If you are looking for a metal side gate supplied and fitted in Dublin, Meath, Kildare or Wicklow, this page explains what we offer and who it suits. The Home Upgrade Co. works with a local gate maker who measures the gap beside your house, welds a steel frame to fit it, fills it with composite or timber boards and fits it himself. It is a different product from the timber side gates sold at entry level prices, and this page is honest about the difference.
What is a made to measure metal side gate?
A welded steel frame made to the exact width and height of your side passage, filled with composite or timber boards, hung on steel and fitted with a lock.
The steel frame is the point. It carries the weight, holds the hinges and the lock, and keeps the gate square year after year. The boards inside it are there for privacy and looks, and they do no structural work. You choose the infill, the colour of the frame, the height, and which side it hinges on.
- Composite infill in grey, black or brown woodgrain, which needs no painting or staining
- Timber infill for a warmer look, held in the same steel frame
- Single gates for a standard side passage and double gates for a wide one
Why choose a metal side gate over a timber one?
Timber gates drop, swell and rot. A welded steel frame keeps its shape, so the gate goes on closing the way it did on day one.
Most people replacing a side gate are replacing a timber one that has sagged on its hinges, swollen so it sticks in winter, or rotted along the bottom rail. Those are all failures of a timber frame. With a steel frame the hinges are welded or bolted to steel, the latch always lines up, and the boards are kept clear of the ground.
There is a place for a plain timber side gate, and plenty of firms in Dublin supply them at low prices. If that is what you need, they are the right call and we are not. If you want a gate that is made for your opening, locks properly and stays hanging straight, that is what this page is about.
Is a metal side gate more secure?
Yes. A full height steel frame with a key lock and no footholds is far harder to force or climb than a timber gate on a bolt.
The side passage is the usual way into a back garden, so the side gate is part of the security of the house. A steel framed gate can be made full height to the top of the wall, with flush boards that give nothing to climb on, and a lock that is fixed into steel rather than screwed into softwood.
Will it fit my side passage if the walls are not straight?
Yes. The gate is made to the measured gap, top and bottom, so it fits openings that are narrow, wide, tapered or out of plumb.
The gap between a house and a boundary wall is rarely a standard width, and the house wall and the boundary wall are rarely parallel. Pipes, gas boxes and meter cabinets get in the way as well. Our gate maker measures at the top and the bottom, checks what the gate can be fixed to on each side, and makes the frame and its posts to suit. Wide passages get a double gate.
Send us a photo of the side passage and the rough width, and we will tell you what would suit it.
How much does a metal side gate cost supplied and fitted?
Every job is priced individually, because every side passage is different. You get a rough guide from a photo and the width, and a firm written price after the measure.
The price depends on the width and height, the infill you choose, the lock, and whether there is something solid to fix to on both sides or new steel posts are needed. It will be well above the price of an entry level timber side gate, because it is a welded steel gate made for one opening and fitted by the man who made it. A rough guide is possible from a photo and a width. The firm price follows a measure.
How is the steel frame protected from rust?
Ask for the finish in writing before you compare prices. The longest lasting finish for outdoor steel is hot dip galvanising with powder coating on top.
Ask this of anyone quoting you for a metal gate. Hot dip galvanising to EN ISO 1461 coats the steel in zinc inside and out after welding, and powder coating on top gives the colour. A frame that is only painted over bare steel will rust from the welds first.
How long does it take to get a side gate made and fitted?
It depends on the size of the job and how busy the workshop is. You are told the expected timeframe with your written price, before you commit to anything.
- WhatsApp us a photo. Send the side passage, the rough width and your area. We come back with what would suit and a rough guide on price.
- Measured on site. Our gate maker measures the gap top and bottom and checks what the gate will be fixed to.
- A written price. One figure for the gate supplied and fitted. No obligation.
- Made in the workshop. The frame is welded to your measurements, finished, and the boards are fitted.
- Fitted. He hangs the gate himself, sets the lock and checks it swings and closes cleanly.
Do you supply and fit side gates in Meath, Kildare and Wicklow as well as Dublin?
Yes. Metal side gates are supplied and fitted across Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. Message us your area and we will confirm straight away.
If the front of the house needs doing as well, see made to measure metal gates for driveway and pedestrian gates, and metal railings for the front wall.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission for a side gate?
Usually not. A gate within or bounding the curtilage of a house is exempt up to 2 metres high under Class 5 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001. Protected structures and conservation areas have their own rules.
Can you match the side gate to my driveway gates?
Yes. The same composite boards and frame colour can be used on the side gate, the pedestrian gate and the driveway gates so the whole house matches.
Does composite infill need maintenance?
Very little. Composite boards do not need painting or staining, and a wash down now and then keeps them looking right.
Can I get a price from a photo?
You can get a rough guide from a photo and the width of the gap. The firm price follows a measure on site, because what the gate fixes to on each side changes the job.
