Bespoke Driveway Gates in London

It usually comes down to what is behind the opening. A swing gate needs a clear arc on the inside and ground that does not rise into it. A sliding gate needs a clear run alongside the boundary instead, and is unaffected by a driveway that falls or rises. Where neither is straightforward, a pair of bi-folding leaves can work in a shorter space. It is worth deciding this before the design is fixed, because it changes the frame, the posts and the operator.

Enough for the leaf to travel its full arc without catching the ground, a step, a drain channel or a parked car. Because driveways rarely sit level, the clearance needed at the closing edge is often greater at one end of the swing than the other. We check this on site rather than working from the plan width alone.

Yes, provided the gate is built for it from the start. Weight, hinge positions, post size and the frame all differ on a gate intended to be powered. Tell us at the quote stage even if automation is years away — building it in costs far less than reworking a gate that was never designed to move under power.

If the driveway is being relaid or resurfaced, that is the moment to put ducting in. Running power and control cables across a finished driveway afterwards means lifting a surface that has just been paid for. If your driveway work and your gate are happening in the same period, tell us the sequence early and we will tell you what needs to be in the ground first.

Wider openings are handled either with two leaves rather than one, or with a sliding gate. What sets the limit in practice is weight and how the gate is supported, not the opening width on its own — a wide leaf puts far more load on its hinges and on whatever carries them. We measure the opening and assess the piers or posts before committing to an arrangement.

Sometimes, but it should not be assumed. Piers built for appearance are not always built to carry a driveway gate under load, and older piers are rarely plumb or square to one another. Where the piers cannot take the weight, steel posts set in concrete or fixed to the pier faces are the usual alternative. We measure both piers top and bottom before deciding.

Yes. A powered gate is treated as machinery, and things such as force limitation, photocells or safety edges and a manual release are requirements rather than optional extras. The automation installer and the current regulations are the definitive source on what a specific installation needs. Our part is to build the gate so those measures can be fitted and set up properly.