Metal gates in Lowestoft face the full weather of the most easterly town in the country. We fabricate steel gates and railings stiff enough for the wind and protected against the salt, then bring them over from Norwich and hang them.
Lowestoft, about 27 miles south east of our Norwich workshop by the A146.
Seafront, broad and harbour
An easterly gale pushes on a closed gate for hours. Light frames rack, hinges work loose and latches start to rattle.
So for Lowestoft, Pakefield and Kessingland we think about wind as much as looks. Open bar designs let the air pass, frames are braced so they hold their shape, and hinges and drop bolts are sized for the load. Driveway gates, side gates, railings and yard gates are all made this way.
What you get from Swift Fabrication is the steelwork, made and fitted: leaves, posts, hinges, latches, drop bolts, railing panels. What you do not get from us is brickwork, walls, excavation or concrete, which a builder should take on, or motors and keypads, which come from a gate automation firm. If automation is planned, we stiffen the frame and add plates where your installer asks.
Staircases and balustrades, Lowestoft
How a Lowestoft gate is put together
Nothing is assembled on your drive. Leaves, posts and railing panels are each finished as single items in Norwich, and only the hanging happens in Suffolk.
We choose the box section for the span and exposure, add a diagonal brace or mid rail on wide leaves, and weld everything up square. Hinge pins, keeps and drop bolt guides go on now, sized for a gate that will be leaned on by the weather.
Sea spray finds any gap in paint. For a Lowestoft address we would normally suggest having the steel hot dip galvanised, with powder coating on top where appearance matters. Both are arranged by us ahead of delivery day.
On site we fix to solid piers, a good wall or steel posts from our own workshop. Each leaf is set level with even gaps, the drop bolts are lined up with their sockets, and we check the pair stays shut and quiet when the wind gets up.
Before we can price it
We need the clear opening, your preferred height, and what is there to hang from: piers, a wall, timber or nothing yet. Tell us whether the entrance looks out to sea or sits sheltered behind other buildings, and if the ground slopes.
A few photographs taken square on, plus one of any design you have seen and liked, save a lot of questions. Solid sheeted gates catch far more wind than open bars, so tell us if privacy matters and we will allow for it in the frame. Mention any plan to automate, now or later.
To avoid confusion later: we do not dig, concrete, lay bricks or wire up motors. A builder forms the piers and post bases, and an installer fits the automation. We give each of them a drawing of centres and fixing points.
Homes, boatyards and works yards
Houses near the front at Pakefield or Kessingland often want railings on a low wall with a matching handgate. Around Oulton Broad, boatyards and marine trades need wide yard gates that a boat on a trailer can pass through cleanly.
On South Lowestoft Industrial Estate and around PowerPark, security gates and fence panels keep plant and stock in the yard overnight. We build swing and sliding frames for those, and our mobile welder can sort a gate that has dropped or been hit.
Architectural metalwork in LowestoftNorth east Suffolk
The run to Lowestoft takes us down the A146 through Beccles. From there we reach Oulton Broad, Carlton Colville, Pakefield and Kessingland, so one visit can cover measuring up in several places along the coast.
Start with a free estimate from your sizes and pictures. We confirm every dimension on site before steel is ordered, and you know the price before we begin.
Steel fabrication in LowestoftLowestoft gate FAQs
They will if they are built for it. We use open infill where we can, brace wide leaves, fit hinges to suit the weight and add drop bolts that hold each leaf shut and open. Tell us how exposed the entrance is when you enquire.
Yes. It is about 27 miles from our Norwich base on the A146. We come over to measure, make everything in the workshop, then return to hang it.
We can. Wide pairs or a sliding frame suit yards around Oulton Broad where trailers and hoists need a clear way in. We make the steel. Any track, ground beam or motor is by your groundworker and installer.
Hot dip galvanising is the usual answer for coastal steel, and we arrange it after all welding is done. A powder coat over the zinc gives colour and further protection.
Lowestoft gates and railings
Phone 07495 409006 or send the width, height, outlook and photographs of your Lowestoft opening for a free estimate.