How To Make a Wooden Gate for Your Fence

Open wooden gate in the backyard
If you're building a fence, you're probably going to want to incorporate a simple wooden gate. This article will break down the whole process for how to build a wooden gate and includes a step by step video.

If you’re going through the process of adding a fence to your home, you will probably need to also make a wooden gate. Adding a gate to your fence is important to provide easy access from your front and back yards without needing to go through a garage or house.

Scrap woods, toy truck and unused home items at the wooden fence before a gate is built.

At our house in the backyard, we needed to make a wooden gate on the side of our house to get easily access to front yard from the back (and visa versa). We also use this gate to get the lawn mower from the backyard shed to the front yard grass to mow.

We recently shared the whole process of how to build a wooden fence with a video and blog post tutorial, so you should definitely check that article out if you’re building a fence too.

However, we decided to separate out the tutorial for how to make a wooden gate because the process is so different. It deserved its own post, don’t you think?

How To Make A Wooden Gate Video Tutorial

If you love DIY videos, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

This how to build a wooden gate tutorial contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Read my full disclosure here.

Man attaching two boards for frame on a gate and corner brackets with deck screws using drill

Step 1. Build frame for wooden gate.

Build a rectangle frame with 2×4 pressure treated boards & corner brackets. Be sure to use deck screws which are made for outdoor use.

Step 2. Add a diagonal 2×4 in the middle for some extra stability.

Simply lay the 2×4 on top of the rectangle, mark where you need it cut and cut using a circular saw. Attach the diagonal piece with more deck screws drilled diagonally into the brace.

Step 3. Add hinges.

The diagonal cross brace should be “in compression” which means that it needs to go from the bottom hinge to the top corner of the other side.

Wood is much stronger in compression rather than tension, so this will help prevent the gate from sagging later.

Add one cedar fence picket to the edge of the gate frame that will be on the hinge side and attach your gate hinge on top and bottom.

Be sure to drill pilot holes first and then use the screw provided with your gate hinge.

Step 4. Hang gate and attach.

Have one person hold the gate up and into place (while make sure it is level), while the other person attached the other side of the gate hinges onto the gate.

Step 5. Add pickets.

Add the rest of the fence pickets to cover the gate.

Wooden gate with wood brace and handle and latch attached.

Step 6. Add handle & latch.

Add a gate handle to the opposite side.

Finished wooden gate attached to the backyard cedar fence with no sag brackets

The wooden gate turned out awesome and works great for our purposes. It blends right in with the rest of our fence and was very easy to build.

Do you have any questions about this how to build a wooden gate tutorial?

Let us know in the comments below!

Wooden gate in the backyard with text overlay that says how do you build a fence gate?
How To Make a Wooden Gate for Your Fence

How To Make a Wooden Gate for Your Fence

Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Intermediate
Estimated Cost: $50

If you're building a fence, you're probably going to want to incorporate a simple wooden gate. This tutorial breaks down the whole process for how to build a wooden gate and includes a step by step video.

Materials

  • Cedar fence pickets
  • Pressure treated 2x4s
  • Screws
  • Gate hinge (Qty 2)
  • Corner bracket (Qty 4)
  • Gate late and handle

Tools

  • Square
  • Tape measure
  • Circular saw
  • Drill

Instructions

  1. Build rectangular frame for wooden gate with 2x4s and corner brackets.
  2. Add diagonal 2x4 in the middle for extra stability.
  3. Add one fence picket to the edge of the gate frame and attach your gate hinges on top and bottom.
  4. Hang gate. Have one person hold into place (and make sure it's level) while the other person attached the other side of the gate hinges onto the gate
  5. Add fence pickets.
  6. Add handle & latch to the opposite side of gate.

Notes

    The diagonal cross brace should be “in compression” which means that it needs to go from the bottom hinge to the top corner of the other side. Wood is much stronger in compression rather than tension, so this will help prevent the gate from sagging later.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

12 Comments

  1. It certainly was a helpful and informative article on the basic process of building a gate, but I’m still scratching my head on the best method to determine measurements.

    1. To determine the measurements of your gate, you should start by measuring the gap in between your fence posts where the gate will be. Then once you purchase your gate kit or hinges, the instructions should tell you the exact hinge gap that you’ll need. Then you can build the gate frame with that measurement. Then, add one cedar fence picket to the edge of the gate frame that will be on the hinge side and attach your gate hinge on top and bottom. Once you hang the gate frame up, you can test the size to make sure everything works before attaching the rest of the pickets.

  2. Great post. One question: how can you connect the support 2×4 if you use the corner braces?

  3. Awesome design!! Really enjoyed the project. I followed your directions with a few modifications due to long hinges from previous door. Also, with today’s inflation cost came to $120.00.

  4. Awesome design!! Really enjoyed the project. I followed your directions with a few modifications due to long hinges from previous door. Also, with today’s inflation cost came to $120.00.