Baby (or puppy) gates work but they're a hassle – storing them when not in use, putting them up, taking them down and what I like least, climbing over them as you move from room to room.
In fact these gates cause you to change how you navigate around your house. It simply doesn't make sense to unload the dishwasher when you've got to climb over a gate to put things away in the dining room.
When is the last time you put up a gate to control where toddlers or dogs could walk? While visiting friends recently, I put up two baby gates and had to redo one I'd installed backwards. These gates might work but they're not much fun. So when I saw this unique gate from HideaGate, I knew it was something many homeowners would love.
The Magic Behind HideaGate‘s … Baby Gates
It's been years since I had baby gates at my house. My boys are grown and my six year old granddaughter lives thousands of miles away and we usually go to her house. What I love about these baby gates from HideaGate are:
- The gates are stored in the wall so there's no wasted space.
- They're easy to open and close with one hand – no more need to install them.
- You don't have to climb over them which is great for grandparents taking care of their grandchildren.
When I first saw the baby gates on display, there were two little boys trying to figure out how the gate worked. They got right up to the gate and the inventor had fun showing them how to open the gate.
Here's How These Baby Gates Work
When I first saw this gate and the hidden frame (the rough wood below on the right) in the wall, I assumed they worked like pocket doors which I've used for years. But I was wrong!
Drew Walling, the inventor and a builder in Texas, explained how the gates work. He came up with the design for a home he was building for his family. His explanation was perfect and showed that he understands what's important to homeowners. He knew immediately that the traditional pocket door design wouldn't work. There's no door frame over the gate to support the weight. When you slide a pocket door open/closed, the door is supported by rollers hanging from the door frame overhead.
The first idea was to use large rolling wheels under the gate but Drew knew many homeowners wouldn't like that solution. Those wheels don't work well going over carpeting. With wood floors, the wheels would likely wear an unsightly groove in the wood. After much thought, Drew came up with the idea for a counterweight that would balance out the weight of the gate.
Instead of the gate sliding horizontally into the wall, it folds up and fits into the wall cavity with the counterweight holding it in place. You can see the counterweight opposite the top of the gate in the top photo below, peeking out below one of the wall braces. There's a better photo of the counterbalance in the photo below that one showing how it moves lower as the gate rises and folds.
There's a small adjustable rubber stopper underneath the gate to support the baby gates when they're down. You can adjust stopper to fit your floor height once the gate is installed.
Want to learn more about these unique baby gates?
Visit HideaGate.com … and hope you enjoy this great product.
Need to do some more research? Here are a few of the more traditional baby gates found on Amazon. Some of them open and close easily but none of them are retractable gates that can hide in your wall.
Regalo Extra WideSpan Walk Through Safety Gate, White
Evenflo Position and Lock Tall Pressure Mount Wood GateSummer Infant Multi-Use Deco Extra Tall Walk-Thru Gate, Bronze
And if you've just become parents to a new puppy, we've got a few more articles you might find helpful:
- Installing a Pet Door for Convenience
- Finding the Right Pet Door for a Screen Door
- 8 Ideas for Pet Friendly Backyards
- Pets Provide Love All Year Long
Wow! What a cool gate idea! Can this be installed into an existing home easily or is it designed to be installed when a house is being built (or remodeled)? Also, can it be installed by a homeowner or does it need to be professionally installed?
Melanie, This gate can be installed in an existing house but it’s not easy. The gate hides inside the wall similar to the way a pocket door slides into the wall. In order to install one you’ve got to open up the wall on one (not both) side. From there you can build the framing to hold the gate, install the gate and close the wall back up. Unless you’re fairly experienced with home construction projects and tools, I’d suggest having a very experienced handyman do the work for you.
Why are baby gates so difficult to install? And what to do in case of irregular stairs ?
My guess is baby gates are meant to be temporary so they’re designed to be flexible & fit many door configurations and yes, I find them annoying to unlatch, walk through and re-install several times a day. You may find a gate that you can attach to the wall is much easier to open and close. For irregular stairs, mu guess is the best solution for “easy use” would be a gate that slides open & closed but you might have to build this to fit your stair opening.