Driveway gates are the heaviest thing on any domestic boundary, and the posts carry all of it every time they swing. Ben makes and hangs driveway gates across South Wales with the groundwork sized for the load.
A pair of timber driveway gates is a serious weight, and that weight works on the hinge posts constantly. The posts go deeper and are set in more concrete than any fence post on the property, sized for the span and the weight of the leaf. Skip that and the gate drops within a season, starts catching on the drive, and stops meeting in the middle.
The opening is rarely as simple as it looks. The fall of the drive decides which way the gates can swing and how much ground clearance they need, the width sets whether a single leaf or a pair makes sense, and where the latch and drop-bolt land has to be worked out before anything is built. All of that comes off the site visit rather than a phone call.
Gates can be built to match a new or existing fence run so the frontage reads as one job. If automation is on the cards it is worth saying at quote stage, because the posts, the hinge specification and the leaf construction all need to account for a motor rather than being retrofitted awkwardly later.
As a rough UK guide, wooden driveway gates run from around £400 to £700 for standard softwood up to £1,000 or more for cedar and hardwood supplied and hung, with a fitted pair often around £1,000 to £1,650. Those are typical 2025 trade-guide averages, not a quote — Ben prices yours free on site.
Mostly a question of the opening width and the space to swing. Wide openings suit a pair because each leaf is shorter, lighter on the hinges and needs less clearance. A narrower opening can take a single leaf. The fall of the drive often decides it, which is what the site visit checks.
They can, but it is much better to say so at quote stage. Automation changes the post specification, the hinges and how the leaf is built, so designing for it from the start gives a far better result than retrofitting a motor to gates that were not planned for one.
More on our common questions page.
Timber and composite driveway gates — single and double, hung on posts set to carry the weight.
Driveway gates →See this service in your area.
garden gates near me →Made-to-measure timber gates — driveway, side and garden, built solid and hung to last.
Wooden gates →See all the areas we cover, or read our common questions.
No call-out fee, no obligation. Tell Ben what you are after and he will arrange a free site visit, then quote you a fixed price.