This is our standard gate, in the “modern” style. This one is 36” wide. We also make our gates in a “Victorian” style (see below), and in a “Mission” style. (No pictures of that one - it’s still in the planning stages.)


Over three feet, we recommend going to a “V-type” gate, or even a three section “Z-type”. This one, with the feet removed, folds to just an inch and a half thick and stores handily behind the couch.


This is our Victorian style gate, with design cues taken from an antique walnut table in our living room. It’s shown in this doorway “for illustration purposes only”, as our puppies quickly figured out how to walk around it. This is a 30 inch gate in a 36 inch opening.


PVC Pipe Gate. Ugly. Neat design, but more suited to a garage. Before I secured them to the door frame, one of them fell on a puppy, trapping her underneath. like a fish net. She definitely didn't like these gates.

Then, the classic baby gate. These have a pressure bar which you have to press down to lock the gate in place. It applies enough pressure, though, to cause the gate to pull the paint off the door frame when released. Because of the difficulty setting and resetting the gate, we seldom did that, but chose to (try to) step over it. We tripped more than once - luckily no one broke anything.





This was my solution. A custom crafted gate that fills the space, is low enough to step over easily, and light enough to easily move out of the way with the built-in handle or with a foot.

Successful containment, of course, relies on the dog as well as the gate. Our puppies could easily jump the gate; I’ve seen them jump up on things higher than that. They could probably push through, if they were not quite so well mannered (maybe they just remember the time I tripped over a baby gate while carrying a box of old shoes, and stay back.) We did build a higher gate to show boundaries to a collie.

How to Order
These gates are made to order. You specify size (width and height), type of wood, and type of finish. If you like, we can make the gate hinged, so it will swing open rather than the free-standing gates shown in the pictures.

Because the selection process is somewhat detailed and the amount of work is so great, we don't want to take any chances on a possible web order misunderstanding, and ask that you phone us with your order. (585) 766-1820

Construction time is about a week, and delivery may add another week (for non-local orders).

Choices and Prices
Modern style gate, up to three feet, $99. Add $30 per foot or fraction of a foot over that.
Victorian style gate, up to 3 feet, $109. Add $35 per foot or fraction of a foot over that.

Basic wood - poplar, a straight-grained, lightweight wood that finishes well.
Wlanut, cherry, maple and oak - beautiful woods, but make the gates a little heavier. Add $10 per foot or fraction thereof.

Stains - your choice. If you don't know, visit Home Depot or Lowe's and check out the Minwax or other stain colors. We can supply the gates unfinished as well, so you can paint them to match your woodwork.

Finishes - flat, satin gloss, or glossy polyurethane finish.