Gates and Entrances: Automation, Size and Appearance

A gate is a mechanism opened many times a day. Its type, size, automation and the other entrance elements should be planned around the real constraints of the site.

A visitor's first encounter with a house is its gate and entrance. But an entrance is not just an aesthetic element: the gate opens many times a day, cars pass through, and children and older people come and go. A wrong size, lack of space or weak automation turns into a daily nuisance. That is why the entrance should be designed together with the fence and site plan at the start of construction.

Gate types and the space they need

A swing gate has one or two leaves opening on hinges. It is simple and reliable but needs clear space equal to the leaf width to open. If the yard slopes up toward the house or the driveway is short and narrow, the leaves may hit the ground or a parked car. In snowy or windy places, swinging leaves can cause extra trouble.

A sliding gate moves sideways along the fence. It needs no swing area, but requires free space along the fence equal to the gate width, plus room for the counterbalance section. Cantilever sliding gates run without a ground track on carriages fixed to a foundation, which avoids the problem of a track clogged with dust and stones.

Overhead and sectional doors are mostly used for garages. At a yard entrance, where there is no room on either side, other mechanisms are occasionally chosen.

The first step in choosing is to draw the gate's opening path and the clear space it needs on the site plan.

Dimensions: for cars and people

Gate width depends not only on car width but also on the angle of approach. On a narrow street where cars turn to enter, a wider opening is needed. The possibility of a larger car, a small truck or construction machinery entering in future should also be considered.

A separate pedestrian gate adds convenience and safety: there is no need to open the large gate every time. It should be wide enough for a pushchair, bicycle or wheeled suitcase, and lit if there is a step or threshold in front of it.

Automation and safety

An automatic gate adds everyday convenience, but it must be chosen and installed correctly. The motor is selected by gate weight, size and how many times a day it will be used. Heavy leaves driven by an undersized motor wear the mechanism out quickly.

Safety devices should be treated as mandatory:

• photocells that stop the gate closing when a car, person or animal is in the way;
• a warning light that flashes while the gate is moving;
• force limitation that stops and reverses the gate when it meets an obstacle;
• manual release or a backup battery for power cuts.

Power cables and control and photocell wiring for the automation are laid in protective ducts before the fence and driveway surface are built. Remote control, opening by phone or number plate recognition cameras are also planned at this stage.

Other elements of the entrance

An entrance is more than a gate. A complete entrance usually includes:

• an intercom or video intercom at the right height so the visitor's face is clearly visible;
• a house number and mailbox, legible at night too;
• lighting on the gate piers and along the driveway;
• a camera and motion sensor;
• a doorbell button and a small canopy for visitors waiting in the rain.

The area in front of the gate needs drainage, especially on a sloping street. Water running off the street should not flow under the gate into the yard; a channel drain at the threshold line should catch it.

Harmony with the house style

The material, colour and pattern of the gate should share one language with the fence and the house facade. On a classic villa, a gate with wrought elements matches stone piers; on a modern house, simple horizontal slats or a solid metal panel suit a clean-lined facade. Timber-clad gates look warm but need regular care against sun and moisture.

Zaferoğlu İnşaat matches gates and entrance structures to the house facade and shows them in a computer model. Measure the street width in front of the gate and how many cars will wait at the entrance; gate type and opening direction follow from that.