The front door security gate is the one visitors see first, so it has to be strong and look right on your house. Slim bars, lattice panels, flat bar patterns and matt colours have replaced the heavy scrolls of the past. Send your door size and the look you prefer, and gate makers and installers near you quote directly. Quotes are free and cost you nothing to compare.
Modern looks that stay secure
A modern gate usually means fewer, flatter lines: slim vertical bars with a close spacing, a diamond lattice upper panel, or a laser-cut plate in a pattern. The strength still comes from the frame and welds, not the pattern. Matt black, charcoal and bronze powder coats hide dust and suit plaster and face brick. Bring a photo of your entrance, because makers can usually sketch two or three options in a day and show how bar spacing, a lattice panel or a solid plate changes the look from the street. For a traditional look, see trellis doors.
Fitting to the door you have
Check how your front door opens. If it opens inward, the gate can swing outward and fix into the reveal. If it opens outward, the gate must clear the door leaf, so a gate that opens inward or slides is safer. Raised thresholds, stoep tiles and doorbells all affect the fit. A canopy or porch protects the finish, and without one a front door gate takes the weather, so ask for galvanised steel under the paint. Check the gap between the gate and the existing door handle so knuckles do not scrape, and see whether the doorbell, intercom or letterbox must be moved or reachable through the bars.
Handle, lock and visibility
The lock must be easy for you and strong against levering. A lock box at hand height with a long bolt works well; a deadlock above it adds holding power. Do not fit a gate that is hard to open in a hurry, and keep a key near the inside of the door. A tight spacing of bars stops hands reaching the inner lock. Some people choose a gate with a solid lower kick panel for a pet-proof and kick-proof finish, and others add a fine mesh insert so small dogs and cats stay in. See security door locks.
Getting a good quote
Ask each supplier for the steel size, bar spacing, lock, finish and what happens after a rust or lock fault. A made-to-measure front door gate is a long-term fixture, so details matter more than saving a few hundred rand. If a supplier will not say how the gate is fixed or what coating is under the paint, keep comparing. See security gates for how types compare. Ask whether the quote includes making good around the fixings and touching up the paint after drilling.
What to include in your request
- Front door opening size in mm
- The style you like, ideally a photo
- Which way your front door opens
- Colour of door, walls and frames
- Porch or canopy cover over the entrance
Front Door Security Gates for different properties
- Houses: a front gate in a modern bar pattern that matches the window bars
- Townhouses and complexes: a gate in the approved colour with slim bars that suits the facade
- Flats and apartments: a neat gate on the entrance door that fits a shared passage
- Farms and smallholdings: a strong plain gate over the farmhouse front door, galvanised for weather
- Shops and restaurants: a gate over the street entrance that looks tidy when open
- Offices and practices: a refined gate on the practice entrance or reception door
- Factories and warehouses: a plain steel gate on the site office entrance
- Schools, clinics and churches: a gate on the front office door, kept clear of escape routes
Frequently asked questions
How much does a front door security gate cost?
Will a gate spoil the look of my front door?
Can the gate be fixed to a timber frame?
Does the gate need a lock on the inside too?
Front Door Security Gates by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg