Bespoke Arched Garden Gate and Timber Arbour
A made-to-measure Iroko garden gate and arched timber frame, designed, manufactured and installed in Devon.
Project at a glance
- Project: Bespoke arched garden gate and timber arbour
- Timber: Iroko hardwood
- Construction: Drawbored mortice-and-tenon joinery
- Finish: Sikkens Light Oak system
- Ironmongery: Five-lever deadlock, From The Anvil Shakespeare ring latch and cabin hook
- Installation: Concealed fixings with stainless-steel resin anchors
- Service: Designed, manufactured, finished and installed by GS Haydon & Son
Sometimes the right solution to a project takes time to emerge.
The owners of this property had been considering what to do with their garden entrance for around 18 months. The existing structure was a relatively simple treated timber arbour with a standard-sized gate which had deteriorated over time.
One possibility was to replace it with something completely different, including the idea of having a builder construct a stone archway. After considering the alternatives, however, the owners decided that something closer to the character of the original entrance would suit the property better: a substantial timber arbour with an integral bespoke gate.
The challenge was to take that relatively simple idea and create something that looked as though it belonged.
Choosing Iroko to Complement the Existing Gates
The choice of timber was relatively straightforward.
The property already had a pair of substantial automatic entrance gates which had been made from Iroko several years previously. Rather than introduce another timber species, we decided to manufacture the new garden gate and arbour from Iroko as well.
Iroko is a naturally durable hardwood and is well suited to external joinery. It also gave us an existing piece of joinery on the property to work from when considering the proportions, appearance and eventual colour of the new entrance.
The intention wasn't to make an exact copy of the existing gates, but for the different pieces of joinery to feel related.
Designing the Gate Before Making It
The clients had already done some useful homework and found examples of gates they liked. That gave us a good starting point, but photographs alone don't necessarily tell you how a design will look when translated to a particular opening.
During a site visit, we therefore drew out a full-size template of the proposed gate.
This allowed us to establish the shape of the arch, the sizes and proportions of the rails and the position of the handle before we started manufacture. It also gave the owners an opportunity to see the design at full scale and know what to expect from the finished gate.
We also took measurements and noted the proportions of the property's existing Iroko entrance gates so that the new work would sit comfortably alongside them.
This is one of the advantages of bespoke joinery: dimensions and proportions don't have to be dictated by a standard-sized product. They can be adjusted to suit the opening and the property.
Making the Curved Timber Arbour
All of the joinery was manufactured in our workshop.
The arbour consists of two substantial parallel frames connected together to form a rigid structure around the gate. Templates were made for the curved components, which were then shaped using the ring fence on our spindle moulder.
For strength and durability, the principal frame components were assembled using traditional drawbored mortice-and-tenon joints.
This was particularly important because the arbour isn't simply decorative. It also has to provide a strong and stable structure from which a heavy hardwood gate can be hung.
Matching the Existing Iroko Finish
We wanted the colour of the new joinery to sit comfortably with the Iroko gates already at the property.
For this reason, we used a hand-applied Sikkens coating system consisting of a Light Oak base coat followed by two coats of Filter 7 Light Oak.
The result retains the natural appearance and variation of the Iroko while giving the new joinery a colour sympathetic to the existing external timberwork.
Installing the Gate and Arbour
Initially, the clients thought they might need to arrange for somebody separately to install the joinery. We were able to reassure them that we could take care of the complete installation ourselves.
That also meant we could consider the installation method while designing the arbour rather than treating fixing as an afterthought.
We incorporated a set-back fixing rail and separate cover section into the frame so that the structural fixings could be concealed once the arbour was installed.
Each side was secured using four long stainless-steel resin anchors, giving the hardwood structure a substantial connection to the existing masonry while keeping the finished appearance clean.
The gate itself was fitted with a five-lever deadlock for security together with a From The Anvil Shakespeare ring latch for convenient everyday use. We also fitted a cabin hook so that the gate can be held open when the owners are carrying shopping or making repeated trips between the house and car.
Designed, Made and Installed by One Team
The complete installation was carried out within a day.
There is always a satisfying moment with a bespoke project when the workshop drawings, templates and individual pieces of timber finally become part of the property. We were very pleased with the finished entrance, but ultimately the important judgement belongs to the people who have to live with it.
It was therefore particularly rewarding when the owners came home, saw the completed work and were delighted with the result.
They subsequently left us this review:
Considering a Bespoke Garden Gate?
We manufacture made-to-measure timber gates and external joinery at our North Devon workshop and can take care of the process from initial design and timber selection through to finishing and installation.
For unusual openings, existing properties or situations where an off-the-shelf gate simply isn't quite right, we can work with you to develop a solution that suits both the building and the way the entrance will actually be used.
