How much do driveway gates cost?
It depends on the width of the opening, the height, the style and whether the posts are already there. A pair of plain vertical bar gates on existing brick piers is at the cheaper end, a wide set with forged detail, curved top rails and new steel posts concreted in is at the other. We come and measure rather than pricing on a description, because the opening decides most of the cost and openings are almost never the size people think they are.
Can you make gates to fit an opening that is not square?
Yes, and it is normal rather than unusual. Piers lean, drives fall away towards the road and one side is often higher than the other. Because we make the gates ourselves we can rake the bottom rail to follow the ground, adjust the leaf heights so the top line still reads level and set the hanging so the gates clear the drive through the full swing.
Do you supply the posts as well as the gates?
Yes. If you have brick or stone piers we hang off those, and if there is nothing to hang from we fabricate steel posts sized for the weight of the gates and set them in concrete. Undersized posts are one of the most common reasons a gate starts to drop, so the posts get specified for the leaf rather than for the price.
How long does it take?
Once measured, most sets are fabricated and fitted within a few weeks, and we will give you a realistic date at the quote rather than an optimistic one. Fitting itself is usually a single day. If posts have to be concreted in we let them go off properly before the gates are hung, which can mean a return visit.
Can the gates be automated later?
Yes, if you tell us at the measuring stage. Gates built with automation in mind get the hinge positions, the leaf weight and the post sizes thought about up front, which makes fitting an operator later straightforward. Retro fitting an automation kit to a set that was never designed for it is where the trouble starts.
What styles can you make?
Traditional vertical bar with spear or ball tops, plain flat top, arched and swept tops, hooped and scrolled work, and modern slatted infill. We are not working from a catalogue, so bring a photo of something you like or a sketch on the back of an envelope and we will tell you what it takes to make it.
