Positive Protection

Over the past few decades, driveway gates have become more and more popular on the residential properties of Long Island.

The reasons are varied, say Stan Osowski, president of the Island Automated Gate Company in Centerport, N.Y. And those various reasons have a direct impact on the type of gate he advises installing.

“The first thing I need to know is why someone wants a gate,” Osowski says. “Is it aesthetics? Is it a matter of security? Is it to keep the children in the yard, or to keep cars out of the yard so they don’t hit the kids? Or it could be as simple as just to keep deer out.”

Options are also influenced by how much space is at the front of the yard. “If it’s going to open inward, we normally try to put the gate 25 feet from the curb so a car can be comfortably pulled off the road, but if there’s a grade and the gate has to be opened outward, then you’ve got to move the gate back about 38 feet off of the road. That sounds like a lot for people.”

One way to combat the space issue is to abandon a swinging gate in favor of one that slides. However, Osowski notes, those can only be installed in level areas, which might translate into landscape alterations.

The final choice for homeowners is aesthetic, which usually just means fitting the design in with your landscaping and home architecture. Nearly countless options are available, from iron, steel and wood for the gates to stone, brick and columns for the support.

Everything with gates, Osowski says, is based on variety.