ask This Old House

Repair a sagging gate

The gate to our backyard has become difficult to close, because of a wobbly post and some sagging in the gate itself. How can we get it to look and work like it’s supposed to?
—MATT KANE, NEEDHAM, MA

To get started, unscrew the hinges from the post and set the gate aside. Then use a posthole digger and shovel to remove soil from around the post, digging down at least 30 inches. Alternatively, it may be easier to simply lift the post free and shovel out the hole so there’s a few inches of clearance around the post when you set it back into the hole. (If the post can’t be saved, replace it with a new cedar or pressure-treated