3 Things to consider when choosing a gate for your home

That’s why we’ve created this straightforward blog post listing the 3 most important things to consider when choosing a new gate for your home, they are:

1. What type of gate should you choose?

2. What type of material should you choose?

3. Which security accessories do you need?

If you find the article helpful, please share it to help others looking to buy a new gate, make the right choice for their home.

1. What type of gate should you choose?

   Before anything else, you need to know what type of gate you need for your home. Your gate provider will be able to help you make the choice, but it’s still worthwhile knowing what’s out there before jumping in feet first.

   To help you out, below we’ve listed the three main types of gate you could choose for your home (or your commercial property), including some of the benefits of each.

   • A swing gate: Probably the most recognisable and traditional on the list, a swing gate is perfect for most properties. Available in a range of materials, including timber, steel, steel-framed and wooden boarded, or aluminium, the benefits of a swing gate include:

     • Swing gates are easy to maintain

     • Swing gates suit most properties

     • Swing gates are easy to automate

   • A sliding gate: Similar to a swing gate, a sliding gate suits many property types and is ideal for homes which have a wide entrance driveway. Benefits include:

     • Sliding gates don’t require swing space

     • Sliding gates are easy to install

     • Swing gates are easy to automate

   • A cantilever gate: A cantilever gate is a type of sliding gate, but instead of relying on tracks set into the ground, it is operated by a suspended mechanism at the top. Benefits include:

     • Cantilever gates don’t require tracks set into the ground

     • Cantilever gates operate quietly

     • Cantilever gates are easy to automate

2. What type of material should you choose?

   Now you know the type of gate you’d like for your home, it’s time to think about the material. Are you looking for a wooden gate, a steel gate, or maybe a lightweight, ultra-strong aluminium gate?

   Whichever material you choose, ask yourself questions such as, will it suit the surrounding architecture, will it be easy to maintain, should you wish to maintain it yourself, and will it provide the level of security you’re looking for?

   To help make your choice a little easier, we’ve listed some of the most common materials domestic and commercial gates are constructed from, including some of the standout benefits of each.

   • Steel: Steel is a great material for a gate, whether for your home, or your commercial property. The beauty of steel, particularly from a design standpoint, is that it allows for the intricacy of design, including the Fleur de Lis style that you might see on steel railing gates.

   • Wood: Wood, like steel, is another great material to work with when designing and constructing a gate, as it allows the gate maker more scope in design, whether it’s traditional or contemporary, and is easier to maintain, especially if you are going to maintain it yourself.

   • Aluminium gates: Apart from its anti-corrosive properties, it is lightweight (a feature which makes an aluminium gate highly efficient when automated); aluminium provides an ultra-robust structure that can be finished in a contemporary style that mimics that of wood.

3. Which security accessories do you need?

   For most people, when they buy a new gate for their home or their commercial property, security is a top priority. And this brings us to the final consideration - which security accessories should you choose for your home gate?

   The security (and access control) accessories you choose for your home gate, whether it is a manually operated gate or an automatically operated gate, depends on two key factors:

   • Your budget: Obviously, the price will be a deciding factor on the type of security accessories you choose, so when making the choice, make sure you explore all that’s available in your budget range and don’t feel pressured into over-securing your property if you don’t feel it’s necessary.

   • How your gate will be used: Is your gate going to be the first layer of security for your home? In other words, will your gate act as your front door? If this is the case, there’s a range of security and access control features you could choose, including:

     • CCTV

     • An audio entry system

     • A video entry system

     • A GSM entry system

     • An access control key fob system

Each of these security features gives you and other members of your home, the chance to check out who’s at the gate, make contact, and have remote control over whether they can enter or not.

If you’re looking for a gate supplier and installer throughout Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or further afield, contact Gate Control today. We supply and install gates and state-of-the-art security accessories for a range of customers in both the domestic and commercial sectors.