Yard gate question(s)

[Snaik69]

Hi there, im new to this forum and am excited to have found it! (just dont tell my wife)...

Im a complete novice but i consider myself somewhat capable/handy...

My question involves building two gates for my yard. The fence is already up. My problem is that the last fence post (6x6) on both sides are not "even" with side of house (brick and foundation). The gates would be erected on an angle. And i have purchased two gate kits from home depot http://www.homedepot.ca/product/gate-kit/971860

Questions:
1. I have alot of clay soil so digging a post hole right next to the house is not something i think i want to do. Can i just tapcon a 2x4 to the wall and have that side serve as the latch side?

2. Any suggestions regarding the fact that the gate will be at roughly a 45 angle when shut? im having trouble visualizing how the latch would mount/function as a result.

Thank you very much!

[Rusty]

The latch side woodwork can be cut and made to fit with any angle/bevel that you may require so as to end up with a face/edge that is perpendicular to the gate face. No big deal there as long as you can fasten it very solidly to the house. When I say solid I mean it can't move PERIOD!!

As for the gate kits?? They are capital "G" GARBAGE!!!!

[Arthur]

You might consider putting something thicker on the wall side, so that you have enough room for the latch. Maybe a 4x4 instead of the 2x4? Personally I don't like tapconning anything to a wall that will be subject to physical shock repeated times when the gate slams shut. It's not that difficult to dig a hole right next to the foundation big enough for a post, you just need to get (rent) the right tools to do the job, and a lot of patience!

[Snaik69]

thanks for the replies...

I would prefer a post however the only digging tools i know of are the manual one (which wont cut it with the hard clay soil) and the powered auger (which is a non starter because of how close i need to be to the wall)...

regarding the bevel cut....so i would bevel the actual 2x4 attached to house at the appropriate angle or bevel-mount the latch (on another piece of wood) to the unmodified 2x4?

[HerbJ]

Use a long handed shovel. Soil next to the wall is all backfill and easily moved. Do enough manual work and you can cancel your gym membership.

[Brian @ Muir]

There are post hole diggers that will get close to the wall. One is called the Little Beaver. It is an excellent one person machine. It is a hydralic driven auger with the motor and hydralic pump at the far end of a torque rod. A lot of rental agencies carry them. They also manufacture other models.I have dug a lot of post holes with a hand auger and shovel. One hole as Herb suggests is not that hard

http://www.littlebeaver.com/

Brian

[Lost in the Woods]

FWIW, I was advised by the town building dept that I was not to dig for piers or post holes closer than two feet from the wall of my foundation. Not 100 percent certain why, but in my case it was also an issue with my foundation only going down 4 feet on one half of my house which would interfere with the weeping tile buried below. But I do recall this applied to any house I was told.

[willr]

FWIW, I was advised by the town building dept that I was not to dig for piers or post holes closer than two feet from the wall of my foundation. Not 100 percent certain why, but in my case it was also an issue with my foundation only going down 4 feet on one half of my house which would interfere with the weeping tile buried below. But I do recall this applied to any house I was told.

You provide a path for rainwater.
Second some houses have membranes that could be damaged
Some houses have drain conduits (with socks).

Our house has the drains so we too have to be careful. When we put the deck in we used an attachment board on the house and flashing for that reason.

[johansmyth]

I am with Herbj! You have less chance of doing damage to your foundation walls using a plain old shovel to sink a larger post. It wouldn't take longer than a half an hour to dig it by hand, and being close to the house you shouldn't need to go much more than 3 feet deep as it's not likely frost will ever get that far down in balmy Toronto and being that close to a house. If your basement is properly waterproofed it should not cause any problems. Don't make this more complicated than it needs to be; a shovel is 20 bucks. Good luck!

[Arthur]

One of these makes the job much easier:
http://www.hooverfence.com/tools/post-hole-digger.htm
along with one of these:
http://www.hooverfence.com/tools/digger-tamper.htm
and a garden hose to wet the clay.

Took myself and my son a couple hours to do one hole, and a lot of that was consumed by the former owners of the house leaving the concrete from a former post hole in the same location buried in the dirt! That's where the pry bar came in really handy!

To answer your other question, my gate is on an angle as well, I ended up slicing an appropriate angle on a 4x4 post with my bandsaw and bolting it to the existing fence corner post so that the gate was square with this "wedge" when it was shut.

[Rusty]

I"m with the dig it guys, but if you must do the bevel do it on the post. It's a sad thing if a guy can't dig one hole Tho!

[master finishing]

No reason you can't lag bolt, not tapcon what you need to your house. very strong and alot easier than digging. Toronto clay is a nightmare. House is likely to be alot straighter and certainly will move less than your other post so I would hang the gate off the house.

In terms of the gate kit, trade it in for an extra 2x4 which you will use for a diagonal brace. A quick google on gate building will give you all you need but aim the brace toward the bottom hinge and all will be good. Screws not nails would be stronger

My other concern is the appearance of what you are doing. Lay this up carefully. Done properly this could look good or it could look like someone mismeasured the fence then put the gates up wherever to close things off.

[Snaik69]

Thanks everyone! Great input...

[nicole]

for extra support i would use construction adhesive

[Arthur]

I still have concerns attaching anything to the wall. The standard brick facade on most homes around here is not structural, so anchoring to this will only cause problems down the road. Attaching an anchor to the foundation is ok, but anything above the foundation you're going to be challenged to find the right point to anchor to. Hence the idea to put a post in the ground beside the house wall. On the other hand, in digging the hole you need to exercise caution in not disturbing the drain tile below. Damned if you do, damned if you don't! No easy answers here! :p

[Brian @ Muir]

Attached is a gate I built in 2005 with a 6 x 6 post. When room permits I include a filler between the post and the adjoining wall. I have also built them within a couple of inches of the wall. I understand the concern about damaging the wall covering and building on top of the drain tile but going into the ground 3 ft is not going to put you close to the footings or drain tile. There is not a lot of weight with a gate post. Note the lockset in the gate. This is the only gate I have built using a lockset at the insistence of the client. I was in the area last year and it has stayed aligned. Both posts are set in concrete and being in north London they also have a heavy clay content.I don't recall the depth of the hole but it certainly would not be deeper the 3 ft

Brian