Home » Hobbies, Games & Toys

Make your own deer fence gates from pvc plumbing pipes

Ranked #2,316 in Hobbies, Games & Toys, #25,331 overall

Do it yourself deer fence gates - cheap, lightweight, and easy.

I hate spending loads of money for anything I could make myself. One of our neighbors had this idea - of making deer fence gates out of pvc plumbing pipes - and I studied his and  made my own. You can, too.

When you're planning your deer fence, think carefully about the places you'll want to be able to get THROUGH it. You'll have to have gates. These home-made gates are so cheap you can have lots of them - and if you don't plan for enough, you'll regret it later.

I'll take you through the steps of measuring, buying materials, and constructing these gates.

Step one : measure your openings. Measure CAREFULLY! Measure A FEW TIMES!

Remember that old saying, "Measure twice, cut once?" I found I had to think very carefully about the fence apertures in order for the gates to fit.

Some of my gates (like the one in the introduction above) occurred between a tree and a pole. Some (like the driveway) occurred between two 4x4 posts. Some were between two poles. Some were between two trees. In each case, think about the hardware you're using and don't cut PVC pipes until you're really sure about the size.

I used chain link fence strap hinges to attach my gates to the supports.

You'll find this chain link fence hardware at any Lowes or Home Depot, but sometimes they don't carry the correct size. It turned out the pvc diameter I chose - rather arbitrarily - was too fat for the regulation-diameter fence hardware so I had to go to a fence installation company and order the hardware I needed. So allow time for that.

Notice that the piece of hardware that goes into the post is a lag-screw ended right angle piece, very heavy duty. Places where I used poles, I used a different piece of chain-link fence hardware that can be bolted around the post.

Notice there is a specific size gap between the post and the fence. There's a little leeway with the lag screw, but none if you're using regular hardware on both sides. You MUST account for the size of the gap when sizing your gates.

Here's the driveway gate.

It's a double gate with a sliding latch.

It's hard to see the fencing material which ends at the gate posts. I dug deep holes for the posts, put them in and leveled them with the help of a friend, and finished off the wholes with concrete. If you don't know how to do that properly there are hundreds of places online which will show you.

It turns out, it's lucky pvc pipes are flexible, because my gate posts bend depending on the weather. Sometimes they are properly perpendicular to the ground and sometimes they are warped outward. The gate doesn't really care, but if it were metal I'd have a big problem.

Can you see that there is deer fencing attached (by cable ties) to the PVC pipes of the gate? It also extends below the bottom pvc horizontal to the ground, but I've never seen a deer try to get under it (though they do try to get under the fence where it is hidden in the woods).

Note that I mount the hardware opposite to this suggestion: I attach the male hardware to the post and the female hardware to the gate.

Chain link fence post hinge

Also known as a "male strap hinge"

Master Halco 087044 Post Hinge

Master Halco 087044 Post Hinge

Amazon Price: $2.60 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

This is the piece you will use when one of your gates is hinged to a post. Make sure your post diameter and your hinge diameter match. Notice the square holes where you bolt the hinge around the post? Make sure you get carriage bolts with square undersides that fit this hardware.

Gate frame hinge

Also known as a "female strap hinge"

Master Halco 087131 Frame Hinge

Master Halco 087131 Frame Hinge

Amazon Price: $1.19 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

This is the hardware you need to bolt to the gate itself. Where I used narrow-gauge pvc these standard fittings were ok, but for my big gates that were 6' across I used PVC of a bigger diameter and had to order larger frame hinges.

What you'll need for one half of the driveway-sized double gate

You'll need to saw off 12 pieces of pvc pipe for each side of the gate. Six of those pieces are the same length as each other - those are the horizontals. The remaining 6 are the same length as each other - those are the verticals. the length you choose for the verticals can be somewhat arbitrary, but to measure for the horizontals you must:
  1. Measure your rough opening - post to post, inside dimension.
  2. subtract the distance the chain-link fence fittings will hold the fence away from the post.
  3. Subtract the horizontal dimension of the elbow and t fittings (though accounting for the amount of pvc pipe which will be cemented INTO the fittings);
  4. Finally, allow about an inch between the two halves of the double gate.

I got all my hardware together, figured out how much to allow for each piece, and did the subtracting. And then started cutting. luckily PVC pipe is cheap so if you miscalculate you can do it again.

Fittings: You'll need four corner elbows; three T fittings; and two cross fittings - one for the center, and one for the edge which will face the other half lf the double gate (where you see the red arrow). If you want the two halves of the gate to meet relatively snugly (recommended) you'll cut off one of the arms of the cross fitting where the red arrow is.

And you'll need the smallest size containers of pvc glue and pvc primer.

PVC elbow - for the outside corners of each gate

1.5 Inch Sch. 40 PVC 90 Degree Elbow Slip x Slip 5 Pack

1.5 Inch Sch. 40 PVC 90 Degree Elbow Slip x Slip 5 Pack

Amazon Price: (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

Again, make sure the size of your elbows and the size of your PVC pipe match. I'm just showing these as illustrations - you'll have to go someplace local and actually fit the stuff together to make sure you have a matching set.

Also, just because something is in the 2" bin doesn't mean it's a 2" piece. If you're careless, you'll grab handfuls out of the correct bins and end up with some wrong sizes because some are always mis-sorted.

PVC "T" fitting

1-1/2

1-1/2" Tee PVC Fitting Connector

Amazon Price: $2.30 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

This is the fitting you'll use in the middle of the horizontal and vertical outside pieces of the large size gates, so you'll need 4 per gate (8 for a double gate).

PVC Cross fitting

CHARLOTTE PIPE & FOUNDRY PVC 02410 1200 SCH 40 PVC CROSS 1.5

CHARLOTTE PIPE & FOUNDRY PVC 02410 1200 SCH 40 PVC CROSS 1.5" SLIP

Amazon Price: $2.22 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

You'll need two of these for each side of the double gate - one in the center, and one on the side which will abut the other half of the double gate. I cut one "arm" off those crosses which would have the slider going through them so they would meet more closely in the center.

Cut a long slit in both sides of one of your horizontals.

When you're buying or finding pvc pipe for gates, you'll need one piece about three feet long which fits INSIDE the pipe you use for the main gate. The smaller piece is your slider. You'll feed it into the central horizontal in one side of the fence, figure out where to drill a hole in it for the handle, and add the handle. When the handle is fully back (in my picture, slid all the way to the left), the inner slider is flush with the inside of the left-side door and the door opens. When the handle is in the fully closed position (in my picture, slid all the way to the right), there is a roughly equal amount of "slider" pvc inside both gates. This keeps the door from sagging.

This is my improvised handle - I don't particularly recommend it.

In this picture we're looking down from above on a loop bolt put through a hole I drilled in the inner piece of PVC, with washers to build up the length of the handle on the non-loop side. Previously, I had a nice brass rod through the hole with hickory handles on each side. But that busted. The handle takes a LOT of wear and tear. Whatever goes through the inner slider has to be long enough to stick out on both sides, and that means there is leveraging against it. So maybe you can improve on this system.

Maybe you'd like to use these regulation "fork latch" gate closers.

Master Halco Fork Latch 1-3/8 X 1-3/8

Master Halco Fork Latch 1-3/8 X 1-3/8

Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

I didn't use these but if I were doing it again I might, especially where a narrow-gate gate closes against a pole. You can't use it with a tree, and I feel the double gates need the inner slider to help keep them from sagging.

You don't need anything special to keep the single gates closed. I've used:

  • Shoelaces tying the vertical to a piece of deer netting on the tree;
  • Chains around vertical and tree where the donkey is - because he learned how to untie the shoelace bow knots with his teeth;
  • Ropes around the vertical and the tree.

You'll need a lot of 8" cable ties.

Belkin 7.5-Inch Cable Ties - Multicolored (52 Pieces)

Belkin 7.5-Inch Cable Ties - Multicolored (52 Pieces)

Amazon Price: $3.59 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

You'll be attaching your deer fencing to the gate with cable ties. Use black ones unless you like the rainbow effect. I wrapped my fence right across from the regular part of the fence, that cut down on the amount of measuring (and the number of cable ties) needed.

My other deer fence DIY lenses

Make your own deer fence
I snapped one morning, in a blind choleric rage watching a deer rear up and break one of my favorite dogwoods. That was it. I need the final solution. I didn...Deer fence repair and maintenance
Mending your deer fence periodically is like a fisherman mending his nets - it just has to be done. Little critters gnaw holes in the bottom of the fencing a...Deer repellant: if you aren
In another lens I describe putting up a deer fence - that was my solution to the deer problem, and it's final. But what if you don't have enough land...Building an easy fence | DIY gates | homemade gate latch
Horses and donkeys will eat the same little favorite patch of grass over and over if you let them. This leads to a bald, over-grazed area and then other weed...

If you have a question or comment, please write!

Gee, it wasn't easy explaining this in words - I hope the pictures make it clearer. But if there's a step you have questions about, please ask in this guestbook and I'll answer you.

  • amythomson187 May 15, 2012 @ 7:31 pm | delete
    Wow what a great idea... never even crossed my mind that you could do something like this... Thanks for the step by step guide too. very useful :) thanks amy x
  • Jon Apr 20, 2011 @ 7:45 am | delete
    Thanks for the ideas! I had a simliar idea for a fence around a garden to keep the deer out. My only concern is that think it may sag more than my liking even if I install perpendicular supports every 5 feet (out of PVC)
  • solutionism Apr 3, 2011 @ 5:51 am | delete
    Thanks for sharing how to do it :)
  • ChapelHillFiddler Nov 18, 2010 @ 5:29 pm | delete
    Hi Maris,
    I painted the pvc and it has lasted at least a decade. Good luck!
  • Maris Baker Nov 18, 2010 @ 4:46 pm | delete
    How do you get the pvc pipes to be black? If you spray paint them, would that not last long? Do the pipes come in black, for I have only seen them in white? Dying to know, for I need to purchase 6 gates for my project and the double gate cost $500 each! Thanks
  • Load More
Show All

by

ChapelHillFiddler

Musician in Chapel Hill with two bands: Mappamundi, a world music - klezmer - swing band, and the Pratie Heads, a Celtic - British Isles - early music... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags