Placing a Gate in a Deck Railing


Reference Number: KB-00513
Last Modified: February 13, 2025

The information in this article appliesto:

Home Designer Professional or Home Designer Architectural or HomeDesigner Suite



QUESTION

When I create a deck with stairs, I notice that an opening is present. How do I convert this to a gate?   

Diamond gate leading from the main deck area to a lower porch off the back of the house


ANSWER

A doorway can be converted to a gate by specifying it as a Hinged Door Type and changing the Door Style to a gate option using the library.


To place a door or gate in a railing

  1. From the menu, select Build> Railing and Deck> Straight Deck Railing Straight Deck Railing tool icon, and draw out the railings for the room.


  2. Navigate to Build> Stairs> Draw Stairs Draw Stairs tool icon, then click right outside the railing where the stairs and gate should be.

    Note: Connecting the stairs to the deck will create a doorway, so if there are no stairs or there is no doorway or opening present in the deck railing, you can place one using one of the Door tools.

    Deck with stairs going down from the room creating a doorway in the railing


  3. Using the Select Objects  tool, select the door or doorway, then click the Open Object  edit button.


  4. On the General panel of the Door Specification dialog that displays, use the Door Type drop-down menu to select the Hinged option.

    General panel of the Door Specification where the Door Type can be changed

     
  5. Click on the Library button next to the Door Style drop-down menu to open the Select Library Object dialog, browse and select your desired gate, then click OK.

    For the purposes of this example, we will use the "Diamond" gate found by navigating to Designer Core Catalogs> Architectural> Fences and Railings> Gates.


    Diamond gate in the Select Library Object dialog


  6. Specify your desired hinges and handles on the Hardware panel, and your desired materials for the gate on the Materials panel.


  7. Click OK to confirm all of the changes.