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 Allentown
Gate installation in Allentown costs between $1,800 and $7,500 for most residential projects, with ornamental iron gates on the West End’s century-old brick pillars landing on the higher end because the masonry work is half the job. Whether you’re on a tree-lined street in the West End or a corner lot off Lehigh Street, we measure, quote, and schedule every installation without surprise charges at the door. Hal Gatewood has been at this since 2001, and when you call (877) 610-2993, a live person picks up and talks through what you actually need.
Allentown is not a place where you can hang a gate and forget it. The Lehigh Valley’s freeze-thaw cycles heave the clay under your posts, and the older housing stock brings its own set of problems. We know which questions to ask before the first hole gets dug.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Allentown’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
We’re a locally owned, owner-operated shop, and Hal’s name is on the building and on every invoice. That means when something goes wrong three months after the install, you’re not calling a national outfit’s dispatch queue. You’re calling the same person who stood in your driveway and walked the property line with you.
Allentown customers call us because the older gates in this city are different work entirely. A 1920s wrought iron gate mortared into a brick pillar on N 25th St is not a job for a crew that mostly installs aluminum panels in newer developments. Our reputation in Allentown is built on the kind of repair-first work that respects the original iron and fixes the post before it fails again. We carry a strong local reputation, not because of a marketing budget, but because people on Hamilton Street and in the South Side talk to each other.
Every job gets the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, we make it right. One call brings Hal back. No runaround, no fine print. That promise means more on an Allentown property where the pillar is a hundred years old and the mortar is the weak link. You can’t promise that unless you actually understand what’s in the ground.
We answer the phone 24/7 with a live person. Not a voicemail, not a call center three states away. If your gate stopped closing and you’re halfway out of the driveway at 6 a.m., you get a person who knows gates, not a script.
Our Gate Installation Services in Allentown
Driveway Gate Installation
A driveway gate in Allentown tends to be the front door to a property, and it has to survive winter salting, summer humidity, and the clay that moves under every post. We install swing and sliding driveway gates sized for the actual opening, with post footings poured below the frost line so the Lehigh Valley winters don’t heave them out of plumb within two years. If you’re putting a gate onto an existing driveway in the 18104 ZIP, we’ll tell you honestly whether the current pillar can take the weight or needs a rebuild first.
Pedestrian Gate Installation
A pedestrian gate on an Allentown row home or twin doesn’t get the same abuse as a driveway gate, but it fails in the same place: the hinge post. We see walk gates in the West End that have been hanging on the same rusted hinges since before the current homeowner was born. We weld on site, so if the gate itself is still sound, we’re not going to tell you to replace it. That’s the difference between a repair shop and a replacement shop. Swing gates and pedestrian gates in Allentown’s older sections often hinge on posts that are part of the masonry itself, so we account for that on every quote.
Sliding Gate Installation
Sliding gates make sense on Allentown lots where the ground slopes or where a swing gate would eat the whole driveway. In neighborhoods like the South Side, where space is tight and cars park close, a slide gate keeps the opening clear without swinging into the neighbor’s property line. We install Viking and Ghost Controls slide operators, with the track and rollers sized for the gate’s weight. If you want to automate a sliding gate on an older Allentown property, we’ll tell you up front whether the existing track is worth keeping or whether it’s the reason the last operator burned out.
Swing Gate Installation
Swing gates are the classic Allentown look, especially in the West End where ornamental iron gates hung from brick pillars define the streetscape. A swing gate puts more stress on its posts than any other style, and in Allentown’s clay-heavy soil that stress shows up as sagging, binding, and latch plates that stop lining up. We install swing gates with post footings below frost depth and reinforce existing pillars where we can. When the pillar itself is cracked, we’re honest about it: hanging a new gate on a bad post is throwing money away. That’s a plain fact, and it’s one of the reasons neighbors in Allentown pass our number around.
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 Allentown
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, and for Allentown customers we commonly see Viking, FAAC, and DoorKing operators paired with older iron gates. That mix matters. A FAAC swing operator mounted on a 90-year-old gate needs different hardware and different safety upgrades than a brand-new aluminum installation would. We keep parts on hand for the most common operators in this area, which cuts down the wait when a motor fails or a safety edge gets chewed up. We service what we install, and we service what the last guy installed too.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Allentown Homes
- Rust-fused hinges in brick pillars. After 30 or more freeze-thaw cycles per winter, wrought iron hinges rust solid inside the mortar. Removal means cutting and masonry patchwork, not a socket wrench. We budget for that on nearly every older Allentown call.
- Clay heaving the post footings. Allentown’s soil is heavy in clay, and clay holds water. Freeze it, thaw it, freeze it again, and the ground moves. Posts shift, pillars tilt, and swing gates bind at the latch. The fix is a deeper footing, poured correctly the first time.
- Obsolete control boards and missing safety photocells. Many older operators on Allentown properties predate current UL 325 requirements. They lack photocells or loop detectors, which is a genuine entrapment risk, especially on automatic gates. Retrofitting safety gear is not optional on these jobs.
- Cracked mortar connections to original pillars. On the West End, many iron gates are mortared directly into brick pillars from the 1910s through the 1930s. When the post heaves or the iron rusts, the mortar cracks and the whole assembly gets loose. Fixing the gate without addressing the pillar means you’ll fix it twice.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Allentown, PA
Here’s what Allentown homeowners can expect. A basic single swing driveway gate with manual hardware runs $1,800 to $3,200. A sliding driveway gate with automation typically lands between $3,500 and $6,500. A pedestrian gate, depending on size and the condition of the existing posts, runs $900 to $2,400. Add an operator with safety photocells and a keypad and you’re adding $1,200 to $2,800 on top of the gate itself. On West End properties where the brick pillar needs rebuilding, masonry work adds $600 to $1,800 depending on how much of the original pillar is salvageable.
Every price is quoted and agreed in writing before any work starts. We don’t do bait-and-switch pricing, and we don’t surprise you at the door. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll schedule a free measure and written quote. Seniors and veterans get a permanent 10% discount.
We Also Serve Cities Near Allentown
Our crews serve Allentown and the surrounding Lehigh Valley communities, including Whitehall, Catasauqua, Fullerton, and Emmaus. If you’re just outside the city line, you still get the same owner-operated service and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise. Gate Installation through Gatewood Fence & Gate covers the whole valley, and you can read more about our local work on the Gate Installation in Allentown page.
Serving Allentown, PA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Allentown 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 Allentown
Because the gate is mortared into masonry that is 100 years old, not bolted to a modern pressure-treated post. In Bethlehem Township, you’re working with newer construction and uniform post sizes. On Allentown’s West End, the pillar is part of the gate’s structure, and when the mortar cracks or the iron rusts through, both trades have to work together. Call (877) 610-2993 for a quote on pillar-and-gate work; estimates are free.
In most cases, yes, you can retrofit a modern operator onto an old ornamental iron gate, provided the hinge points are sound and the gate hasn’t sagged more than a degree or two. We’ve retrofitted FAAC and Viking operators onto 1920s iron gates in the West End, but the safety photocells and the post condition have to be addressed at the same time. If the gate is rusted through or the pillar is cracked beyond a patch, replacement may actually be the cheaper long-term answer. We’ll show you the numbers either way, and the quote is free.
Any automatic gate we install or retrofit has to meet current UL 325 safety standards. That means safety photocells, contact edges on the closing edge, and proper force settings so the gate reverses instead of trapping someone. Older operators often lack these entirely. We won’t automate a gate without them, and we won’t leave an existing automatic gate running without them either. For a safety check on your current setup, call (877) 610-2993.
They shorten it, unless the post footings go below the frost line and the materials are chosen for a climate that sees 30 or more freeze-thaw events every winter. Shallow footings heave, gates bind, and hinges take on stress they were never designed for. We dig deeper on every post in Allentown because the alternative is watching a straight gate go crooked in three seasons. A proper install should last decades, and we price it so it does.
Often, yes. If the gate hangs on a brick pillar, and that pillar is cracked or leaning, the masonry has to be rebuilt before the gate can safely hang. We handle that coordination in-house, with the mason and the metal work happening as one job, not two separate vendors. It’s the reason out-of-area contractors get caught off guard on older Allentown properties, and it’s why we budget for it on every quote in the 18103 and 18104 ZIPs. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you whether your pillar is sound before we ever quote the gate.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Allentown since 2001.