Building code question

I am building a wooden garden gate for the rear of my house. It will bridge an existing 3-foot wide concrete walk which adjoins the garage. On the lock side of the gate I will use a 4x4 treated lumber and set it in a hole in the ground in concrete. On the hinge side, the gate needs to be attached to the house, there is no room for another 4x4 on that side of the gate. The bottom of this 2x4 will start six inches above the concrete walk.

I thought I would use a 2x4 and use lag screws to screw it to the side of the house. The 3' wide gate will fit between the 4x4 post set in concrete and the 2x4 attached to the house (garage).

Will this arrangement compromise building codes or cause complaints from termite inspectors when I sell the house? Of course, the 4x4 is treated lumber. Do I need to use treated lumber for the 2x4, too?

Thanks

Walter

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Reply to
Walter E.
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I don't know about code for this but don't trust "treated" wood today. I'm getting some spectacular failures (rot) from treated wood less than a decade old.

The solution is to use treated wood - but - you should paint the treated wood heavily with with copper preservative. In some places this is very hard to get these days so you might end up buying mailorder. I won't do any outdoor project anymore without copper coating the PT wood.

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Reply to
Sam

I wonder if the 2x4 might twist over time. Would aluminum metal tube or channel work out ok and not look too bad? There's also unistrut but it's not all that attractive.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

Reply to
Walter E.

Walter , from a BTDT perspective , have someone build a frame for your gate out of 1" x 3" 16 gauge square tube steel . Having built a gate or two , I can guarantee that if you frame the gate with wood , it will sag . Make sure your steel guy puts an angled piece from corner to corner . I 100% guarantee that the steel framed gate will not sag - and the wood one will .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Your post reminded me of the screen doors in the old farm house my parents had. The doors had a support running from hinged top side to the latch bottom side. It was a couple small rods with a turnbuckle in the middle. Not quite like this:

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Much more like this:
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Bing images. The wooden farm gates seemed to all bow or sag. My dad finally got tired of that so built some steel ones out of some old pipe he had.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

Hi Walter,

I would treat the 2x4 attached to the house the same way you would do a deck ledger board. Install washers or other spacers at each bolt to space the board away from the siding. Then caulk the hole well when you install the bolt. This will provide a gap between the 2x4 and your siding so water does not get trapped where it could potentially cause rot.

Unless you plan on painting them, I would recommend treated lumber for the

2x4 and all posts.

Anthony Watson

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Reply to
HerHusband

  1. For effects on future sale, ask a real estate agent.
  2. In this jurisdiction, building permits offices tell taxpayers (without charge) whether plans need alteration in order to conform to the building code.
Reply to
Don Phillipson

I would be more concerned about appearance for sales purposes, rather than what a termite inspector will say. I don't like the look of treated wood. I would use cedar or redwood or mahogany.

Reply to
John G

I guess what to use depends partly on what wood the gate itself is made from and if the gate is painted or not. If painted, then the look of the wood wouldn't matter. If not, then I'd think you want all the wood to match. So maybe that needs to be taken into account when picking the gate.

For fastening, I agree with the poster that said to do it similar to how you'd do a ledger board for a deck, seal the screw holes, etc.

He might take some pics and visit a fence shop, ask them what they recommend. Possible they have some easy, good solution as they must do this all the time.

Reply to
trader_4

Complaints from termite inspectors? Doubtful; they only look for termites. Treated lumber is not immune from termite infestation; it only delays it. Primary concern would be to keep structure in good repair as far as paint, caulk, plumbing/electrical entries, grade at least 6-8" below wood elements. State or county extension agencies usually have good tips about preventing insect problems and the signs that homeowners should be watchful for.

Reply to
Norminn

And for appearance xake - use the new brown treated lumber instead of the crappy green stuff.

Reply to
clare

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