How to get a working front gate?

[2cubesoficeandasliceoflime]

We are getting a metal front gate. The current one is wood and has a huge chunk cut out of the bottom corner. It needs this otherwise a step would prevent you from opening the gate fully. The shape allows the gate to go over the top of the step. I hope the pictures attached make sense.

We need the step. Our neighbours don't have a step and/or gate so we cant compare.

Does anyone have any bright ideas of how we can get a working gate? So far we've considered the below but Im not happy with any of them.

• no gate. However! We took the current gate off and had to put it back up. We live opposite a nursery and primary school and no gate seemed to give the kids permission to run into our garden and bang the windows at our cats. One of them is very timid and stopped sleeping on the windowsill because they kept scaring her. No, their parents did not care.

• a chunk taken out of the corner (like it is) looks ridiculous.

• the gate cant open out into the path.

• do something with the step. But what? The current step is a concrete block. We are not opposed to changing it somehow but it cant be any smaller or shorter. If we run it closer to the gate, people opening the gate wouldnt see it and it would be a trip hazard.

• a shorter gate raised higher off the floor. How daft would this look? This is probably the best idea?

What about rising hinges to lift the gate as it opens? Would that make it miss the step?

Could you do double gate - like saloon doors? If they were half the width would they miss the step? You could pretend you are a cowboy!
Our gate is on a spring, so we don’t have to close it, it gently swings shut behind you.

Move the gate back so it aligns with the step. or move the step forwards.

If you move it back you could have a half step up to the gate.

i don't see why it would be a trip hazard. Quite a few people have gates where you have to climb steps to get to them. You can put a sign mind the step near the handle if you wish. So as people look to see where the handle is they immediately see the sign.

If it is your gate the only people that should open it is you anyway, and people you are talking to and you can be warning them.

As @GasPanic said above.

Alternatively replace step with a ramp and combine with rising hinges.
Or have a sliding gate. But they are a nightmare for fingers and depends if there is space for sliding it.

I'm not sure what you mean.

The gate aligns with the garden wall. If we moved it back, it would just be floating about in the middle of the path?

The path is really short. If we move the step forward ie make it longer, then people wouldnt see it as they open the gate and it would be a trip hazard. People arent expecting a step to be there.

What about posties, delivery people, random leafletters (although if we could stop them that would be good!), random visitors? A sign would be ugly and no one would read it.

Or have I misunderstood what you mean?

Off to google raising hinges. Ive never heard of them.

How about a bespoke gate?

Lots of fabricators out there who can either modify an off-the-shelf one or make it from scratch.
They are not even expensive, you usually find that the "standard" ones from DIY stores are a bit cheap & nasty unless you pay a bit more anyway.

There are loads of things you could do if you want to be innovative.

You could have a rising flap that lifts up via a string as you open and close the gate.

But too many "don'ts" for my liking.

Don't want a cutout because it looks stupid.
Don't want no gate.
Don't want to move the step
Don't want to move the gate or make it open the other way.
Don't want to have a warning sign.

The more don'ts you have, the more difficult the problem becomes. Until the world "doesn't" want to bother coming up with a solution, or the solution becomes horribly expensive.

A centre opening gate is the easiest option (I've 2 mini gates that join in the middle)

Cool idea that I didn't think of.

Some of the homes near me have 2 gates that open outward, they are only small due to the lack of space but the same principle as driveway gates .
They can open inwards or outward.