Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
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AfterFast, Reliable Gate Installation Across Pasadena
Gate installation in Pasadena is not a one-size-fits-all job, and anyone who treats it that way is asking for a gate that sags, binds, or fails the next time the Santa Anas come through. We work on bungalows built in 1912 and estates built last year, which means we deal with rotted redwood posts, obsolete motor control boards, and footings poured before modern codes existed. If you need a driveway gate, pedestrian gate, or a full operator retrofit, call (626) 628-9548 and you will talk to a live person who knows Pasadena streets, not a call center three states away. That is how Hal Gatewood has run Gatewood Fence & Gate since 2001.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Pasadena’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop and on every invoice, and his address is published. That is the oldest accountability there is. When you call us from Pasadena, you are calling a locally owned, owner-operated company that has been at this since 2001, with a live person answering 24/7, not a voicemail or a dispatch queue. Our crew has worked everywhere from the Craftsman bungalows of Bungalow Heaven to the gated estates along Orange Grove Boulevard, and we have seen the same thing over and over: gates hung by crews that did not understand Pasadena’s older housing stock, leaving homeowners with a bill and a gate that still does not close right.
Every job we take in Pasadena carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise, stamped in writing. If it is not done right, Hal comes back and makes it right. No runaround. No fine print. We also offer a free second opinion on any written estimate, no trip charge inside the county, $40 off any repair over $200, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. You will know the price before we start, and that price does not change at the door.
Our Gate Installation Services in Pasadena
Driveway Gate Installation in Pasadena
A typical driveway gate installation in Pasadena runs $2,800 to $9,500 depending on material, span, and whether you are adding an operator. On the west side, homes along Orange Grove Boulevard and Linda Vista often need large double iron driveway gates that demand deep footings and heavy-duty posts. In the bungalow districts to the east, a driveway gate is usually smaller, but the challenge is matching what is already there: a 1920s redwood picket gate should not be replaced with an off-the-shelf vinyl panel. Our Gate Installation team builds in place, sets posts on fresh concrete, and welds on site when iron or steel is involved. The gate stays in your driveway, not hauled to a shop.
Pedestrian Gate Installation in Pasadena
Pedestrian gate work in Pasadena is where the city’s age shows. Original redwood and cedar picket gates from the 1910s through the 1940s are everywhere, and most of them are hung on posts spalling at the base from decades of soil moisture. A pedestrian gate replacement in Pasadena typically runs $600 to $2,400 for wood, and $900 to $3,200 for iron or steel, depending on size and hardware. We set new pressure-treated or steel posts with drainage gravel, because pouring a post into a hole that traps water is how you guarantee the same failure ten years from now. Gatewood Fence & Gate replaces what is genuinely done, and we repair what can still be saved.
Sliding Gate Installation in Pasadena
Sliding gates are the best answer for Pasadena driveways with a steep grade or a short setback, common on hillside lots north of the 210 and in the Arroyo Seco neighborhoods. A new sliding gate in Pasadena typically runs $3,500 to $11,000 including track, motor, and safety photocells. Sliding gates demand a level track bed, and on older Pasadena properties that sometimes means correcting a slope or pulling the old track that has shifted with soil movement. We install cantilever and track-style sliding gates, and we handle the full operator wiring and UL 325 safety sensor installation so your gate does not close on a car, a dog, or a grandchild.
Swing Gate Installation in Pasadena
Swing gates remain the dominant style in Pasadena, both for the Craftsman-era look and for their simple operation. A new double swing gate in Pasadena runs $2,500 to $8,500 for wood and $4,000 to $14,000 for ornamental iron, depending on span and operator. The failure we see most often in Pasadena is a pair of original posts set without deep concrete footings. Santa Ana wind events rack wooden double swing gates until the center latch no longer aligns, and by then the frame is twisted beyond adjustment. We set new posts to a depth that holds, and we use adjustable hinges so the gate can be tuned after installation.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Pasadena
We are certified to service nine major gate operator brands, and for Pasadena customers we commonly work on LiftMaster openers on newer estate gates, Mighty Mule operators on mid-range residential driveway gates, and FAAC and BFT units on the older European iron gates you see on Orange Grove Boulevard and around San Rafael. When someone in Pasadena has an operator that died, the problem is usually a control board, a failed capacitor, or a sensor knocked out of alignment. We carry a stock of common parts and can often restore a unit without ordering a full replacement. If you need a new operator, we will recommend the right unit for your gate weight and cycle frequency, and we will wire it to code.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Pasadena Homes
- Obsolete control boards on pre-2000 operators. A failed control board on a 1990s operator frequently means a full operator replacement, because the board is discontinued and the new unit brings UL 325 safety photocells with it. We install the operator, the photocells, and the wiring as one job, priced before we start.
- Spalled redwood posts from the 1920s through 1940s. Original Pasadena gate posts were often set directly in soil or in shallow, poorly drained concrete. The base rots, the post leans, and the old strap hinges shear off or the rail splits. You cannot fix the panel without fixing the post.
- Santa Ana racking on double swing gates. Pasadena sits against the San Gabriel Mountain front, which amplifies Santa Ana wind events. Wooden double gates set on shallow footings twist under wind load until the center latch will not meet. We set posts deeper and use a through-bolt latch with adjustment room.
- Wide diurnal temperature swings warping gate panels. Pasadena’s seasonal and daily temperature swings are wider than coastal Los Angeles, and wood gates on unshaded exposures expand and contract hard. Rails split, screws pop, and panels warp. We use kiln-dried stock and seal both faces and end grain to slow the cycle.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Pasadena, CA
Gate installation in Pasadena, CA carries a broad but honest range, and you should know it before you decide. A simple wooden pedestrian gate runs $600 to $2,400. A standard wooden or steel driveway gate runs $2,500 to $8,500. A full ornamental iron double driveway gate with an operator runs $5,500 to $14,000. A sliding gate with motor and track lands between $3,500 and $11,000. What moves the number is material, span, post condition, and whether we are fixing an existing footing or pouring a new one. Every quote is free, in writing, and agreed before any work starts. There is no trip charge inside the county. Call (626) 628-9548 and we will give you a number that does not move at the door.
We Also Serve Cities Near Pasadena
We also serve Pasadena‘s neighbors: San Marino, Altadena, San Gabriel, and Alhambra. The housing stock changes block to block, and so do the gates. Call us and we will send the same local crew, the same upfront pricing, and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise.
Serving Pasadena, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Pasadena area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Gate Installation in Pasadena
Not always. Pasadena’s Bungalow Heaven Landmark District and other designated historic districts can require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission before you swap a deteriorated Craftsman-era gate for a prefab unit. The review looks at joinery, hardware, and material compatibility with the original. A mile away in Temple City or San Gabriel the same swap would not trigger anything. In Bungalow Heaven, our crew was called to a 1920s Craftsman bungalow where the original redwood pedestrian gate had sagged so badly it dragged across the driveway. The hinge post had rotted at the footing, and the original strap hinges were pulling out. We poured a new post footing with proper drainage, sistered the post, and hung a custom-matched vertical-board gate with period-appropriate hardware, no Certificate of Appropriateness needed because we repaired in kind rather than swapping to prefab. Call (626) 628-9548 and we will tell you what your house actually requires.
Sometimes yes, and sometimes the control board is discontinued and a board repair is not economically reasonable. Pre-2000 operators often use boards no longer manufactured, and replacing the operator also means adding safety photocells to meet current UL 325 standards. We will tell you honestly which is cheaper. If the board can be sourced, we replace it. If not, we recommend a full operator replacement, and the quote includes the operator, photocells, and wiring, agreed before we start.
A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that is where we start. On Pasadena’s older homes, the hinge post is usually the problem: the base has spalled from soil moisture, or the post was set shallow in the 1920s and has been leaning ever since. Fix the panel without the post and you will fix it twice. We replace the post, set it deep with drainage gravel, and then hang the gate on adjustable hinges so it can be tuned. Call us and we will show you what is actually failing.
A sliding gate on a standard Pasadena driveway generally does not require a building permit for the gate itself, but the operator and safety edges must meet current UL 325 sensor requirements, and any electrical run from your panel to the gate may need a permit and a licensed electrician’s sign-off. If your property is in a landmark district, the gate itself may also face design review. We can walk you through what your specific property needs and handle the installation to code. Call (626) 628-9548 for a free estimate.
It depends on the operator and the gate weight. A heavy ornamental iron driveway gate with a dead opener that cannot be sourced for a control board usually means full replacement, because retrofitting a new motor onto an old chassis often costs as much as a complete new operator and leaves you with a system that is not UL 325 compliant. A lighter iron gate with a standard arm can sometimes accept a new operator on the existing mount. We will give you a straight answer with prices for both paths, and you decide. Free estimates, no trip charge inside the county.
If your Pasadena gate is older than the modern safety code and sits in a Craftsman historic district, call (626) 628-9548 before you spend a dollar. Hal Gatewood will tell you whether to retrofit or replace, and the price will be in writing before any work starts.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Pasadena since 2001.