As with anything that you buy online you have to be careful to make sure you know exactly what it is that you are buying. Good quality wooden gates are difficult to find in local shops so buying off of the internet is an ideal way of getting exactly the right wooden gate for your home. To make sure your dream gate doesn’t turn into a nightmare here are a few tips that will make buying a gate online as easy as fetching a paper from the news agents.
Make sure you know what type of wood your gate is made from
Its not everyday you look into buying a gate so you may take some aspects for granted like what it’s made from. Wood is wood after all isn’t it? Absolutely not! As with any material there are different grades of quality and some types of wood are more suitable for gates than others. There are too many types of wood to mention hear to give a concise list of what is suitable and how much it would cost but just being aware should allow you to find out whether the price is reasonable or not. For instance you will pay a lot more for a hardwood gate than you would for a softwood gate simply for its durability.
Take the time to find out what depth the wood is that the gates are made out of
Another way of cost cutting is to make the wood that the gate is made out of thinner. Obviously your design aspect or gap requirements dictate the width and height of the gate so you will automatically look out for these dimensions but there is a third dimension to look out for too. The thinner the wood used for making the gate the less strength the gate will have so bear this in mind when deciding on the purpose of your gate.
What finish does the wooden gate come in?
There is nothing wrong with a gate coming with no coating just as long as you are aware that you need to coat the gate when it arrives. Presuming that a wooden gate comes with protection and sending it straight out into the harsh outside climate is only going to send it to an early grave.
Is your wooden gate really handmade?
If you’re paying for a handmade wooden gate you want to make sure it really is freshly carved! One way of making sure that a gate is handmade is by checking their contact details and searching on google maps for them. If their business address is on Google maps they will have had to verify this so if the area is in the middle of a built up area the chances are that it is simply a house address or an office address. If their address is a workshop then it is more likely they will actually be hand making the gates for you.
Some companies simply pretend to hand make wooden gates when the reality is they are just shipping them in from an Eastern European factory for cheap and passing them off as hand made. Most reputable companies will have a link on their website to their premises so it should be easy to check out.
Find out what comes with the gate
Not everyone who purchases a garden gate online wants the full monty, some simply require the gate and will attached it to a wall or fence. This usually means that the bottom line price shown on a website is for simply the gate on its own and gate posts and iron mongery will be extra. If you do want the gate posts you will also have to allow in your measurements for them too. The iron mongery usually consists of hinges brackets and latch which are all handy to have unless you are buying fancy versions separately.
Make sure there is a money back guarantee
A money back guarantee is always something to look out for when shopping online. This is more important when you are buying wooden gates which there is a slight chance may get damaged in transit. Hopefully the delivery company will hold up there end of the bargain and get the gate to you safely but if not it brings great piece of mind to know you can send it back with no fuss.
