The way to preserve your porch and keeping the stray animals or unwanted people out from your home area is by building a fence (something like a protection). That said, it is also known that in good nature without a gate, the fence will be inconvenient and unusable. If you want to increase the entire look of your porch, building a simple gate is the best answer. A simple gate with swinging door can add convenience and make you be able to get in and out with no big effort on your part and the gate\’s part. This project is for adults only. It is advisable to make the children stay away from the project area mainly because of the sharp tools that you are going to use throughout this project. Here are the things that you need and the instructions on how to build a gate for your porch.
You will need:
Drill, hammer, 2.5 inch nails, 2.5 inch screws, gate latch, 2 treated wood for the gate rails (3 inches wide, 2 inches deep, 36 inches long), 6 treated wood for the boards (6 inches wide, 1 inch deep, 48 inches long), 2 treated wood for the gate posts (4 inches wide, 4 inches deep, 72 inches long) gate hinges, level, concrete, measuring tape
Steps:
First, measure a 3 foot and 1 inch space for your porch gate by using a measuring tape. The measurement will accommodate the 3 feet of the gate. The ½ inch of space is needed on each side for clearance.
Next, dig holes about 24 inches deep for each on both sides of the area you measured. In each hole, place a gate post and stand each post straight up. Take the measurement again and make sure the space in between the posts is about 3 feet and 1 inch.
Then, mix the concrete according to the manufacturer\’s instructions on the label. Fill the holes with concrete using a shovel. To make sure that each post is standing straight up, use a level. Next, leave it for a while within 1 to 2 days (depending on the concrete quality and the weather) to allow the concrete to dry adequately.
When the concrete is completely dry, place the two gate rails on the ground. Place them in position so that they are paralleled with 2 feet of space in between them. To each of the parallel posts, nail a board so that the long edge of the board is flushed with the ends of the posts. Don\’t forget to make sure that the board is fully nailed in. You will now have the center of the board to be in the center of the two posts. This will leave about 9 inches of board available above and below the rails. Then, nail all six boards side by side until all the rails are completely covered.
Finally, elevate the gate door that you finished in the previous step and place it in between the two gate posts. Attach the door hinges using a screw to the railings on the gate door and then to one of the gate posts. You have to make sure to use one hinge for the top rail and one for the bottom rail. For the latch, screw it to the edge of the top rail on the opposite side of the hinges.
Additional reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5650355_build-simple-porch-gate.html
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktylerconk/2606017878/
