Composite Gates Essex

Coverage moves. We are always reviewing how the installers on our network are performing and taking on new ones as demand grows, so the towns below are where we work most consistently rather than a complete or permanent list.

Towns and cities we cover in Essex

The surrounding villages and suburbs of each are covered too. If your town is not named, send your postcode and we will confirm.

Mid & North Essex

• Chelmsford
• Colchester
• Braintree
• Brentwood
• Billericay
• Wickford

Also covered: Witham, Maldon, Ingatestone, Great Dunmow and the surrounding villages.

South Essex & the estuary

• Basildon
• Southend-on-Sea
• Canvey Island
• Stanford-le-Hope

Also covered: Rayleigh, Benfleet, Leigh-on-Sea, Grays, Tilbury and Shoeburyness.

West Essex

• Harlow
• Romford

Also covered: Epping, Ongar, Loughton, Chigwell and the surrounding areas.

What we make and fit

• Composite driveway gates Double and single leaf, hung or sliding, manual or automated.
• Composite garden gates Side gates, back gates and matching pedestrian gates.
• Metal gates Steel and metal-framed gates, made to measure.
• Electric gates Automation on new gates, or retro-fitted to existing ones.
• Composite fencing Matching fence panels and screens to tie the boundary together.

What Essex asks of a gate

The estuary is windier than people expect

Southend, Canvey, Leigh and the Shoeburyness end of the county sit on an open estuary with very little between them and the weather. A tall, fully boarded pair on an exposed plot there behaves like a sail, and that load goes into the hinges, the posts and the foundations. A partly open infill or a lower top rail lets wind through instead of fighting it, and on wide openings a sliding gate removes the leverage problem altogether.

Salt comes with it on the coast

From Southend round to Clacton the wind carries salt as well as force, and salt is what quietly finds the weak point in a painted steel frame or a budget fixing behind a hinge. The composite board itself is untroubled — the colour runs through it and there is no coating to fail — but where a metal frame is involved the finish specification and the fixings genuinely matter on a coastal plot.

Soft ground and made-up land

Parts of south Essex sit on low-lying, reclaimed or made-up ground, and post foundations behave differently there than they do in firm clay. A gate is only as steady as what its posts are set into, and a foundation that is fine inland can move on soft ground over a few winters — which shows up as a gate that stops closing cleanly. It is worth us knowing the ground conditions at survey rather than assuming them.

Commuter-belt driveways and deliveries

A great deal of Essex commutes, which means gates that are shut all day and a household that takes a lot of deliveries. That pushes most enquiries towards automation with an intercom, and towards a sensible plan for how a courier gets a parcel to the door without the gate being left open. It is worth deciding at the survey rather than retro-fitting a solution afterwards.

What affects the cost

Gate prices move on a handful of variables rather than a fixed rate. The main ones are:

FAQs about Composite Gates in Essex

Do you cover my town if it is not listed above?

Very likely. The towns listed are where we work most often across Essex, and the surrounding villages of each are covered as a matter of course. Send your postcode and you will get a straight answer either way rather than a maybe.

Will a gate stand up to estuary wind at Southend or Canvey?

It will if it is specified for it. The options are a partly open infill or a lower top rail so wind passes through rather than pushing against the gate, heavier posts set deeper to take what remains, and on wide openings a sliding gate, which is supported along its length rather than hanging on two hinges. It is decided before the gate is made.

Does soft or reclaimed ground affect the installation?

Yes, and it is worth flagging when you enquire. Post foundations that are perfectly adequate in firm clay can move on low-lying or made-up ground over a few winters, and the symptom is a gate that gradually stops closing cleanly. Where the ground is soft we set posts deeper or wider rather than to a standard detail.

Can I let couriers in without leaving the gate open?

Yes, and it is one of the commonest requests here. An intercom, a keypad, or a controlled opening for deliveries all solve it in different ways depending on how often you are out and who you want to let in. It is much cheaper decided at survey and built in than added to a gate that is already installed.

How much maintenance does a composite gate need on the coast?

Very little. The board does not absorb water and has no coating to break down, so salt and driving rain do not attack it the way they attack timber or painted steel. A wash down once or twice a year is the routine. The parts to specify carefully on a coastal plot are the metal ones — frame, hinges and fixings.

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