Pillars vs Posts

Before beginning your driveway gate project, take some time to determine how you want the completed project to look. Do you want to have stone or brick pillars at each side of your driveway entrance, or are steel posts fine. Decide what design you want for your gate. Do you want your gate automated? If you want your gate automated, how will guests enter the premises? Don't forget about safety and the different devices that can be installed. These are all important questions to ask yourself before making any decisions.

Stone pillars are a lovely choice to adorn your new driveway gate. Before having your masonry contractor begin building the stone pillars have him coordinate with your iron gate fabricator. The best way to install posts for the gate is to have the posts fabricated and then have your masonry contractor embed them into the ground and inside the pillars. Fabricating posts for this type of application requires that several pieces of horizontal tube steel be welded to the vertical post. There may be two to three locations depending upon the number of gate hinges required. The end of the horizontal tube steel will have a plate welded to it; this area can be seen on the pillars and is so that the gate hinges can be attached there. A little pre-planning in this area can really save on cost and headaches down the road.

The other option is to have steel posts installed outside of the stone pillars. If you choose this option, then the post size is determined by the height, length and weight of your gate. This type of installation can be done after your stone pillars are complete. In this scenario, some people prefer to have the steel posts installed behind their stone pillars, so that they're not seen from the street. When stone pillars are already in existence in the area, then this is often the option chosen. Installing the steel post behind the stone pillar hides the post which in many cases is desirable and it allows the attention to be drawn to the stone pillar.

Whatever you choose, try and get all your ducks in a row beforehand, coordinate with all the contractors, this way the end result will be what you want rather than what you’re stuck with.