Your home is your safe port, the place where you should feel the most comfortable and where everything should be set up just the way you like it. And a big part of that is what your home looks like from the outside. It not only gives everyone else the first impression of your home – and by extension, you – but you're also the one looking at it every day and it is in a way a reflection of how you're feeling. So if you're feeling a bit beat up recently, a fresh lick of paint might just make you feel better. But let's talk about one thing specific: the gate.
Why is it important to have a gate
The main reason that comes to everyone's mind when you ask about the importance of a gate is, of course, security. It keeps your home safe and any intruders out. However, this isn't the only reason why you need a gate. For one thing, it's a clear barrier of where your property starts, so there's no misconceptions if someone is trespassing or not.
Also, a gated house will always look more luxurious and classy than just a house with a brick road leading up to it. Especially if you have a theme around your home, and that theme matches the style of the gate, it will tie everything together. But sometimes, accidents happen and your gate can get damaged. Let's take a look at the most common damages to a gate where you'll need to call the pros to come in and fix it.
A car accident
This is a no-brainer. People part next to the gate all the time and it's only a matter of time before someone bumps into the gate with more or less force. The gate can bend or get broken into completely, unable to close back up. In these cases, you'll need help repairing your gate because you can't exactly weld a gate back together by yourself. More importantly, if you're filing with your insurance for damages, you want the documentation of the damage from the pros – if you get your hands involved, you have a much weaker case!
A locking issue
If your gate looks like it works fine, but it doesn't lock well or unlocks at random times, you need to call in the pros. Depending on the system your gate uses – a good old lock and key, remote operation, code or tag – you'll need a specific professional to fix the issue. Make sure you figure out what the issue is, toy around with it and try to reproduce it. The more information you can give about it, the easier the problem will be fixed. It might be as small as just changing the card you use to unlock it, or it might require bigger repairs. For the bigger ones especially, check if your gate is still under warranty.
Relocation
If you want to move your gate to a different part of the fence, or you want to change its pathing, you'll want the pros to come and do that. Gates are often dug deep into the ground for stability, and there might need to be additional changes made like adding more panels. All of this should be left to the professionals, because you might end up with a wobbly gate full of holes otherwise. This is also a great time to make any changes you want on your gate visually, because if it's being taken apart, it's the best time to make alterations.
Aesthetic changes
As we said, a gate plays a big role in the overall look and aesthetic of your home. So if you want something changed, it's important it's done right. Let's say you had a beautiful Victorian welded gate with a lot of decorations and swirls, but you've changed the exterior of your home to be more moderns and sleek, and the gate just doesn't fit the vibe anymore. You need a professional to change and remove the excess decorations, so you're not left with scraggly bits and rough edges.
A gate is not only a good detail, but it actually raises the value of your home, so you want to maintain it as well as you can because otherwise, your home can quickly turn from looking like a fairytale mansion to a haunted house. And as always, the best way to prevent your gate from breaking down is to regularly maintain it, so have someone come over and check if everything is in order once per year.
