The Woodland Gate

I have spent a great deal of time working on building the gate along the Dragon's Spine. So much so, that I have neglected my other duties in the garden. However, I have finished 98% of the gate at this time.

Having never done a roofed gate before, and having no actual measurements from which to work, I was forced to make adjustments throughout the process. I now know what and how I would do things differently, but in the end, I am satisfied with the results.

The final product no longer looks like a giant chair, a concern I had from the first few days.

I made a major adjustment by relocating the front buttresses closer to the main posts. Doing so also brought the buttresses under the roof line, make it it proportionally more accurate.

before adjustment

after adjustment

I then continued to work on the roof supports.

After initially finishing and adding the roof, I became concerned that there was not enough stability (especially after adding the shingles) and decided to add two more side buttresses. The roof added an enormous amount of weight to the two 4 x 4 main posts. The fact that the post rested on cemented-in brackets rather than being cemented into the ground resulted in a swaying from side to side that was not safe. Once the side buttresses were added the stability was reinforced and is no longer a concern (however, I will have to keep an eye that snow does not accumulate on the roof during the winter.

without side buttresses

with side buttresses

I still have to add two more copper caps to the buttress tops and two small wooden flower medallions to the main post as decorative elements. Otherwise, I am done building.

Its not a 100% Sukiya Style gate - I cheated by using bolts and other hardware (most of which isn't visible. I also didn't use actual cedar shingles for the roof, but the asphalt shingles I did use still look pretty good. The side buttresses are a bit odd and inauthentic, but they worked well to stabilize the structure and keep within the style I was aiming for. Its not perfect and purists/experts will probably find fault with much of what I did, but honestly, I don't care. Its my gate, reflects my tastes, and comes pretty damn close to the real thing. Best of all, I can say "I built that."

Lets just hope it doesn't collapse on anyone.