A client, designer and builder team were renovating an older home in Old Towne Alexandria, VA. Part of the improvements included an original arched opening, that they wanted a custom courtyard gate put in for security and visual appeal.
The custom courtyard gate design was a tough decision between designer and craftsmen as this was a integral visual component to the home. We discussed a variety of different design ideas from plain pickets, to forged pickets, to even cast panels. The renovation team decided the gate design would combine straight pickets with cast panel sections. We recommended doing the entire courtyard gate in high grade aluminum so that when it was finished it has great non-corrosive properties yet still visually stunning.
The main pickets were 5/8” square and the cast panel design were a gothic design. We created the gate frames to be 1 ½” square and horizontal channels were ½” X 1 ½” bar channel.
There was concern about the structural integrity of the masonry walls. So, we created a high-grade aluminum frame on each side and arched it across the top to anchor into the masonry structure on three sides. This was deemed to be sufficient to support the courtyard gate and lend structural integrity to the surrounding masonry.
Another request from the designer was for the gate design to incorporate a custom latch box for there to be two latches. This add-on was a little challenging, but we made it happen!
We powder-coated the entire gate project with a durable, yet eco-friendly, powder-coat finish that releases no VOCs into the atmosphere. With a matte black finish, this gate emulated a wrought iron gate that looked authentic to the house. So, these high- grade, non-corrosive custom aluminum courtyard gated will now provide function and beauty to this renovated VA home.
