Jo has been asking for a double gate to give us vehicle access to the backyard. Sounded like a good idea to me, as there was plenty of room to expand the current opening. That was probably about two years ago and after too many painful experiences of carrying numerous large objects to backyard. With the incentive of 800 square feet of pavers to unload soon, I finally decided to make it happen.
We currently have a 6’ privacy fenced backyard with a 5’ gate opening on each side. Our goal was to expand one side so that we could drive in a full size truck and say good bye to carrying pool supplies, garden materials and exercise equipment. I knew this wouldn’t be a costly project since the fence and half of the gate were already in place.
On my trip to Lowes I purchased two gate hinges, a latch, a wheel to support the bottom of the longest side of the gate, additional wood replacement panels and a metal gate anchor. I spent about $80 dollars, but that included enough panels to do repairs for the entire fence.
I first removed the existing gate and reversed the hinges so that it opened inward, toward the new expansion. The hardest part of the project was removing a large post had been cemented into the ground. I then removed the 8’ panel beside the existing gate and used this material to frame another gate.
Presto! We have a much larger gate, in just a few hours and minimal expense.
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