This is a project that I recently finished for my own home. The existing wood fence was in need of replacement and I saw this as an opportunity to do something that would not only improve the curb appeal from the front of the house but add a more dramatic entrance to my garden.
Design Inspiration, Goals, and Challenges….
I think it is always useful and meaningful to show the inspiration that propels designs forward. Putting some forethought into your own project will reap enormous benefits. Asking questions such as “How will the space be used?”, “What do I love? ” and “What will make this space my own?” are all important questions to ask that will lead you in the right direction. There are so many styles and options. There is no right or wrong choice but it should be what speaks to you-not what is necessarily trendy or design of the moment. Trends come and go but choosing what you love will help you create a space that you will enjoy and be proud of for a long time. It will reflect your own personality. So here is a little bit of a window into what was going on in my head as I began this project.
Elements of the Design:
Brick Pillars
I have swooned over old brick and stone columns for as long as I can remember. I knew that this would be part of the design. There is something very romantic about aged brick and stone work covered in ivy. Historical homes and gardens were my inspiration, a nod to bygone days and the nearly lost art of exquisitely crafted pillars and fences inviting homeowners and guests into a shady area sheltered against sweltering summer heat. They would need to be substantial too in keeping with the scale of the house. One mistake that I see over and over again with new construction are pillars too thin for the columns on a house. It drives me crazy!
Architectural Finials
I used to spend a good amount of time hunting for architectural elements to be used in my projects and designs. One of my favorite haunts was Architectural Salvage & Theatrical Supply which was located in what is now the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City. Sadly, it is no longer there but during one of my hunts I found 2 lovely large stone artichokes that were salvaged from one of the buildings downtown during heavy renovation of the area in the 80’s and 90’s. They were in pretty good shape with only a couple of minor chips. I held onto them and moved them (no small feat-they are HEAVY!) with me, knowing that eventually I would find a place for them. This entrance project would provide me with the chance to incorporate them into the design making it truly unique.
Pillar Caps
I considered capping the tops of the pillars with brick or stone. I ultimately decided upon limestone as a suggestion from my brick contractor. He had a sub-contractor source that could chisel the perimeter of the cut limestone giving them an old look and it turned out to be a perfect choice. This is one example of a fortunate turn of serendipity that happens sometimes when you are going through the construction process. Opportunities present themselves that are unexpected. Once I completed the project I couldn’t imagine them any other way.
The Garden Gate
I knew from the onset that the gate would be a very important part of the project. I wanted something more substantial aesthetically than what I was seeing locally. I also wanted it to be a gate that would stand up to the harsh temperature swings between hot summers and frigid winters here in the Midwest. I had to do some sleuthing to find the right source that was the perfect mix of quality and design for the project.
Wrought Iron Fencing
I chose to flank the brick columns with wrought iron rather than building a brick wall. This choice was made to keep the structure from being too “heavy”. I knew that it would need to be a custom design due to the landscape but in keeping with the style of the pillars something traditional would be my preference.
Challenges and Solutions
There is an uphill slope on the left side of the entrance. I did not want the fence to follow the slope of the hill on a slant. I felt that it would take away from the focus on the pillars and the gate so I chose to have that section of the fence custom made so that it would die into the hill.
Matching or complimenting the exterior brick on the front of the house for the pillars was another important part of the project. My goal was that the finished entrance would look as if it had always been there. I didn’t however love the brown brick that was in place. Brick supply houses many times have people on staff that are very talented and this was the case with my project. I took photos of the front of the house brick facade. i explained to the brick specialist that I would like something that maintained some of the brown tones but incorporated some subtle red tones for the pillars. I sent them the photos of the existing brick and in a couple of days received 2 options to start with. The first one was spot on. Perfect. The same brown tones but just a hint of red that made it a little more lively and interesting to my eye. I now call the guy at the brick supply house “The Brick Whisperer”.
Sketching the Design- You don’t necessarily need to have a professionally drawn design but it should have all of the elements included that are important to you so that you or your designer can start to get contractors enough information to give you bids. In my case I needed for this to go out to my brick contractor, the Custom Gate Company, and the Wrought Iron Contractor.
I knew that I was going to need exact specifications for the gate dimensions before I could begin the brick work so that was my first task and purchase. After much online and word of mouth searching I found a company offering exactly what I was looking for, Pacific Gateworks based in Sherwood, Oregon.
Here is a link to the about page of their website . A quality product was the first thing that drew me to their work. Just a side note that I want to make clear. I do not receive any compensation for recommending them but I always try to get the word out for products and services that deserve to be acknowledged and recommended regardless of whether I have an affiliation with the company.
On the about page of the website this first caught my eye “At Pacific Gate Works, we don’t believe in cutting corners.” My thought was…SOLD. I am willing to pay for quality work and find more and more that quality is compromised to keep costs down. I do recognize that budget is an important part of the construction process but I believe every customer should be given the option to make their own decision about what they are willing to compromise to keep things within budget.
The gate needed to be ordered prior to starting the construction of the pillars so that the placement could be made precisely with a span between them that was accurate to accommodate the door. The other thing that I would like to mention is that Pacific Gate Works has a solid process for walking you through the selection of the right product for your project, ordering. and shipping. I was given exact dimensions with everything needed to ensure that my contractor had what he needed to layout the position of the pillars. That sounds like it should be a given but I have found that large bulky custom ordered products don’t always have a smooth process in place to get the product information needed, built, and transported easily and safely to it’s destination. My experience with Pacific GateWorks was excellent and they made it easy from start to finish. Here is a photo of the partially uncrated gate that I stored in my garage until it was ready for installation. It arrived in perfect condition.
Next up was the construction of the brick pillars. Here is a photo of the existing house brick that we needed to match.
….and here is a photo of the brick that was selected for the new gates.
Sonrise Masonry in Lee’s Summit did the construction of the brick and they were great to work with as well. With the gate specific information provided by Pacific Gate Works, we arrived at a plan for exactly how the pillars would be positioned to allow for the best look from the street and distance needed for the custom door.
Before any construction is started where there will be digging it is good practice always have the city come out and mark where underground power lines are located. In our case, because we are in a cold winter climate, frost footings were needed. They are deep and this helped the crew to work around those power lines. Once the footings were secure the actual construction of the pillars was underway. These pillars were constructed using cement blocks on the interior structure to form the frame. The bricks were then added for the exterior facade. This allowed for a stronger beefier construction of the pillars without the extra expense of bricks for the structure.
Once the pillars were finished the limestone caps were added and then crowned with the architectural finials. They were pretty dirty and one of them was slightly crooked. The brick mason did an excellent job of adjusting and re-centering them on the center rod and power washed all before we added the gate and the ironwork.
Here are a couple of photos from the street view….
…and also from the garden showing the pillars at this stage of the project.
Next up was the design and construction of the wrought iron fencing to connect to each side of the pillars. The fence design that was selected is called “Williamsburg” as shown in the drawing below.
This design is traditional and available at most custom iron fabricators. One of the challenges I mentioned earlier was the elevation of the yard to the left side of the entrance. It is a pretty steep incline. To keep from building an awkward fence following the incline of the yard, I decided to have it die into the hill. We had the completed custom fence powder coated in a matte black finish. There was a considerable down time between completion of the pillars and installation of the fencing so I moved ahead with staining the door. I used Cabot brand stain in Sunlit Walnut. It was a dream to apply and I was really pleased with the results. Here is a photo of the completed project with the door installed, stained and fence work complete.
The brick work was slightly more red than the house facade by design. Here is a photo showing the new and the existing brick side by side. I am really happy with the finished project and think it appears as if it has always been there.
I would love to hear your comments and any additional tips that might help our readers. Also, if you have photos of your own projects creating inviting outdoor garden entrances that you would like to share they are welcome here!
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