Installing a garden gate in 2026 means paying for the gate, its posts and hardware, and the fitting. The widest variable is the gate itself: a softwood side gate bought off the shelf costs far less than a maker’s hardwood gate, and automation adds a motor kit that can cost more than the gate. Fitting is priced by quote: installers rarely publish a fixed price to hang a garden gate.

Labour is generally a small portion of the total for manual gates. A competent joiner or fencer can hang most pedestrian gates in two to four hours. Automation and heavier metalwork push the job into a full day or more, often involving groundworks, concrete, and an electrician.

Garden Gate Prices by Type

These are retailers’ and makers’ own prices for one named pedestrian gate each, about 900 mm wide, in October 2026: supply only, before delivery, posts and fitting.

Timber

Wickes sells a low 900 × 900 mm softwood picket gate at £36.1

Its 915 × 895 mm double slatted timber gate is £84.2

A full-height 915 × 1829 mm overlap timber side gate is £125 at Wickes.3

Countryside Gates & Fencing, a Suffolk maker, prices its framed hardwood Glemham pedestrian gate from £700, in sapele, iroko or oak.4

The same maker’s curved-top Deben hardwood gate, 900 mm wide and 1.5 m high by default, is £1,231.5

Steel

Travis Perkins sells a galvanised and powder-coated steel gate for a 914 mm opening, 915 mm high, at £119.98 including VAT.6

The same Manor gate at 1,220 mm high is £138.50 including VAT.7

Aluminium and composite

Wickes sells a 900 × 1800 mm pedestrian gate with an aluminium frame and composite infill at £360.8

B&Q sells a 900 × 1600 mm aluminium pedestrian gate, supplied with hinges, handles and lock, at £385.20.9

Automation

The Electric Gate Store sells a FAAC S418 kit for a single gate leaf, with control board, photocells and two remotes, at £864 including VAT.10

For a pair of swing gates, Gatemotors sells a BFT Phobos kit for leaves up to 2.5 m at £821.74 including VAT.11

Its FAAC 415 kit for a pair of leaves up to 3 m each is £1,245.60 including VAT.12

The kit is the motor and its controls only: the installation, the power supply and any groundworks come on top.

What Drives the Price?

Gate Material

Timber is the cheapest option when bought as a standard pressure-treated softwood gate from a fencing or builders’ merchant. Hardwood (oak, iroko) costs more upfront but lasts considerably longer without treatment. Timber gates are prone to swelling in wet weather if not properly treated and hung with clearance gaps.

Steel and mild steel gates offer good strength at a mid-range price. They are factory powder-coated, which reduces ongoing maintenance. Bespoke steel work by a local blacksmith will cost more than a catalogue product.

Wrought iron is at the premium end of manual gates. True wrought iron is no longer made and is available only as recycled material, so most new gates sold as wrought iron are mild steel worked in a traditional style.13 The premium pays for the scrollwork and custom making rather than the metal, and a made-to-order gate can take several weeks to deliver.

Composite gates use a PVC or aluminium core clad in a wood-effect finish. They do not rot, warp, or need painting, making them popular for side access gates. Cost is similar to steel.

Automated gates carry additional costs: the motor kit, priced above, power supply, intercom or keypad, and the safety devices required by BS EN 12453, which replaced the withdrawn BS EN 12978 for the safety devices on power operated gates.14 Installation usually means running a new circuit out to the gate, and a new circuit is notifiable work under Part P in England, so it has to be certified by a registered competent person (an electrician registered with a scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT) or signed off by building control.15 The safety devices are not an optional extra either: trade guidance treats a safety edge or an obstacle-detecting drive as the primary protection, with light beams only as a backup, never as the sole measure.16

Posts and Groundworks

Many quotes focus on the gate and hanging hardware and exclude post installation. If existing posts are sound, the job is simpler. Concrete or brick pillars for a heavy metal or automated gate are priced by quote and need time to cure before the gate is hung.

A 100 × 100 mm treated timber post, 2.4 m long, of the size used to hang a pedestrian gate, is £26 at Wickes.17

Setting it takes post concrete, and a 20 kg bag of Blue Circle Postcrete is £7.50 at Wickes.18

For the hardware, Wickes sells a heavy-duty 457 mm reversible hinge at £14 each, and a gate needs two.19

Toolstation sells a side gate kit of a pair of tee hinges, a Suffolk latch and a padbolt at £31.60 including VAT.20

Gate Width and Opening Style

Standard pedestrian gates are 900mm wide. Driveway gates are typically 2.4m to 5m wide (single or double leaf). Wider gates require heavier hinges, stronger posts, and more labour. Single-leaf driveway gates are simpler to automate than double-leaf.

Who Fits It

A carpenter, joiner or fencer hangs a timber or composite gate, a metalwork fitter a heavy metal one, and a gate automation specialist with a registered electrician an automated one. Most pedestrian gate installations are priced as a fixed job rather than a day rate. Get at least three quotes and check whether they include posts, concrete, and hardware.

Worked Example: Traditional Metal Side Gate

Scenario: A semi-detached house needs a traditional metal side gate about 900mm wide × 1.2m high, hung between brick piers that already exist. Most gates sold in this style are mild steel rather than true wrought iron, as explained above.

Travis Perkins sells a steel bow-top gate for a 914 mm opening, 1,219 mm high, at £119.89 including VAT, with its latch.21

A scroll-pattern alternative in the same range, the Stira for a 762 mm opening, is £102.60 at B&Q.22

The hanging hardware for brick piers and the labour to fit it are priced by quote, as is building new piers if the existing ones are not sound.

Automated Gate Considerations

An automated gate counts as machinery, and in Great Britain the duty falls on whoever supplies it and puts it into service under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, the regulations that brought the Machinery Directive into UK law.16 In practice this means:

  • A risk assessment, a declaration of conformity and CE or UKCA marking23
  • Safety edges or an obstacle-detecting drive to prevent crushing, with photo-electric beams only as a backup (BS EN 12453)
  • A clearly marked emergency stop or manual release
  • Regular maintenance by a competent person

Health and safety law does not reach the owner of a gate on private domestic premises, so those duties sit with the installer and with anyone who later maintains or repairs it, but the HSE still recommends that domestic gates are checked regularly.23 Many homeowners underestimate the ongoing cost of automation, and trade guidance treats at least one maintenance visit a year as the bare minimum for any powered gate.16

Eden Gates publishes an annual service with a safety check and written report at £195 plus VAT.24

Another installer, EA-RS, publishes an annual maintenance contract, usually two visits a year, from £599 per gate.25 Motor units from reputable brands (BFT, FAAC, Nice) have better long-term part availability than no-name imports.

Planning Permission

Most garden gates do not require planning permission in England, provided the gate does not exceed 1m in height where it is adjacent to a highway used by vehicular traffic, or 2m anywhere else.26 The 1m limit is tied to a highway used by vehicles and to the pavement of such a highway, so a gate opening onto a public footpath away from any road is judged against the 2m limit instead.27 Listed buildings and conservation areas may have additional restrictions, check with your local planning authority before ordering. In Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the rules differ slightly.

Ways to Keep Costs Down

  • Buy supply-only and hire a local fencer. Online gate suppliers often sell at lower prices than merchant trade counters. Buying supply-only and providing the gate to a fencer can cost less than a full supply-and-fit package, so ask for both prices.
  • Choose stock sizes. Made-to-measure gates carry a 30–60% premium over catalogue sizes. If your opening can be adjusted slightly, stick to a standard width.
  • Reuse existing posts. Getting a professional to assess whether existing posts are sound before assuming they need replacement can save significant cost.
  • Manual over automated. If security is the main concern, a quality manual gate with a good padlock or Yale-style latch offers strong deterrence at a fraction of the cost of full automation.

When to Call a Specialist

For a straightforward timber or composite pedestrian gate hung on existing posts, any competent carpenter or fencer is suitable. For wrought iron work, seek someone with metalwork or blacksmithing experience. For any automated system, use a specialist gate installer, preferably a member of the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) or the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, who can certify the installation and carry appropriate public liability insurance.

References (27)

Figures in this note were checked against the sources below on 30 September 2026. Superscript numbers in the text point to them. Every source the site cites, by topic.

  1. 1costsupplier figureWickes.RN-46RYUMA price, true at 2026-10. The Wickes product page for a low 900 mm pressure-treated softwood picket gate, giving its retail price.
  2. 2costsupplier figureWickes.RN-TIEBY7A price, true at 2026-10. The Wickes product page for a low double slatted softwood gate about 900 mm wide, giving its retail price.
  3. 3costsupplier figureWickes.RN-985PU4A price, true at 2026-10. The Wickes product page for a full-height 6 ft overlap timber side gate about 900 mm wide, giving its retail price.
  4. 4costsupplier figureCountryside Gates & Fencing.RN-LVFR1EA price, true at 2026-10. A Suffolk gate maker product page for a framed hardwood pedestrian gate in a choice of timbers and sizes, giving its entry price.
  5. 5costsupplier figureCountryside Gates & Fencing.RN-8ZPQNEA price, true at 2026-10. A Suffolk gate maker product page for a curved-top hardwood pedestrian gate, giving its price at the default size.
  6. 6costsupplier figureTravis Perkins.RN-RGO1PIA price, true at 2026-10. The Travis Perkins product page for a low zinc-plated and powder-coated steel pedestrian gate for a 914 mm opening, giving its price including and excluding VAT.
  7. 7costsupplier figureTravis Perkins.RN-TKTDSGA price, true at 2026-10. The Travis Perkins product page for a 914 mm by 1.22 m zinc-plated and powder-coated steel pedestrian gate, giving its price including and excluding VAT.
  8. 8costsupplier figureWickes.RN-MZH4FOA price, true at 2026-10. The Wickes product page for a 900 mm pedestrian gate with an aluminium frame and composite infill, giving its retail price.
  9. 9costsupplier figureB&Q.RN-IAILF8A price, true at 2026-10. The B&Q marketplace product page for a 900 mm powder-coated aluminium pedestrian gate supplied with its hinges and lock, giving its price.
  10. 10costsupplier figureThe Electric Gate Store.RN-NK48IKA price, true at 2026-10. A UK gate automation retailer product page for a FAAC 24V motor kit for one swing gate leaf, listing what the kit contains and its price.
  11. 11costsupplier figureGatemotors.RN-MJ5MJNA price, true at 2026-10. A UK gate automation retailer product page for a BFT 24V ram kit for a pair of swing gates, giving its price excluding and including VAT.
  12. 12costsupplier figureGatemotors.RN-6KSC0HA price, true at 2026-10. A UK gate automation retailer product page for a FAAC 230V ram kit for a pair of swing gates, giving its price excluding and including VAT.
  13. 13technicalvery strongHistoric Environment Scotland (Engine Shed), guidance.RN-RFVAVEHistoric Environment Scotland guidance on iron railings and gates. It says wrought iron is no longer made, is often confused with worked steel, and mild steel is the usual substitute.
  14. 14technicalstrongBSI Knowledge, a standard.RN-KZ0DNHPublished 30 April 2023 in this A1:2021 version and current. It sets the safety requirements and test methods for power operated industrial, commercial and garage doors, gates and barriers intended for installation in areas within reach of people, including vertically moving commercial doors such as rolling shutters and rolling grilles. It addresses all significant hazards, hazardous situations and events relevant to power operation both in intended use and under reasonably foreseeable misuse, which is the standard behind force limitation, safety edges and photocell requirements on an automated garage door or driveway gate. Cite this alongside BS EN 13241 whenever a note discusses an electric garage door or an automated gate, since the two do different jobs: 13241 declares performance, 12453 makes it safe to stand near.
  15. 15technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-JYJ3I5The document that decides what electrical work a homeowner may legally do themselves, and the exact list of notifiable jobs. Regulation 12(6A), reproduced at paragraph 2.5, makes only three things notifiable: the installation of a new circuit, the replacement of a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location. Regulation 12(9) defines special location as, in a room containing a bath or shower, the zone extending vertically from finished floor level to 2.25 metres (or the shower head position if higher) and horizontally 600mm from the edge of the bath tub or shower tray. Paragraph 2.7 states that all other electrical installation work is not notifiable, namely additions and alterations to existing installations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere. Paragraph 2.8 gives worked examples: a built-in cooker is not notifiable unless a new cooker circuit is needed, and connecting an electric gate or garage door to an existing isolator is not notifiable but running a new circuit from the consumer unit to that isolator is. Paragraph 2.2 confirms Part P reaches outdoor work including fixed garden lighting, pond pumps and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and domestic greenhouses. Notifiable work must be certified by self-certification by a registered competent person, third-party certification, or a building control body (paragraph 3.1), with the compliance certificate issued within 30 days (paragraph 3.4). Note that Approved Document P is a source of guidance rather than a ban: non-notifiable work still has to comply with BS 7671.
  16. 16technicalgoodDoor and Hardware Federation (dhf), guidance.RN-DC07Z3The federation consumer leaflet that sets out what an installer is legally obliged to provide, and the source for why automated gates are treated as machinery rather than joinery. It opens by noting that in recent years several deaths have been caused by dangerous gates along with countless serious injuries and near misses, and that many poorly trained, ill equipped and unqualified installers operate illegally. New gates must comply with the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations, which bring the Machinery Directive into UK law, and must meet or exceed BS EN 12453:2001. Required protection includes rubber safety edges on leading edges, flexible guards or rubber safety edges protecting the hinge area, rubber safety edges or fencing where a gate creates a shearing hazard against a fixed support, wall or fence (very common with sliding gates), and light beams across the entrance as a backup, arranged as multi beam curtaining that prevents all possible access. The effectiveness of force limitation must be verified with a force tester to confirm forces are at safe levels. The owner should receive a Declaration of Conformity, a CE plate, operating and maintenance instructions and a log book, and the leaflet states it is inconceivable that an automated gate would need less than an annual maintenance visit, with many systems needing more.
  17. 17costsupplier figureWickes Building Supplies Ltd.RN-7ZFMATA price, true at 2026-10. Wickes's product page for an incised treated timber fence post, 100 x 100 x 2,400 mm. A published price for the post alone, which is the item a fence cost is most sensitive to because the count goes up as the bay width comes down.
  18. 18costsupplier figureWickes, guidance.RN-2XE501A price, true at 2026-10. Retailer product page carrying the maker's product description for Blue Circle Postcrete; it states the setting time of 5 to 10 minutes. No maker page was fetchable.
  19. 19costsupplier figureWickes.RN-SZJVP3A price, true at 2026-10. The Wickes product page for a heavy-duty zinc-plated reversible gate hinge, giving its price per hinge.
  20. 20costsupplier figureToolstation.RN-ERU113A price, true at 2026-10. The Toolstation product page for a side gate hardware kit of tee hinges, a Suffolk latch, a padbolt and fixings, giving its price.
  21. 21costsupplier figureTravis Perkins.RN-ZZ0J01A price, true at 2026-10. The Travis Perkins product page for a zinc-plated and powder-coated steel bow-top pedestrian gate for a 914 mm opening, 1.22 m high, giving its price.
  22. 22costsupplier figureB&Q.RN-W2UWB3A price, true at 2026-10. The B&Q marketplace product page for a galvanised and powder-coated scroll-pattern metal garden gate for a 762 mm opening, giving its price.
  23. 23technicalvery strongHealth and Safety Executive, guidance.RN-GVE0T6HSE's split of duties for powered gates. Installers working as part of a work activity must install the product safely under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, must follow manufacturer instructions, and become the responsible person as manufacturer if they assemble a gate from components. Maintainers and inspectors carry the same section 3 duty and must leave the gate safe. Commercial owners and occupiers additionally fall under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 applies to manufacturers and assemblers whatever the setting. Crucially: health and safety law does not apply to owners of powered gates on domestic privately owned premises, though HSE strongly recommends regular checks. Corrects the common claim that a homeowner must comply with the Machinery Directive.
  24. 24costsupplier figureEden Gates.RN-9GHU05A price, true at 2026-10. A gate installer page on the safety and maintenance of automated gates, publishing its own price for an annual service visit.
  25. 25costsupplier figureEA-RS.RN-32U3BLA price, true at 2026-10. A gate installer document setting out its risk assessment visit and annual maintenance contract for automated gates, with the price of each.
  26. 26technicalvery strongThe National Archives, legislation.RN-B3EWHKThe national permitted development right for boundary enclosures, and the answer to the very common error of treating fence height as a council rule. Class A permits the erection, construction, maintenance, improvement or alteration of a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure. A.1 exclusions: (a) adjacent to a HIGHWAY USED BY VEHICULAR TRAFFIC the height must not exceed 1 metre above ground level, except at a school where 2 metres is allowed provided any part above 1 metre does not obstruct highway users' sightlines; (b) anywhere else 2 metres above ground level; (c) where an existing enclosure is maintained, improved or altered its height must not exceed its former height or the (a)/(b) limit, whichever is the greater, so an existing over-height fence may be kept at that height but not raised; (d) development is NOT permitted within the curtilage of, or to a boundary of, a listed building. The 'used by vehicular traffic' qualifier is routinely dropped from consumer guidance, which wrongly applies the 1 metre limit to a boundary onto a footpath.
  27. 27technicalvery strongPlanning Portal, guidance.RN-N80QRQThe Planning Portal's homeowner summary of GPDO Schedule 2 Part 2 Class A. No permission needed where the structure does not exceed one metre in height from ground level next to a highway, or two metres in height elsewhere, and where an existing structure's height is not increased beyond those limits. Permission IS needed where the site is a listed building or within its curtilage, or where the boundary involves a neighbouring listed building or its curtilage. Notes that in a conservation area you might need permission to TAKE DOWN a fence, wall or gate, which is the reverse of what most readers expect. Also notes the right can be removed by an article four direction or a planning condition. Ends with the standard caveat that this is introductory guidance and the local planning authority should be checked.

  1. Wickes Pale Timber Picket Gate - 900 x 900mm, Wickes, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  2. Wickes Double Slatted Timber Gate - 915 x 895mm, Wickes, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  3. Wickes Traditional Overlap Timber Gate - 915 x 1829mm, Wickes, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  4. Glemham Gate, Countryside Gates & Fencing, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. countryside-gates.evance.me

  5. Deben Gate, Countryside Gates & Fencing, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. countryside-gates.evance.me

  6. Manor Low Flat Top Single Metal Gate 914mm GAP x 915mm High Zinc & Powder MAZP05 3, Travis Perkins, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. travisperkins.co.uk

  7. Manor Low Flat Top Single Metal Gate 914mm GAP x 1220mm High Zinc & Powder MAZP06 3, Travis Perkins, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. travisperkins.co.uk

  8. Readymade Black Horizontal Composite Infill with Aluminium Frame Pedestrian Gate - 900 x 1800mm, Wickes, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  9. Aluminium Pedestrian Garden Gate 900x1600mm Grey, B&Q, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. diy.com

  10. FAAC S418 Single Kit, The Electric Gate Store, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. theelectricgatestore.co.uk

  11. BFT Phobos BT B 24v Double Swing Gate Kit, Gatemotors, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. gatemotors.co.uk

  12. FAAC 415 Double Swing Gate Kit, Gatemotors, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. gatemotors.co.uk

  13. Iron railings and gates, Historic Environment Scotland (Engine Shed), accessed 30 September 2026. engineshed.scot

  14. BS EN 12453:2017+A1:2021 Industrial, commercial and garage doors and gates. Safety in use of power operated doors. Requirements and test methods, BSI, accessed 7 September 2026. knowledge.bsigroup.com

  15. Approved Document P: Electrical safety - Dwellings (2013 edition), HM Government, accessed 9 September 2026. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  16. Consumer information: advice for domestic owners of automated gates, Door and Hardware Federation, accessed 10 September 2026. dhfonline.org.uk

  17. Incised Timber Fence Post 100 x 100 x 2400mm, Wickes, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  18. Blue Circle Ready To Use Postcrete - 20kg, Wickes, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  19. Wickes Heavy Duty Reversible Hinge - 457mm, Wickes, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  20. GateMate Side Gate Kit Suffolk Latch 450mm Epoxy Black, Toolstation, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. toolstation.com

  21. Classic Low Bow Top Single Metal Gate 914mm GAP x 1219mm High Zinc & Powder CLBZP52, Travis Perkins, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. travisperkins.co.uk

  22. Stira Metal Scroll Low Flat Garden Gate 762mm GAP x 914mm High ST01ZP, B&Q, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. diy.com

  23. Powered gates: legal responsibilities, Health and Safety Executive, accessed 10 September 2026. hse.gov.uk

  24. Safety & Maintenance, Eden Gates, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. eden-gates.co.uk

  25. EA-RS Gate Risk Assessment and Maintenance Details, EA-RS, accessed 26 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. ea-rs.com

  26. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A: gates, fences, walls etc, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 10 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk

  27. Fences, gates and garden walls: planning permission, Planning Portal, accessed 10 September 2026. planningportal.co.uk