Deck gate design

[RichK]

I need to add a gate to the end of a deck. The opening is 8' wide. There is no deck post on the house side. I'm thinking that I should surface-mount a post on the house side, and build two gates to fill the rest of the opening. Any other thoughts? Thanks.

<img src="http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i445/Rich42198/20170904_135053%20-%20deck_1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20170904_135053 - deck_1.jpg"/>

[MstrCarpenter]

I would mount the post to the deck leaving an inch or two space for the base and cap. You can then secure the post to the house using a short piece of PVC pipe as a spacer. It looks like you have vinyl siding; drill a hole in it the same as the spacer O.D. to prevent crushing it. Fill the hole and behind the siding with half a tube of G.E. silicone to keep the water out. (You can cut off any excess after it cures.) secure the post with 6" - 8" Head-Loc screws. Another option is to scribe a mounting block to fit the profile of your siding, but I'd rather minimize the visual impact of the spacer.

B.T.W. Making gates with composite railing parts is no picnic.

[tomsteve]

just my opinion:
a 48"  gate is going to have a bit of weight hanging on it so both sides are going to need to be anchored pretty solidly- even if the gate is only as high as the railing. some rollers on the bottom of the gate might help there, but id still want the posts theyre mounted to pretty solidly mounted

if you can put the post right next to the door- where there will be 2 studs- which actually not that much as it looks like you have a brick mold plus J channel around the door, but you'll have some wood- then you might be able to mount to the house. if ya have to come further back, chances are good you would have to open the wall to add a stud or 2 to mount the post to. a 48"
i wouldnt feel comfortable myself if the post was only screwed to 1/2" OSB or just surface mounted.

so,imo first things 1th would be to see if theres something solid in the wall to mount the post to.

[Cooler]

There are both commercial and home-built sliding deck gates.  I think I would use one of those.  It allows furniture to be placed anywhere, whereas the hinged variety will have restrictions.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sliding+...e&ie=UTF-8

[RichK]

Thanks all for the great input. Instead of composite rail parts, I'm planning to use PT lumber with round, black stiles to match the deck. The lumber will be painted. Wheels will be included.

The sliding gate looks great but I only have 5' of rail on that side of the deck. That would leave more than 3' of the gate sticking out when open (which wouldn't be often). I could probably rig a metal catch and attach it to the brick moulding so that I don't have to cut or drill into the siding. That's one more factor in favor of the slider. I don't have any spare siding for the next homeowner.

If the slider doesn't work for any reason, I will follow the advice of securely anchoring a post on the house side. It makes sense that surface-mounting alone would not be sufficient, even with wheels.

Thanks again. I really appreciate the responses!

Rich

[Wild Turkey]

Have you considered the traffic pattern?  If folks are going to be exiting the house and headed down the steps a big single gate may get a lot of abuse.  

What is the purpose of the gate?  If it's to keep small ones on the deck then a big one might work but where will it be when it's open?

Unless you're moving a lot of big stuff I'd look at a smaller 3' or so gate tied to the house and a post in a socket hole for it and the gate for the other 5' to latch to.

Putting the wrong gate in the wrong place could mean lots of redoing and repairs as it get abused.

[RichK]

Traffic will be very light. The gate is to contain my dog... and hopefully some grandchildren in a couple of years.

[daddo]

Another idea.
A 5 foot slider with a 3 foot gate.

[Cooler]

I'm certain that your local iron railing fabricator could make up a gate that opened with two 4-foot gates.

[tomsteve]

i got my reply all wrong. sorry for that.
tear the deck down and build a shop with a door.