Designing an Acreage Entrance: Gates, Pillars and Setbacks

An entrance on a Dural, Glenorie or Kenthurst property does a lot of work. It has to look right from the road, keep animals and unwanted visitors out, let trucks and floats in, and house a motor, intercom and possibly a solar panel. Getting the layout right at the start saves money and frustration later.

Start with the vehicles

Before thinking about style, list the largest vehicles that will use the entrance:

• horse floats and the car towing them
• delivery and removal trucks
• water tankers, septic trucks or fuel deliveries
• machinery and contractors' trucks

The opening needs to be wide enough for these to turn in from the road without cutting across the verge or hitting a pillar. On a narrow rural road, a wider opening and splayed walls help long vehicles swing in.

Set the gate back from the road

Hanging the gate right on the front boundary means anyone waiting for it to open sits on the road shoulder. On a busy road such as Old Northern Road, or a rural road with a blind crest, that is a real risk.

Setting the gate back into the property gives a vehicle somewhere to stop off the road. A setback roughly the length of your longest vehicle is a useful starting point. Combine it with a splayed entry, and place the intercom or keypad post in that waiting area so drivers can reach it from the window.

Pillars

Pillars frame the entrance and give the gate something solid to hang from. Common choices in the Hills include:

• Sandstone: suits the area and older homes, but heavy and needs good footings
• Rendered masonry: clean, modern and easy to match to the house
• Face brick: matches many established Hills homes
• Steel or timber posts: simpler and cheaper, common on farm-style entrances

Whatever you choose, the pillar must be strong enough to carry the gate and resist the force of the motor. Heavy gates on masonry pillars usually need a steel post inside the pillar or a structural design.

Leave room for the motor

This is a common mistake. A swing gate motor needs room behind the pillar to mount. Wide, deep pillars can leave too little space for a standard ram motor. Options include articulated arm motors or underground motors, but each has trade-offs. Talk to a gate installer while the pillars are being designed, not after they are built. See our swing gates service for motor types.

Also plan for:

• a conduit through the pillar or under the driveway for cables
• a spot for the control box, out of direct sun if possible
• a sunny position for a solar panel if mains is not available
• a place for safety beams on both sides of the opening

Approvals

The NSW State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 sets out when fences and gates can go ahead without approval. In rural zones, the exempt rules allow fences up to 1.8 metres in post and wire or post and rail, and masonry within 3 metres either side of the entrance from the primary road. All gates must open inward. Exempt development does not apply to State Heritage Register items.

A large entrance with tall pillars, wing walls or lighting may not meet those conditions. Check with your council, The Hills Shire, Hornsby Shire or Hawkesbury City depending on your address, or a private certifier before you build.

Bushfire prone land

Much of the rural Hills and Hawkesbury is mapped as bushfire prone land. Under the exempt fencing rules, fences on bushfire prone land must be non-combustible or hardwood. Keep that in mind when choosing gate infill and fence panels. Also think about access for fire services: the entrance should be wide and high enough for a fire truck, with no low overhead structures.

Style

A good entrance matches the house and the landscape. Some combinations that work well in the Hills:

• sandstone pillars with black aluminium palisade gates
• rendered pillars with horizontal slat gates for modern homes
• timber posts with steel farm-style gates for working properties
• face brick with wrought-iron style gates for traditional homes

Light colours show dust from gravel driveways. Dark powder coats hide it better but get hot in summer sun.

Lighting and signage

Pillar lights and a clear street number help visitors, couriers and emergency services find you at night. If lighting runs on mains, that is a job for a licensed electrician. Solar lights are an option but add load if they share the gate's solar system.

Bring it together

The best entrances are planned with input from the builder, the landscaper and the gate installer at the same time. If you are planning a new entrance, our acreage entrance gates service explains how local installers approach it. Request a quote and we will connect you with an independent installer who works across the Hills and Hawkesbury.