FAQ's
Where to begin?
A swing or a sliding gate?
How to choose the right gates for my property?
How much do the gates cost?
What are the gate coating options?
What guarantees do I get?
Who will install my gates once you have made them?
Can I have my gates automated?
What are the benefits of automated gates?
What are the automation options for swing gates?
Can electric gates be dangerous?
Who will install electric gate system?
What guarantees do I get for the gate automation?
How much is the gate automation?
What maintenance is required for electric gates?
What to look out for when ordering electric gates?
Are you a first time gate buyer?
We are keen to help you make an informed choice that best suits both your requirements and your property, whether you are looking for electric entrance gates or manual side gates.
My name is Karlis Elmanis and I am the founder of Creative Metal Design Ltd. I have 19 years of experience designing and building bespoke metalwork projects. I started my own business after recognising a niche in the market for high quality hand built gates that would be designed from the ground up integrating gate automation, access control devices and required safety elements to meet the industry regulations.
Whether you are looking for electric entrance gates or manual side gates. We understand that possibly this will be the first time you are looking to purchase bespoke gates and you may be unsure where to begin.
Our expertise is recognising your requirements, and assisting you through the process so that you can get the best quality product for your budget.
Where to begin?
|
Firstly, what are the primary functions of the gates? Security, pets, kids safety, enhance the property, keep road noise down and privacy. Perhaps they need to cover all of the aspects listed but not all gate designs will serve this purpose. For example, traditional wrought iron gates with bar gaps will not provide any reduction in road noise or privacy but might be a great addition to secure and enhance your property. Privacy and reduced road noise can be achieved with solid clad gates, for example steel framed timber gates, full timber gates or modern aluminium clad gates. Although solid clad gates are not a good option for windy entrances. |
|
A swing or a sliding gate?
Both options have their limiting factors that are determined by your driveway and entrance layout.
- Sliding gates require an opening that is at least half a metre wider than the gate opening, and the ground has to be level for the full length of the gate run. Sliding gates are a great option if your drive is wide and not very deep, providing more space for parking.
- Swing gates are the most common type of gates for domestic entrances. They are technically more simple to design, build and maintain, as well as being less restrictive with the type of design. However, if your driveway has a steep incline that is more than the desired gap under the gates per half the opening, alterations to your driveway may be required.
|
|
A free site survey is offered to assess your driveway entrance suitability and any limiting factors for your gates. We also help advise as to the most suitable gate type, taking into consideration your preferred gate design.
How to choose the right gates for my property?
Once you have established the type of gate (swing or sliding) most suitable to your property, you are ready to choose a design.
Many factors have to be taken into consideration when choosing a design, here we highlight just two of them based on a client asking for a two metre high, modern aluminium clad, steel framed sliding gate without a side entrance:
(1) The era/period of your property. This type of gate may not be the most suitable choice to secure the entrance of a classic Victorian style property on the same street that has traditional entrance gates.
(2) Gate regulations. Most sliding gate manual releases are located on the inside of the property, and for this reason, gate regulations clearly state that there must be a side gate to gain access in case of a power cut or emergency. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/powered-gates/safety.htm
Made-to-measure standard gate designs.
We have created some standard designs for straight top wrought iron gates, as well as curved top gates. Our basic gate designs allow you to easily customise your gates with material upgrade options, added middle rail or any other decorative elements that you might like to see incorporated in your gates.
Using our template it is easy to create absolutely stunning entrance gates that will fit your budget and will be one of the kind.
Many factors have to be taken into consideration when choosing a design, here we highlight just two of them based on a client asking for a two metre high, modern aluminium clad, steel framed sliding gate without a side entrance:
(1) The era/period of your property. This type of gate may not be the most suitable choice to secure the entrance of a classic Victorian style property on the same street that has traditional entrance gates.
(2) Gate regulations. Most sliding gate manual releases are located on the inside of the property, and for this reason, gate regulations clearly state that there must be a side gate to gain access in case of a power cut or emergency. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/powered-gates/safety.htm
Made-to-measure standard gate designs.
We have created some standard designs for straight top wrought iron gates, as well as curved top gates. Our basic gate designs allow you to easily customise your gates with material upgrade options, added middle rail or any other decorative elements that you might like to see incorporated in your gates.
Using our template it is easy to create absolutely stunning entrance gates that will fit your budget and will be one of the kind.
|
|
Bespoke gate designs.
We also offer bespoke gate designs that are tailored to your vision for your entrance gates, ranging from bespoke wrought iron gates to steel framed and even stainless steel framed timber clad gates. Bespoke gates often require individual drawings in scale as well as more labour time to build, and consequently might be a more expensive option.
We also offer bespoke gate designs that are tailored to your vision for your entrance gates, ranging from bespoke wrought iron gates to steel framed and even stainless steel framed timber clad gates. Bespoke gates often require individual drawings in scale as well as more labour time to build, and consequently might be a more expensive option.
|
|
How much does the gates cost?
|
Gate costs will depend on many combined factors including gate size, design, materials, type of gate (sliding or swing), coating finish and gate origins.
|
|
Custom built entrance gate cost samples
Our prices are calculated based on the time required to design and hand build each project plus material costs.
Custom built entrance gate cost samples
Our prices are calculated based on the time required to design and hand build each project plus material costs.
|
|
|
|
|
What are the gate coating options?
Do I have to get my gates coated? If your gates are not built using marine grade stainless steel or Corten steel, they will require a suitable coating - whether they are full timber, wrought iron or steel framed timber gates. If you have invested time, effort and money in having your gates hand crafted, we would always recommend using the best coating option to suit the environment of where they will be installed. This is to ensure the gates we have provided you with have a prolonged service life.
If your property is near the coast it may be subject to harsh weather conditions that would normally deteriorate regular timber gates in a couple of years. We can design and handbuild marine grade stainless steel framed gates with durable Siberian larch or hardwood cladding that will be structurally stable for many years to come. In the long run you would save a lot of money by not having to replace regular timber gates that structurally are not as stable as stainless steel gates.
|
COATING OPTIONS
|
|
|
|
|
What guarantees do I get?
We guarantee structural integrity of our metalwork for life, as long as the required maintenance is kept on schedule. Our guarantee does not cover extreme weather caused damage, poor maintenance caused corrosion damage, any physical forced damage or misuse of the product.
Who will install my gates once you made them?
|
We prefer to install our gates to ensure that they are installed correctly, in a safe manner and to the highest standards to guarantee the longest possible service life. A trouble free gate service life is directly dependent on the quality of the initial gate installation as well as regular annual maintenance. |
|
Can I have my gates automated?
Yes you can. After a site assessment, we establish the most suitable gate type i.e sliding or swing gates for your entrance. We will integrate gate automation, safety & control devices to the gate design to ensure an accurate and precisely finished product. We can also retrofit gate automation to most existing gates with little to no modifications.
What are the benefits of automated gates?
An automated gate system allows you to open and close the gates from your car, house or holiday destination, providing you with full control over who is accessing your property. Besides greatly increasing security, an automated gate system also provides significant safety over manual gates as you do not have to get out of your vehicle to open the gates. This eliminates any chance of opportunists jumping in your car and driving off. Most manual gates are rarely used on a daily basis.
What are the automation options for swing gates?
|
For swing gates the two most common automation options are arm motor automation and underground automation systems. Both systems do the same job but are considerably different in design and price.
|
|
|
|
Can electric gates be dangerous?
Yes, electric gates can be very dangerous if they are installed incorrectly or without required safety elements to avoid injuries. We carry out risk assessments for every single gate project that we design and install. Electric gate safety is a crucial element of gate installation, and should only be carried out by experienced gate installers following industry standard guidelines. It is mandatory that each electric gate is accompanied by two gate technical files (one each for the installer and client) which contain details of the site address, client’s name, installed automation system, gate description, risk assessment, EC declaration of conformity, force testing results, user instructions and all of the installed component manuals and diagrams. All electric gates should be connected to the power isolator as well as marked with necessary warning signs and CE (now called UKCA) plate containing gate details and manufacturer details.
Who will install electric gate system?
To ensure that you receive the highest quality end product that meets current gate safety regulations, and our warrantee is valid, we carry out the gate installation ourselves.
What guarantees do I get for the gate automation?
We use one of the market leading gate automation manufacturers equipment that is warranted for three years. Intercom systems and other gate components have a manufacturer warranty of one to two years. We guarantee our installations for three months which is a standard warranty for most electrical works.
How much is the gate automation?
No gate automation system installation is the same. Gates vary in size, usage, layout and types. Therefore, each gate must be paired with the most suitable automation to ensure maximum safety and service life. Sliding gate and swing gate automation costs will differ. A double swing gate automation cost will depend on the site layout and automation system chosen due to the time required to install different automation systems. For example, installation of an underground automation system with a block paved driveway will be more expensive then installing the same automation system on a loose shingle driveway.
A double underground automation installation starts from £2450+VAT.
For the same layout, double gates paired with arm motor automation will start from £2050+VAT.
What maintenance is required for electric gates?
Your gates will need to be serviced on an annual basis for domestic property and every six month for residential, multi domestic properties basis. This will ensure that your gates remain in good working order along with checking all the safety elements.
What to look out for when ordering electric gates?
There are many self claimed gate specialists out there, some are just installers with a van, or they specialise in building gates only, ideally you should look for a company that offers a complete package of both building and installing your gates providing you with a cohesive gate package that complies with the industry standards. Avoid suspiciously cheap gate purchases, that saving on your quote is made somewhere else, for example, no technical file, poor material and component quality, cheap automation, no safety devices or simply less time spent on the gate build and installation. To help you get the right product package, we recommend visiting gate companies that offer a full start to finish gate service and ask to visit the workshop where the gates are built, as well as requesting to look at least one gate installation.
There are many self claimed gate specialists out there, some are just installers with a van, or they specialise in building gates only, ideally you should look for a company that offers a complete package of both building and installing your gates providing you with a cohesive gate package that complies with the industry standards. Avoid suspiciously cheap gate purchases, that saving on your quote is made somewhere else, for example, no technical file, poor material and component quality, cheap automation, no safety devices or simply less time spent on the gate build and installation. To help you get the right product package, we recommend visiting gate companies that offer a full start to finish gate service and ask to visit the workshop where the gates are built, as well as requesting to look at least one gate installation.
Sincerely
Karlis Elmanis
Director
Creative Metal Design Ltd
