How to Measure for Built-to Fit Custom Baby Gates and Dog Gates

Important Considerations before measuring:

A gate can hinge to a post only if the post is solidly anchored into the floor and/or floor joists.

A post must have flat areas on it, to which to hinge. There must be an area at the top and bottom of the post to support the top and bottom hinge, respectively. View examples; click here.

The top and bottom hinge locations must lie in the same vertical plane, so that your gate is mounted on a true vertical.

The hinge locations must be located at a point where the post is widest, otherwise the gate will not be able to mount at those hinge locations.

You will need to attach the "catch" for your gate to one of the two posts. The latch will mount on the end of your gate nearest the post with the catch. For a hook-and-eye latch, the hook goes on your gate and the eye goes on the post.

If you choose to mount your caster, it goes on the side of the gate with the latch. This side is opposite the side with hinges.

STEPS FOR MEASURING

1. Measure width of the gate opening at several points high and low. The gate opening is the distance between the two posts. Find the minimum post to post distance (PP). This is the narrowest part of your gate opening.

2. Determine your gate width:

For a single door gate, Order a gate one inch less wide than (PP), the post-to-post minimum distance. For example, if you have a 36" gate opening, then your gate width would be 36 - 1 = 35" gate width. This 1" tolerance ensures that you have room for your hinges and room for the gate to swing.

For a double door gate, Order a gate 1/8" to 1/4" inch less wide than the MINIMUM post-to-post distance PP found in step 1. Your two door gate will have its doors' width set so that a one inch air gap is allocated between the two doors.
For example, a post-to post opening of 37 1/4" would need a two door gate of 37" in width. When ordering, you would specify a gate width of 37". (Each door would be 18", and you would have a total of 1 1/4" margin - 1" between the doors and an extra 1/4" for the hinges).

3. Order a gate height to meet your safety requirements or to be compatible with any surrounding chair rail. Gate height is measured from the bottom of the foot rail to top of the handrail, in inches. The sides of the gate are 1" higher than the top of the handrail. Ensure that your newel posts do not have projections 1" above the top hinge location, or 1" below the bottom hinge location.

4. Please use our design assistance form if you have unusual newel post concerns or any other obstacles on the floor or wall which may affect the position of the gate.

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