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Gates come in a huge range of designs, colours and infill patterns.
They can be made from wood, iron or steel, aluminium, or even PVC if your budget is very low.
But what combination of design elements works best for your house?
Which will perfectly compliment the area you live in and create the biggest impact for visitors?
We can’t tell you what you like and dislike but we know gates.
So, here are a few questions you could ask when looking at your options.
What’s Your Home Like?
Your gates are the first thing visitors and anyone near your home are likely to see. Do you want this first impression to compliment your home, garden and personality? Or do you want something that contrasts with everything else? Most people go for complimentary gate designs but have a look at what you currently have and make a note of your home style – is it modern or traditional, typically English or with elements from another country? Also, are there strong colours or woodwork or metalwork elements?
Where Do You Live?
You might think that the answer to that question is your home, but your address also includes a street and a village, town or part of a city. All these could have a bearing on the gates you choose. Is the area you live in colourful, conservative, modern, traditional or something else? Is it on a busy, residential road or a leafy, sparsely populated country lane? Do your neighbours have gates and what styles have they chosen? Which of their gates do you think work in the area and which do you think should be somewhere else?
What Materials Do You Like?
As different woods, metals and plastics all lend themselves to varying gate construction methods, each has a strong bearing on how the finished gates will look. 
Wood
Wooden gates are usually assembled from long flat sections of wood nailed or bonded together. This usually creates a flatter structure with the option for gentle curves. Wooden gates are also much more likely to be ‘close-boarded’ which means that there are no gaps. As wood is a natural material, it is often described as ‘warm’.
Iron and steel
Iron and steel are heavy but can be formed into intricate shapes. Gates made from these metals usually have spaces between thinner uprights. Ornate finishes to the tops and faces of iron and steel gates can give them a traditional and sometimes exclusive appearance. But some people feel that metal gates are ‘colder’ than wooden gates.
Aluminium
Aluminium gates have corrosion-resisting benefits over wood and iron or steel but more importantly, they can be made to look just like other gates. Some people prefer the real thing, but if you like the look of wood or iron gates but don’t want the hassle of high maintenance, aluminium is the perfect choice.
PVC
These are the cheapest option for new gates but the impression they create is also cheap. If you want your gates to compliment your property positively, PVC gates are probably best avoided.
Which Gates Are best?
The choice is yours but hopefully, this guide has given you a few thoughts and a bit more information. If want to see more examples of gate designs, have a look at our gate gallery or price calculator or contact Linkcare with any questions you have.
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