Dad's Daughter Part 2: Git Me a Gate.

New gate from the front.

As this has been one of the driest springs on record here in Jolly Olde England, I'm taking full advantage of the sun and dry weather . . . and have completed the majority of projects I could only dream of doing during the harsh winter months. Take our side gate. No, PLEASE, take our side gate! Can you say 20+ year old, rotted wood held together by 20+ coats of paint?

old gate back in 2009

I actually took this photo two summers ago after trying to breathe the last breath of life into it with red and black gloss. By the time I took the crow bar to it yesterday, we were having to lift it with the door handle any time we went in or out. Pain in der bottom.

Soooo . . . I took some measurements, drew up a little plan, hopped into my trusty Corsa and headed down to Mid Sussex Timber. I was after some good ol' 2x4s and featheredge boards. That's it, I was determined to reuse everything else from the old gate, including hinges, springs and latches. (And I did!)

I do have to say builders' joints (at least here), clearly don't get too many women through their doors. I take it in stride, but guys, don't ignore me for a full 2 minutes when I'm standing at the counter right in front of you. It's not only rude, it makes you look stupid. At least the man who helped me choose the straightest boards and put them in the car for me didn't act like he was from the dark ages. Plus, he clued me in to a really great deal on some rough 2x4s -- 75 pence per meter -- and even cut them down to 1.8mtr lengths at no extra charge.

New gate from the back

I knew exactly how I was going to construct the new gate, the ONLY problem I ran into was not having a skill saw. Let me tell you, it is not easy cutting a straight 45 degree angle through a 2x4 with a jigsaw. But I made it work. OK, it's not completely perfect, and I'm seriously considering adding a skill saw to my tool kit, but it is one sturdy gate and I happen to be terribly proud of it!

As I decided to go with the standard 1.8mtr board lengths, there was a 5 inch gap at the top (which was bugging Kpie), so I cut a scrap piece of MDF from our recent loft conversion, screwed it to the door frame and slapped some black gloss on it. Bob's your uncle. And the new gate just got two coats of satin "antique pine" stain, so let's hope it lasts for another 20+ years!

Father's Day is quickly approaching and I just want to say again, "Thank you for teaching me to hammer a nail when I was just knee high to a cricket Dad. I LOVE YOU!"

(Stop by my etsy shop to check out some of my art. The minute it starts to rain I'll be up in our tree house studio creating more!)