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How to Build the Column for a Front Gate
How to Build the Column for a Front Gate. A front gate adds a ritzy touch to any yard, but hiring contractors to build and install it can be as expensive as it looks. Doing it yourself can cut the price down significantly, yet it requires no special training. Building the columns to hold your eventual gate is one of the more important parts of the...
A front gate adds a ritzy touch to any yard, but hiring contractors to build and install it can be as expensive as it looks. Doing it yourself can cut the price down significantly, yet it requires no special training. Building the columns to hold your eventual gate is one of the more important parts of the installation process, as you want to form a solid support for your front gate to hang from.
Things You'll Need
Shovel
Concrete
L-shaped steel rod
Bricks
Mortar
Bricklaying trowel
Concrete slab
Dig a hole for the column's foundation to a depth of 42 inches. Make the hole 12 inches wide and 20 inches long, running parallel to your driveway.
Mix concrete according to the directions on the packaging and pour it into the hole until it is halfway full. Submerge the horizontal portion of an L-shaped steel rod into the concrete, with the vertical portion, the height of your column, pointing straight upward. Wait 24 hours for the concrete to set.
Lay bricks in a square formation on the concrete foundation around the steel rod. Spread mortar on the sides and top of each brick as you set them in place. Lay a second row of bricks in the same way, staggered, scraping off excess mortar that squeezes between the cracks. Continue laying bricks until your column reaches its desired height.
Pour approximately 6 inches of concrete into the hollow center of your pillar, around the steel rod but inside the bricks. Wait 24 hours for it to set and repeat the process, pouring 6 inches each day until the column is full. Spread mortar on the upper surface of your column and set a concrete slab on the top to cap it.
Fill in the space around the underground base of the column with concrete until within 4 inches of the surface. Top it off with sod.
