Mystery of the garden gate footings

[Thermo]

sorry deluks, but i rip them out all the time at work where theyve done exactly that. the weak point isnt the metpost concreted in the ground its the fact that the timber loosens and moves in the shoe itself.

 

[Deluks]

Ok I'll leave it as you're all ganging up on me now. All I'm saying is that metposts do actually work from time to time, and yes I've seen plenty of metpost nightmares also.

 

[Thermo]

shut up and give me your lunch money

 

[trotter]

Deluks, thanks for trying to save me the graft


I must say though that next door have their front gate - same wall as me etc - in the same gate footings

And it wobbles about more than me on the way home from the pub


How about timber in the Metposts but also bracketed to the wall? I really don't fancy digging out footings from concrete...wouldn't know where to start and I suspect the path then would look a mess...and then that's ANOTHER job on my list !!!

 

[Deluks]

Deluks, thanks for trying to save me the graft


I must say though that next door have their front gate - same wall as me etc - in the same gate footings

And it wobbles about more than me on the way home from the pub


How about timber in the Metposts but also bracketed to the wall? I really don't fancy digging out footings from concrete...wouldn't know where to start and I suspect the path then would look a mess...and then that's ANOTHER job on my list !!!

Well I was thinking you could use a resin stud into the edge of the brick, which goes through the post and with a nut on the gate hinge side. This would prevent any outwards movement. Would look ugly but you could use a 6x1 or whatever to cover the gap on both sides.


The reason these move is because the slotted bits inside the metpost are supposed to grip the timber. but over time they wear a groove in the wood causing the movement. After banging in the post, you add thin plywood or slate to the small gaps between edge of timber and top of the metpost, and bang them down with a hammer and block of wood. These take up any gap in between the metal slotted bits, and eliminate movement. Then add some brown silicone sealant around the top to finish it off and hold back water ingress.

oh, and you're all out of luck, I've brought sandwiches today.

 

[Thermo]

ill give you a kicking for those then!