blackbutt gates to suit a new post and rail fence. Other jobs include a run of rural paddock gates and a gate for Polperro Winery in Red Hill. If you have a rural block, my wooden rural gates page shows more. Where a wide span needs extra support, I add a discreet steel frame behind the gate.
Braced feature gates from my range
My own gate styles use the bracing (the angled pieces that stop a gate sagging) as the feature itself. Every piece does a job, so the gate looks good from the street and from the house. Here is what each one looks like.
Tubbarubba: a classic gate with a single compression brace and two centre rails
Moonah: segmented diagonals that form one compression and one tension brace
Fingal: playful braces that open like two hands
No 16: a floating centre, ideal for a property name or a feature piece
Koonya: full-length, gently curved top rails, with two or three centre rails
Marandoo: an arrow head brace with segmented inserts and a full-length top rail
Flinders: many small braces that let light through like two giant feathers
One Chain: boards that get thinner towards the centre to cut weight
Koonya suits an elegant country property. No 16 is a good pick if you want your house name on the gate. You can see them all, with their price ranges, on my range page.
Gates for beach houses and coastal blocks
A coastal driveway gate has to put up with salt air, wind and rain. The look is often relaxed, with natural hardwood or a crisp painted finish that suits a beach house.
Two jobs in my gallery show this well. One is an Ironbark gate for a beach house. Ironbark is a dense Australian hardwood. The other is a gate for a beach house in Rye. Both were built the same way as every gate I make, with the bracing inside and the cut surfaces protected.
Near the water, finishing matters as much as the style. Every gate leaves my factory with each cut surface treated against rot. It is then primed and finished with at least two coats of quality exterior paint. If you want to paint it yourself, I still treat and prime it first, so I know it is protected.
Can a new driveway gate match my fence?
Yes. A driveway gate looks right when it belongs with the rest of the frontage. I make fence-matching gates, so a new gate can sit in line with your existing fencing. I can also build a side gate to suit your main entrance gate, so the whole front reads as one.
When I visit, I look at the style of the house and the fence on either side of the opening. If your fence has a capped top or a set board spacing, I can carry that into the gate. If you are replacing a tired gate, a photo of the old one helps me see what to keep and what to change.
Side and access gates are on my side gates page. I build them the same way as my driveway gates, so the two age together.
Sliding or swing: which suits your driveway?
A swing gate opens on hinges like a door, so it needs clear space for the leaves to open. A sliding gate runs along a track beside the opening, so it needs no room to swing. It does need room along the fence line.
The slope of the driveway, the ground conditions and how you use the entrance all point one way or the other. A driveway that slopes up towards the house often suits a sliding gate. A wide, flat entrance with clear space in front can take a pair of swing gates.
Any of the ideas on this page can be built as a swing gate or a sliding gate. I work out which suits your block on site, then price that. If you are leaning towards a sliding gate, my post on sliding gate costs and my sliding gates page cover it in more detail.
What if my gate idea is too big for wood alone?
I build it on a steel frame. Some gate ideas cannot be built safely in wood alone. A very wide gate, a curved shape or an open pattern may need more support. For those, I make a custom steel frame that sits discreetly behind the gate.
The frame is generally powder coated (a baked-on finish) to blend in. It gives strong fixing points for hinges and gate motors, and it leaves the front of the gate free for the look you want. I wrote more about this in my post on gates on custom steel frames.
Any of these gates can also be automated. I supply, install and service gate motors, including FAAC systems, on swing and sliding gates. Electrical work is carried out by appropriately qualified professionals where Victorian regulations require it. My electric gates page explains how it works.
Questions people ask me about driveway gate ideas
Can you build a gate from a photo I found?
Yes. Bring a photo or a drawing, pick one of my styles, or work with me on something new. I check it for weight, span and bracing before I quote.
What does a custom driveway gate cost?
My indicative prices run from about A$3,600 to about A$5,850, depending on the style and configuration. The final price depends on size, the site, installation and any motor.
How long does it take to get my gate?
Making the gate typically takes around 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the style. Installation typically takes 1 to 2 days, depending on the site.
Will my new gate need repainting?
Yes, every outdoor wooden gate does in time. About every eight to ten years a gate needs a repaint, not a replacement.
Do you cover my suburb?
Most likely, yes. I work from Hastings across Mornington, Mount Eliza, Mount Martha, Frankston, Somers, Rye, Flinders, Sorrento, Red Hill and Melbourne's south-east.
Turn your idea into a quote
Text or call me on 0418 170 729 with a photo of your driveway and the gate you have in mind. A text is the easiest first step. I then come out for an on-site consultation, look at the opening, the slope and the house, and quote for your gate.
My factory hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm. You can also send photos through my contact page, or read how I build on my about page.
Sam