I'm going to build some gates for my friend's deck.
I obtained all the materials and then they asked about the side porch.
How should I mount a gate here against the house?
How to mount a deck gate against Hardie siding
gate-postgatesporch
Related Solutions
In an attempt to answer some of the questions raised in your posting let me respond in answer format.
1) It can be advantageous in some situations to affix a timber post to the brick or concrete posts/walls in either side of the gate opening. This post can then serve as a better medium into which to attach hinges and latches.
2) A 3.8 meter wide gate will develop a huge amount of lever arm out at the latch end of the gate and this needs to be taken into account when developing the gate design.
3) The size of wood used can play a big part in how heavy the gate will end up being. The type of wood can play a role as well. This is one reason that boards are often used for gate facing instead of thicker planks. Cedar wood is also much lighter than hard wood like oak and thus becomes a popular choice for gates.
4) Adding appropriate bracing into the design of the gate will keep the gate from sagging.
5) Successful wide gates can often benefit from making the aforementioned side posts much higher than the gate opening and then using a cable from the top down to the end of the gate away from the hinges to help support the weight of the gate. Sometimes you can see the tops of the two higher posts connected across by a horizontal member. This provides support from post to post to keep the weight of the gates from pulling the posts to the sides.
Could you just use a normal auto-closing latch (a la http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Black-Gate-Latch-15462/202042227?N=5yc1vZc2e2) and mount it so the gate slides the latch into place?
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Best Answer
I would mount the gate with hinges on the 4x4 post on the right. It is structurally sufficient to support the gate. Make it an in-swing right, gate opens into the porch swinging to the right towards the railing.
Then all you need is 2x4 latch post attached to the side of the house for the latch.
You could attach the latch post with a couple of timber screws. (There is not a lot of lateral forces on the latch post but you could use some construction adhesive to assist the holding power of the screws if you are not into a stud).
Drill holes (three should suffice) in the 2x4 and then set it in place plumb and true, use a pencil through the holes to mark the locations on the siding. Drill pilot holes, just slightly smaller then the shank of the screws. You only want to drill just to the sheathing behind the the siding to avoid splitting the siding. Use a stop collar or tape on your drill bit to so you only drill about 1/2" to 3/4" or so. (you do not know what is in the cavity of the wall like electrical so you don't want to just drill deep.) Also choose the length of your screw so it will only protrude into the sheathing plus a smidgen.
You do not know where the studs are in the wall and it is unlikely, but possible, that one is exactly where you need it. If you can locate it on a stud it would be best, then you could use longer screws to go into the stud. You may be able to use a stud finder on the inside wall and then a tape measure to transfer that distance on the outside of the wall and see if it lines up with the 4x4.
Before you install the post with the screws, pump some silicone into the holes so that any moisture that gets behind the post is sealed out.
An alternative if you did not want to penetrate the wall of the house would be to build a handrail that would be up against the house but not attached to the house.
It could be two 4x4 posts attached to the risers of the steps and tied together with a solid handrail on top and a 2x6 about a foot under that to provide structural integrity, I.E. minimize racking.