The first thing passers-by see.
The "face" of your home, made beautiful —
with peace of mind and privacy.
The gate, the fence, the nameplate, the postbox. Facing the road, the entrance is the very first thing a visitor sees — the "face" of your home, you might say. When it suits the feel of the house, that alone makes coming and going a little nicer every day.
At Iwai, we think it through with you — not only the good looks, but a comfortable sense of distance with the neighbours, and the safety for a family to live with ease. "I mind the eyes from outside, but I don't want it to feel shut away" — we hear that often. Not too closed, not too open. We'll find the balance that's just right for your home, together.
The entrance shapes the impression of your home in a big way. And yet a house that stands out too much from the rest can feel unsettling, too. So that it sits naturally with the feel of the building and the streetscape around it, we choose the gate post material and colour, and the fence design, and propose them to you. Right down to the nameplate, postbox, and lighting, we bring the whole into tune.
You mind the eyes from the road, or from the house across the way. But wall it all in high, and the home itself turns dark and closed-off. What matters is the measure of it: screen well where you want to hide, and leave open where it can be open. A privacy fence that lets the wind and light through, a screen that softens only the line of sight — we'll think through quiet screening that doesn't make things awkward with the neighbours, together.
The entrance is the border between outside and home. That's exactly why it should be a place a family can come home to with ease. A lower fence or gate lets you sense the presence of people outside, just enough. A light to brighten the path at night. Without anything forbidding, peace of mind can be built into the small touches of daily life. Whatever your household worries about — children running out, pets — talk it through with us.
Start choosing a privacy fence from height and material, and you’ll usually end up lost. What matters is how you want to spend your time — in that garden, at that window. “I’d love to have tea here,” “I want to hang the laundry without a second thought” — work back from the life you picture, and the right screen falls into place on its own. Here are a few things worth knowing before you choose — told to you plainly.
Privacy, safety, good looks. What you most want to achieve changes what you should choose. Before “just hide it,” get clear on what actually bothers you in this garden — people’s eyes, or things blowing in on the wind. Settle that, and you’ll save yourself the long way round.
Do you want to be hidden standing up, or is being hidden when seated enough? The eye level you need depends on how you live. Go higher than necessary and it starts to feel closed in, and it blocks your neighbour’s sun and wind too. A height worked back from “how much you want to hide” settles in most comfortably.
Seal it up gap-free and it takes the wind full on — it wears faster, and it feels stifling inside, too. Choose a little gap, or louvres or vertical slats, and the line of sight stays softened while light and wind still pass through. The “openings” aren’t a weakness — they’re the design.
A screen touches your neighbour’s view and sunlight, too. So before you settle on a height, a quick word to them — that alone makes a real difference to how things feel afterward. Natural wood needs recoating every few years, as well. We’ll tell you, just as it is, about the relationship you’ll have with it after it’s built.
Think it through this way, and many people arrive at the same voice: “I want it properly hidden, but I’d like to keep the cost as low as I can.” One answer to that is Iwai’s original build, Wide Span.
A screen that truly hides — at a price that doesn’t strain.
With the horizontal boards set gap-free, it screens the view from outside for real. You can also leave a slight gap — a slit — between the boards to let air and light through. Most privacy fences on the market are aluminium, but for Wide Span we chose rust-resistant galvalume steel. The look and the sturdiness stay the same — the saving is simply in the material. It comes in a calm silver-grey, a crisp black, or a warm wood-grain. If you’re thinking “I want it properly hidden, but I’d like to keep the cost down,” this is the one to see first.
* A rust-resistant material, so it stays looking good for years. It comes with a warranty of up to 15 years on the coating and up to 25 years against rust-through (depending on installation conditions).
Consultations and estimates are free.
We'll tell you straight what costs what.
"I want privacy but not the dark" or "that old block wall worries me" — please don't hold back. We'll work out what's possible, together.
When you call, just mention you saw us on the website.
We'll find that "just-right balance" together. Privacy and openness aren't a choice between one or the other. With a height that lets the sightline through, and a design that lets wind and light pass, it stays hard to see in from outside without feeling cramped within — we tailor that balance to your home.
Yes — we're glad to fix just one spot. We repair only the leaning or worn parts and leave what's still good as it is. We won't push you toward "you'd be better off redoing it all." Start with the spot that's troubling you.
We think it through with you, neighbors and all. A boundary is a delicate thing, given your relationship with the folks next door. We suggest a height and material that blend with the streetscape while keeping a comfortable distance with your neighbors. Whatever's on your mind, tell us without holding back.
Yes — the gate area comes together best when the whole thing is in tune. The gate post, fence, nameplate, mailbox, evening lighting — it's a spot that easily turns mismatched if you gather each piece separately. We keep the materials and colors in tune, and finish it as a welcoming "face" for your home.
Yes — we'll think about quiet peace of mind together. Sightlines, lighting at your feet, a build that's hard to climb over — there are ways to prepare without looking heavy-handed. We suggest ways to add that sense of safety without spoiling the beauty of the streetscape.
We'd love to give a figure right away, but the length, the height and the material differ from home to home, so pinning down a number here would only become a promise we can't keep. Let us see the spot, and we'll tell you a rough range on the day. Estimates are free, and we never write things up to make the figure look bigger.
For ready-made fences and gates, we'll help you choose from a wide range and fit them properly. But for one-off cast-iron pieces or bespoke designer fencing, a maker or ironworks that specialises in it may give a cleaner result. What we're good at is gate-and-fence work that fits your life and budget, and lasts. Tell us what you'd like, and we'll point you to whichever suits.
