Both robust and regal, a wrought iron gate serves as an inviting threshold guardian to your property. In effect, it silently says to family, friends and guests, "Welcome. Come inside."
Wrought iron gates provide safety, secured access and, ultimately, peace of mind to homeowners. One security matter that must be addressed when discussing gates is what type of lock to use. You can choose from several options, including keyless locks, electronic keypads or keyed locks, each with its own positive and negative qualities.
Keyless locks present several positives: no wiring or battery, no electronic programming, and, as the name implies, no key to keep up with. The negative is that everyone who uses the gate has to remember the code. If and when the code is changed, you must remember to make sure everyone has the new sequence.
Electronic keypads mean no key to carry around or key to keep up with. But since these high-tech locks require electricity, if the power goes out-say, during a bad storm-you need to use another access point or to arrange for alternative power.
Keyed locks are very secure, plus they give you more control over the distribution of the key. What about the disadvantages? It means you have yet another key to carry around. It also requires that everyone who has a key and who needs access to your property must keep up with their key.
Gates let you control who enters your grounds, a safety issue that is critical if you have a swimming pool. You must be sure your children and the neighborhood children are safe.
Along these lines, many homeowners prefer to fence off the wet area as an additional safety measure. If you build a pool fence, experts suggest that the gate latch be a minimum of 54" above the bottom of the gate in order to put it out of the reach of small children. A magnetic gate latch and self-closing hinges are additional safety devices.
These pool fences and gates can be decorative touches to your landscape design. However, if your artistic sensibility finds that they overfill the landscape and detract from your custom swimming pool, the fencing can be hidden in bushes, hedges and garden beds that surround the pool, thus providing the desired security but in an unobtrusive way.
A wrought iron gate, outfitted with the appropriate hardware, serves aesthetic purposes as well. The beauty of wrought iron gates has been extolled for ages. Wrought iron entered the decorative vocabulary during The Middle Ages and, with technological improvements, is still a popular choice for today's landscape products.
Wrought iron lets you add a motif onto your property. When combined with wrought iron fences, wrought iron driveway gates or wrought iron wall elements, an iron gate makes a strong and substantial statement.
By combining form and function, these iron gates provide two things to the Houston landscape designer: it gives them the chance to improve air circulation, which is no small consideration in our climate, and it lets the passerby have a tantalizing glimpse of what lies beyond.
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