This isn’t “Deckgate” in the sense that there’s a scandal involving a deck (sorry Olivia Pope) but for anyone who might want to learn how to build a literal deck gate, well, this could help.
Our previous method of deck “gating” could be considered a little… lacking.
The nice weather has accentuated a shortcoming of our deck once again. Burger likes to sunbathe out there, but the temptation of a grassy yard full of bugs and fascinating smells often proves too great and he goes wandering. We don’t have a fence on our property, and he has gotten more brazen lately and may even wander into the neighbor’s yard. Hence the classy plywood barrier on one side and the leaned board on the other (yes, that was enough to keep him deck-bound).
Clearly some gates were in order, since we didn’t want to deny Burger his precious sun time but knew with a newborn that policing his whereabouts could fall through the cracks. I read a couple of tutorials online that were particularly helpful (this one and this one), then I took some measurements, sketched out a game plan (I modified both plans a little), and hit up Home Depot. Here’s what I came home with:
I was making two gates, so picture these supplies twice over.
To get everything I needed, I purchased two 10′ boards (cut into 3′ / 3′ /4′ sections) and one 8′ board (cut in half). The lengths above were just the rough cuts I got at Home Depot to make everything fit into the car more easily, but I knew I’d need to cut my own mitered corners at home. So I started by cutting 45° corners on one end of each board.
Making the second mitered cut was where I had to be precise on my measurement. I knew I wanted the gates to be an inch shorter than the length of the opening (to give them room to swing) and about the same height as the rest of the railings around the deck. So I marked my lengths and even drew the angle on the board so I was sure I was cutting each one in the right direction. This particular gate was 44″ wide and 29″ tall.
I cut the boards in pairs: the top & bottom boards together, and the two sides together. This ensured that the pairs were identical lengths, which was key to getting my gate all square in the end (so I carefully clamped them together before making the second 45° cut on the opposite end).
To join my frame together, I used my Kreg Jig to create two pocket holes on each end of the side boards. These are holes I’d later fill with wood putty.
So here’s my frame after everything was screwed together nice and tightly.
Next I had to attach the balusters to mimic the look of the rest of the deck’s railing. Before shopping I had measured the spacing between the existing balusters and determined I’d have space for five of them on my gate. So after cutting mine to length, I attached the first one at the center point of my gate on both the top and the bottom – using two 2″ decking screws (remarkably still left over from my deck project at our last house). Then I used some scrap wood to cut spacers to help me place the next balusters evenly. You can see those in this shot:
With the gate constructed, we just needed hardware to attach it. Home Depot sold this $15 kit that included two T-hinges and a latch, so I grabbed two of them. I had read in my research that a hinge should stretch about 1/5th the length of your gate. So these 8″ ones were just about perfect for our project.
To hang the gate, I used some scrap wood to prop it in place and (with Sherry’s help) determined the best spots to attach all of the hardware with of the provided screws. We couldn’t center the top hinge (it ran into the existing deck railing) so it rides a little low – but once the light wood is stained to match the rest of the deck we hope it won’t be too noticeable.
Then we just attached the latching mechanism to the other side, and we were in business.
We still have some leftover stain from last year’s deck “rejuvenation” that will make the gates a perfect match, but we have to wait about 2-3 weeks before we can stain them (pressure treated wood can bubble or peel if you don’t let it dry out for a little while before staining or painting it). But regardless of the mismatched look, we’re just happy to have ’em up and functional. Especially since it only took about three hours to make both of them and my total cost was $53 for two gates ($23 for the wood and $30 for the hardware). File this project under “Why didn’t I do this last year???”
Here’s the gate on the other side. I used the same process, although the opening was a half-inch smaller than the other and – get this – an inch shorter! I guess the original railings get a little lower as they wrap around the deck.
The only extra challenge this gate presented was that I had to screw the hinge into the hand rail and foot rail, rather than the post. The hinge was too tall to fit entirely on it (we really wanted it to open in this direction, so hinging it on the other side didn’t make sense).
Thankfully it was a pretty easy remedy – I just screwed in a couple of scrap blocks (the initial mitered corners that I had sawed off) to give the hinge a place to attach. Obviously I’ll be staining those too, so they should blend in a lot more in a few weeks.
We’ll probably leave this side open most of the time, since this is where Burger exits to do his business, and just close it when he wants to linger on the deck. So we’re planning to add some sort of hook-and-eye latch to keep it propped open so it doesn’t swing in the wind or anything.
Sherry and I have been talking about eventually fencing some of the backyard so Burger can roam a bit more freely, but in the meantime he seems to love that he can warm his bare belly more often without us chasing him into the house.
Update: Thankfully, just like Burger can’t slip through the rest of the deck’s perimeter, he can’t get through the new gates. He’d have to leap into the air, clear the bottom frame and the balusters perfectly, and then land on the stairs below, and he’s just not that daring (he’s much happier to be lazy and bake in the sun). But a more brazen pup might be able to squeeze through if they’re small – and determined – enough, in which case I’d recommend closer spacing or adding some sort of a cross board.
And we figure we’ll probably be very grateful (gateful?) to have these once Teddy’s more mobile so we can keep him contained without having to worry about tumbles down the stairs. Parenting win!
Good idea… and that seemed pretty straight-forward. We have no decks, but have a min pin that absolutely basks in the spring and summer weather. We opted for an underground fence and have been pretty happy with the purchase. We have had it about 5 years now and the only time we have issues is if she wears her battery down and we do not realize it. On the other hand we also have a boxer and she NEVER tests her collar .. lol she has no desire to wander.
I hope Burger enjoys!!
Just some thoughts, for anyone considering invisible fencing — When functioning properly, underground fences keep the dog in, but they don’t prevent other dogs or animals from entering the yard and fighting (or breeding!) with your pet, or spreading parasites or disease, or people from entering the yard and stealing your pet (dog theft is a serious issue in some areas, mostly for “bait dogs” for dog-fighting rings). Even with an invisible fence, I would be afraid to leave my dog outside unsupervised.
I cannot get over my admiration and total jealousy of how when you need to do something you guys just DO it. LOL.
That gate looks amazing and I wish that either my husband or myself were so handy… I’ve been wanting to add something like that to our front porch for years so that the kids can play safely… hasn’t happened though.
http://hystericallyeverafter.com/2014/04/16/wish-list-wednesday-pondering-porches/
Hope you’re all enjoying these precious days with Clara & Teddy!
xo MB
Having trouble accessing the site this morning :( Looks like I’m able to (maybe?) get to the comments page, but can’t see the post. Hope you guys are adjusting well to life with TWO littles!! :)
So sorry Mary! Anyone else having an issue? Maybe try another browser or clear your cache/data/cookies and try again?
xo
s
Same issue. I’m on mobile. The page was a little off yesterday, all the borders and stuff were missing. Today it just shows me comments only.
Can you guys tell us what browser you’re using (ex: Internet Explorer 6, Firefox 3, etc)
xo
s
i am having the same issue! you guys broke the internet :)
Ugh, this sounds regional. Hmm. Or maybe it’s just on certain mobile devices? We are on our iphones (and laptops) and seeing it fine, and our load time/internal stuff says everything is running well too. Are you all in a certain region? Are you all on mobile phones? Would love to get things fixed for you guys!
xo
s
I couldn’t get to this post from your site. Every refresh didn’t show a new post. But I could get on the post, which loaded fine, coming over from facebook. I’m on Firefox.
Thanks Alisa!
xo
s
Same for me. I’m in GA, on a laptop, using internet explorer…
To anyone having an issue, can you try refreshing a few times and if that doesn’t work, just clear your cache/cookies/data. That should solve it we think!
xo
s
Had problems via chrome this morning, but firefox loaded it okay. I’m in NC. I uploaded a pic of what I was seeing to your fb page in the reply/comments where everyone was posting about the problem. Hope it helps!
Thanks Melissa!
xo
s
I tried to get in from your facebook link post and got the “page unavailable’ message several times before it finally loaded.
I’m in South Central Michigan on IE. It’s raining like crazy here today and this system covers the entire Midwest and Great Plains regions. Don’t know if that might be what is causing the problems. Rain always seems to slow things down internet-wise out here in the boonies.
Oh man, thanks Pam! Maybe that’s what’s going on. So strange!
xo
s
Same here–comments only for Deckgate from FB, or I get April 24 page when I go from my favorites bar.
Can you try refreshing a bunch of times Peggy? It seems to have cleared up for a lot of other people with just that.
xo
s
Chrome 34 is major messed up as far as showing YHL. I usually use Firefox, which has worked (and is working) fine. I’m in south Tennessee. (since you say it may be regional?)
HTH
No problems accessing the site in Colorado (if that helps diagnose anything). Good luck!
Thanks Alissa! At this point we believe the glitch is over. Anyone still having issues anywhere? We haven’t heard of any for the last half of the day so we’re hoping it’s resolved :)
xo
s
Yay! We were just looking to buy baby gates for our deck to keep our dog in, but this is way better. Our deck is on the front of the house, so we need something that looks nice, but can also be latched back when we want to keep them open. This is a pretty easy looking project (said the girl who always thinks things look easy until she actually TRIES them.)
Ha ha Maureen – I have the same problem (thinking things are easy) and hubby ends up coming to sort out my mess!
Same here. It looks easy, I get it going, and then I convince hubby to help me with X part after I screw it up enough. Do I get a A for effort? :)
It looks great! Burger doesn’t try to squeeze through the balusters? We have a small dog and he is able to maneuver his way through them.
Burger has a very unique dog-personality. If you put a curtain up he believes he can’t go through it. The guy is either extremely timid or lazy or both. Since he’d have to jump into the air, clear the bottom frame and the balusters perfectly, and then land on the stairs below, I think he just doesn’t have it in him. But a more brazen pup might be able to squeeze through if they’re small – and determined – enough, in which case we’d recommend closer spacing or adding some sort of a cross board.
xo,
s
I was wondering the same thing– it looks like he could shimmy between them (glad to know he can’t and/or his personality simply won’t lend itself to that…). The image of him having to leap the gate and nail a landing on steps on the other side is funny…. you are lucky that he won’t attempt that… my pup would totally try (and probably break a leg in the act…)!
As both of my dogs think they are ninjas, I had the same thought/concern. I have a husky/shepherd mix who would likely try to squeeze through those balusters, and somehow she’d probably succeed.
I have a 7 lb “mix” and she totally jumps baby gates! She can clear a 4 ft. baby gate without touching it. We think she has Italian greyhound in her? Anyway she’s like a show dog lol.
HOLY COW! Get that dog an agent.
xo
s
Sherry, you said Burger is maybe timid, lazy, or both. I would throw “extremely obedient” into the mix…give the guy some credit, ha! Maybe he just figures that if you bother to block it off, you must want him to stay out, so he will. :o)
Haha! I wouldn’t go that far – he’s amaaaazing at stealthily stealing Clara’s snacks… as long as it just involves running up to the ottoman and grabbing them (no heavy acrobatics, haha).
xo
s
Burger is so cute, behaving so well! We use a 1 ft tall shoe rack to keep our big boxer dog out of the kitchen, its so funny to see him longingly stare at food from behind what amounts to an imaginary blockade. Your woodworking skills are getting so impressive, any chance you will ever build the kids an outdoor playhouse? I love you guys!:)
We have chatted about a playhouse but we think some sort of swingset/playset would get the most, so we’re debating building one of those or retrofitting an old one (maybe from craigslist) or something. We also want to make a little shed someday so that could be similar to a playhouse build…
xo
s
You need to build a tree house! I have awesome memories of the tree house (split level with a crow’s nest, slide, monkey bars, fireman’s pole, and a swing made out of this huge thick rope) that my Papaw made for me when I was 7/8ish. I would love going there every summer to see my tree house. I even used the crow’s nest to do homework in when I was in high school and we moved back to Illinois next to my grandparents. What I’m trying to say is there are memories that a can only be made with a tree house for kids.
Oh, totally do the retrofit off of Craigslist! You could incorporate a little play house/pirate fort space ship and save tons of dough! I even see them for free if you disassemble it yourself, all the time. Love the gate. My husband made one last summer after 12 years without one and we were like, “Duh, why didn’t we do this before we raised 3 kids and 2 pups?” xoxo
Love that!
xo
s
That photo of him sunning his belly is awesome. He looks small enough to fit through the slats of the deck surround and gate – but I guess he knows his boundaries!
Aww, Burger gate! I love that piece of plywood kept him in. What a good pup. Our Toy Fox Terrier dug her way THROUGH a box to break out of a generous area in the basement we provided her and just thought stacking a box or two to keep her from wandering the whole space would suffice. Um, no. Your little man is much more polite. Gate well earned!
Oooh – another great idea. My yard is fenced, but my dog ignores the steps and flies off the deck – despite her joint issues. I may create one to force her to stop in the hopes that she will actually use the steps!
I really loved this post and hope you guys have more like this coming now that the showhouse is almost over (not that I don’t enjoy that too but this is why I relate to you guys and enjoy reading your blog so much).
We’re upgrading the chicken brooder and built a bigger one for our chicks (2 by 4 feet – until they move out to the coop) and had to deal with hinges and hook and eye latches this weekend too.
I was looking through some old photo albums from when I was little, and my parents totally just used plywood to keep me on the deck!
It looks really good!
Did you think about cross bracing it, though, like this? http://www.casadecrepit.com/archives/001611.html
I’ve always been told that you need to either have a tension cable or a diagonal piece of wood across a gate to counteract the force of gravity. (I know my kids would speed the sagging along by stepping on the gate and swinging on it!)
Anyway, I just love your yard. It looks so peaceful and the covered area on your deck looks so inviting. Good job, guys!
Thanks for the link Kelly! We wanted the gate to match the same look as the rest of the deck, and have seen other tutorials where it seemed to work and hold up well (especially since it’s not a super wide gate) but the option to add something like that is good to know if we ever feel like we want to stabilize it more. It’s pretty solid with the 2 x 4″ frame though.
-John
While I understand you maintained the spacing to keep things symmetrical, it seems like he would still be able to easily slip right through. Is it perspective or could he actually go through?
Thankfully, just like Burger can’t slip through the rest of the deck’s perimeter, he can’t get through the new gates. He’d have to leap into the air, clear the bottom frame and the balusters perfectly, and then land on the stairs below, and he’s just not that daring (he’s much happier to be lazy and bake in the sun). But a more brazen pup might be able to squeeze through if they’re small – and determined – enough, in which case we’d recommend closer spacing or adding some sort of a cross board.
xo,
s
The gate looks great! I’d love to adapt this to fit our problem spot with our dogs- but we just have a metal fence to connect to. :/ maybe we’ll get creative this summer- thanks for the inspiration!
That’s incredible! Now you just need one of these patio tables with built in ice coolers to make it the most amazing. dect. ever!!
http://www.krusesworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/04/step-by-step-patio-table-plans-with.html
If you are going to leave that one gate open most of the time, you might consider putting a latch on the house somewhere to hold it up in position while it’s propped open. We have a gate like that and since we don’t latch it 100% of the time, it has started to sag on the latch side. Good luck – it looks great so far!
Oh yes, John mentioned that in the bottom of the post. It’s on the to-do list!
xo
s
We have dachshunds and have used these before until we could fashion a more permanent solution.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-18-in-Wood-Picket-Garden-Fence-RC-74W/100039106/
They’re cheap, easy to put in and take out, & step over. Might be good until you get some fencing. Short dogs for the win!
Beautiful gates. As a side note, I want Burger’s life!
Hey, I’m in TN looking at the site on Google Chrome, and all I can access is comments on this post. If I go to the home page, it’s all wonky.
What if you go to our Facebook page and click the link to the post from there? Someone else said that worked for them. Only seeing the comments is so odd. Many other commenters seem to see it just fine, but a handful of people are clearly having an issue, so that’s what makes us wonder if it’s regional. Hope we can fix it for you soon!
xo
s
Great idea! My naked-belly dog loves to bask in the sun as well! Luckily our yard came fenced in, but she burns the grass so we built her a little “pee yard” off a back area we don’t really use. Oh the things we do for love!
http://www.birdsofberwick.com/2013/05/14/thepuppyandthepee/
I had troubles when I tried the link through facebook but it opens fine if you just go to the regular site.
Also, congrats on the new arrival to your family of 5 :) I have been reading daily for over 2 years now and I applaud your decision to scale back. HOwever, I will still check everyday ;) No lost site traffic from me!!
So strange! Someone else said the opposite (it worked from the site but not from Facebook).
xo
s
The website is loading slower than normal for me as well…not terrible though. I’m in Tennessee, using Safari on my iPad. :) everything loads eventually though for me. Loving the gates!
So sorry Rebecca! Thanks for the info! We’re trying to get to the bottom of it. If you refresh, does it come right up for you? Or is it slow every time?
xo
s
Seems like it’s back to normal speed for me when I just checked on another tab. It loaded the comments like normal too. Weird!
So glad it’s working now! To anyone having an issue, can you try refreshing and clearing your cache/cookies/data? That should solve it we think!
xo
s
What a great post! I’ve been meaning to make a gate for the deck at my parents’ house so my daughter can’t escape Burger-style :) This might be just what I needed to get on it!
Perfect! I have the same gate set up for my dog, with latch and all). She loves lying out there in the sun. Last year, I added a doggy door flap to the screen so that she can go in and out at will. I bought an easy peasy kit that transforms a standard screen door into one with a doggy door. It’s the one at the bottom of this page, with the golden coming through. :o) http://www.theglassguruofroseville.com/in-glass-in-screen-pet-doors.php
Thanks for this DIY guys, it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for! We have the same problem with our little chi, except he’s slightly more brazen than Burger, preferring to jump straight over any barrier I’ve propped up!
I’m having similar issues with the site using Chrome. Couldn’t see the post, and borders are missing, but saw the link to comments. Looks fine in Firefox.
Weird! To anyone having an issue, can you try refreshing and clearing your cache/cookies/data? That should solve it we think!
xo
s
I can open in Internet Explorer (which I will only use for you guys :) ) but not in Chrome even after refreshing and clearing cache/cookies/data. In Texas.
Argh, so sorry Bailey! We have no idea how to solve this since we didn’t change anything and internally (through our host/site dashboard/etc) everything looks fine. Maybe it’ll resolve itself in an hour or so?
xo
s
The gates look awesome. You did a beautiful job making them match the existing railing.
Do you ever look at what you can whip out now in 3 hours and sort of marvel how far you’ve come from when you first started DIYing?
Yes! I was gushing to Clara and Teddy about how lucky we are to have such a handy dad around!
xo
s
So sweet!
John better start working out – it looks as though there’s more deck cleaning, staining, and sealing in his near future! I didn’t think that could fade so fast in just one winter’s time.
It’s funny that Burger is the star of today’s post, because last night I stumbled upon http://www.hamburgershouse.com. That site was active before I discovered YHL, so it was a huge and hilarious surprise!!! You guys are too much!!
Well of course it looks fine AFTER I submit my comment. :)
So glad it’s working now! To anyone having an issue, can you try refreshing and clearing your cache/cookies/data? That should solve it we think!
xo
s
I love fairly easy fixes that make life easier!
YES! When we had our deck built 4 years ago, I told our contractor to build 2 gates with locks so I could have our deck act like a giant playpen for our then 3 year-old, 1 year-old, newborn, and our little schnauzer! It has allowed me to be able to work in the kitchen and keep an eye on everyone without worrying about someone toddling down to the lake behind the house! Lots of our friends have added gates to their decks now since seeing ours! You will not regret it! In the winter months, I just prop one of the gates open with a heavy stone planter to allow our dog to go in and out without me having to walk through a foot of snow to open the gate for him!
So glad to hear that!
xo
s
The gates look nice and well put together! Why not just put Burger on a long leash attached to the deck or something, so he can run around in the grass, but won’t get away too far?
With deer roaming through and the possibility of small dogs hanging themselves on leashes (if they run up the steps and get tangled and try to go back down) we just thought these worked better for us – plus they’ll keep Teddy corralled down the line.
xo
s
I thought deck rails couldn’t be any wider than a tennis ball? We have a home in VA and this is what a contractor told us when we replaced our deck rails.
This is so great! My little guy is almost fully mobile (he just turned one – why do kids have to grow so fast?!) so I’ve been looking for something like this to gate off the deck.
Gates schmates we want more Teddy/Clara!
But I mean those are really nice gates too.
:-)
Does anyone know what the spacing between deck rails needs to be in order to be “kid safe”? Need to replace our older deck rails, and I am thinking that the ’80’s spacing is not up to code. Friends have told us rails need to be really close together, but no one seems to know actual dimensions…
When we built our old deck, the county code said there needed to be no more than 4″ between the rails. So I actually used a scrap piece of 4×4″ post to space mine evenly. The ones on this deck are about 5″ apart – and since we first saw this house shortly after I completed the other deck, it was one of the first things I noticed! Guess the code wasn’t as strict when this one was built a few decades ago.
-John
I built a huge swingset last year and did a lot of research on deck and swingset safety regulations. The recommendation is no spacing between 3.5″ and 9″. The reasoning being that kids are too big to get stuck in a space smaller than 3.5″ and their entire bodies can pass through a 9″ space. Google CPSC Public Playground safety handbook. They also have much less specific recommendations for home playgrounds, but I was extra cautious when building
Thanks Steph!
xo
s
Oh this is great. I am even more envious of your deck now. I’ve been letting my 3yo venture outside alone some around our house (and taking deep, calming breaths while I do), so this would be amazing. Unfortunately I’d need a 15-foot-high mesh perimeter to keep the cat in the yard though. So if you ever feel like blazing that trail for me…
Hi, Kara.
I know a lady who has put normal chain link fence around her house and then put a hot wire fence attached to it on the yard side about a foot off the ground. Her cats never leave the yard. We are country folks so we use these to keep coons out of our chickens.
Oh how interesting! I didn’t really think it was possible to contain cats!
So funny Laura because my parent’s have two little dogs, a dog door to a 4 foot chain link fenced yard. The tiniest dog figured out how to scale the fence and get out and go with all the neighbors that were out for walks during the day. My parents lived on a farm so they put the hot wire fence on it for a few weeks until the dog learned to stay in. Never hurt her, but it did deter her jumping habit. My dad said that it was a lot more humane than her getting hit by a car.
We actually use a standard invisible fence for our indoor/outdoor cat (along with our dog) and it works great! He’s been dying to go outdoors since we got him as a kitten seven years ago, but we’d kept him as an indoors-only cat. When he used to escape, he would take off running and we were always scared he would get lost or hit by a car. When we moved to our new house last summer, we DIY’d an underground fence, bought the collar from our local dealer, and he learned the boundaries very quickly. We live on 2 acres so he has lots of room to room and play but doesn’t get himself into trouble. He is so much happier now that he can go outside, and it is so wonderful not to have to worry about him darting out when we open doors anymore.
Everyone is amazed when we tell them that we keep our cat contained with an invisible fence – but it really does work!
Jen, that’s amazing! We kept our cat inside for years while we moved around, but after we’d been in our house a year I let him out. He is so much happier now. He’s a very high-energy cat (ginger male!), and he was always restless inside. Once he got stuck in our neighbor’s garage overnight and I thought he was gone, but even then I couldn’t regret letting him outside because his quality of life is so much better. He’s much nicer to be around when he’s inside now.
But lately I’ve become more aware of him possibly being a nuisance to the neighbors as well as hunting birds, mice and lizards. Apparently domestic outdoor cats are a big threat to birds. So it would be more responsible to limit his range.
Gosh, you make it look so simple. And it turned out great! We don’t own any dogs, but I have a feeling this tutorial will come in handy when we have another toddler (and our own house, for that matter) some day :).
Our chihuahua lays in the sun the exact same way! She even gets a little tan on her tummy sometimes! I swear her and Burger are long lost relatives or lovers. They look a lot alike! I will have to send a pic one day!
Thanks for the motivation to get our deck gate done! The wood has been sitting in the garage for 2 weeks now. We need a gate to keep our 2 year old from wondering the yard. Our hinge will attach like your second gate, so it was good to see how you did that. Thanks again!
Love the gate! My father-in-law actually built us the same type of gate for our indoor stairs when our son was a toddler. The adjustable baby gate never seemed to fit right on the stairs and I was always a basket case when he was near them (that is why they call me Captain Safety, after all:)) The fixed swing gate was a perfect solution. I thought we would have to take it down when we moved, but the new owners also had a little one and loved the idea.
I still maintain that you should end each post with a gratuitous Teddy/Clara shot, at least for awhile ;)
Ha! There are a ton of those in Instagram/Facebook for ya :)
xo
s
You will LOVE this down the line come toddling toddler! It’s been a godsend in our alwayswanttobeoutside home.
So glad to hear that!
xo
s
If Burger ever does get out, you can DIY him a special outside collar. Just lace 3 whiffle balls through a collar and he won’t be able to get more than his head through the slats! :)
Site isn’t working for me, either. This post isn’t showing except through Feedly and I can’ only see comments. If I got to the main page there’s no background.
So…the slats on that gate look quite wide, like wide enough for a mobile infant or toddler to get their head stuck so I’m wondering if they’re up to code.
When we built our old deck, the county code said there needed to be no more than 4″ between the rails. So I actually used a scrap piece of 4×4″ post to space mine evenly. The ones on this deck are about 5″ apart – and since we first saw this house shortly after I completed the other deck, it was one of the first things I noticed! Guess the code wasn’t as strict when this one was built a few decades ago. Thankfully it’s just an inch wider (and a mobile infant’s head is most likely a lot larger – Teddy’s is about 4.5″ already).
-John
Thank you thank you!!! We have been wanting to build a gate on our deck because we have stairs and I don’t trust my 16 month old to not go down them! We have been blocking it with the BBQ pit but he has been crawling around it!!
This may be a dumb question, but what happens if it rains on the gates before the 2-3 weeks time is done?
It’s just fine since they’re pressure treated. We had our deck unstained/sealed for about a season before we got to it at our last house and it worked great.
xo
s
Hi Erin, I think the 2 to 3 week drying time is for the chemicals in the wood to dry or cure. So rain doesn’t make a difference to that. But if you are painting something outside and it gets rained on, you would normally give it a couple of days to dry before painting.
I love it! Thanks so much for the details. I need to do this for our deck so the canine member of our clan can bask in the sun without being able to chase the two- and four-legged creatures that walk around our neighborhood.
Our former home had a second-story veranda and it was just about his favorite place in our home. He loved to spend hours out there. With a couple of gates, he should be in business again. Thanks!
The gate looks great!
The plywood solution is adorable, we do something similar with our dog & a baby gate, it doesn’t properly fit the deck railings, but we just prop it in place and to keep the dog from wandering.
We did the exact same thing on our second story deck the first week we moved in! It’s been the best $45 we spent on the house for our dog and cat! We cheated slightly and bought this handrail, cut it to size, stained it, and then added hardware. First time homeowners, we didn’t even have a saw so my husband used his hacksaw for the project and it still turned out great!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Pressure-Treated-6-ft-Handrail-132380/202674738?N=5yc1vZc5i7