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 Chevy Chase
A new driveway gate in Chevy Chase, DC typically costs between $4,800 and $14,000 installed, with most automated swing gates landing around $7,500 to $9,500. That includes the gate fabrication, posts, operator, and safety sensors. We schedule free measurements in Chevy Chase every week, and quotes are locked before any work starts. Call (877) 610-2993 and a live person picks up, day or night.
What makes gate work different in Chevy Chase is the age of the properties. This is not a subdivision of 1990s ranchers with hollow aluminum posts. The homes west of Connecticut Avenue, running from Military Road up to the Maryland line, sit on the original Chevy Chase Land Company plat from the 1890s through the 1930s. Iron gates here were forged on site or in small East Coast foundries, hung on posts set in lime mortar, and a good number of them fall under DC Historic Preservation Review Board oversight. You do not swap those out for a stock panel from a catalog. You either restore them properly or fabricate a replacement that matches the period. That is the work our Gate Installation team does day in and day out.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Chevy Chase’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Hal Gatewood founded this company in 2001 and his name is on the shop. The address is published, the license number is published, and the phone is answered by a person, not a menu. Chevy Chase homeowners tend to check those things before they let anyone dig near a century-old gate post, and we encourage it.
Our crew has rebuilt double swing gates on Grafton Street, Livingston Street, and around the 20015 zip code where root intrusion and masonry failure are the norm rather than the exception. We are not sending a rotating cast of subcontractors. The people who show up are background-checked and uniformed, and Hal oversees the heavy fabrication himself. When a Chevy Chase job requires matching original hammered iron scrollwork, the person who welds it has been doing that work for years, not reading a training manual.
Every job carries a 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something is not right, one call brings us back. That is not a marketing line. It is printed on the invoice.
Our Gate Installation Services in Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase properties range from Tudor Revival homes behind original iron perimeter fencing to Colonial Revival estates with long, tree-lined driveways. The gate that suits a narrow pedestrian opening on 30th Street is not the same gate that belongs on a double driveway off Western Avenue. Here is what we install most often in the neighborhood.
Driveway Gate
Most Chevy Chase driveway gates are either double swing or sliding configurations, automated, and integrated with an intercom or call box at the curb. A new automated driveway gate here starts around $5,500 for a standard steel package and runs upward of $12,000 for ornamental iron matched to the home’s original detailing. We handle the concrete work, the operator, the safety photocells, and the wiring run to the house.
Swing Gate
Swing gates dominate in Chevy Chase because they complement the older architectural styles. The challenge is the soil. Mature oaks pull moisture out of clay and send roots under post footings, which heaves a swing gate out of alignment within a few seasons. We set posts deeper than code minimums and use galvanized steel core posts inside masonry pilasters where the design calls for them. A new swing gate alone runs $3,800 to $8,900 depending on width, weight, and ironwork detail.
Security Gate
Security gates in Chevy Chase are less about fortification and more about controlled access. Properties on the busier arteries near Connecticut Avenue want a gate that closes reliably and integrates with an entry system. We pair steel or ornamental iron gates with operators certified for nine major brands, including FAAC, BFT, and Linear, and we wire them to keypad, intercom, and video entry as needed. A security-focused installation with operator and access control typically lands between $6,500 and $15,000.
Pedestrian Gate
Pedestrian gates flank many of the original driveway openings in Chevy Chase. When we install a new one, the goal is to make it visually quiet next to the driveway gate. We fabricate matching pickets, hang it on adjustable hinges so it can be re-leveled as the ground shifts, and install a latch and self-closing hinge where access control is needed. A new ornamental iron pedestrian gate runs $1,200 to $3,500 installed.
What happens when you call
- 1
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 Chevy Chase
We are certified to install and service LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule operators. For Chevy Chase driveway gates specifically, we see a lot of FAAC and BFT underground operator systems on the higher-end properties, and Linear swing arms on the more straightforward installs. We keep common parts in stock for those brands, which means a failed operator on a Grafton Street gate does not have to wait on a freight shipment before we can quote the repair.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Chevy Chase Homes
- Freeze-thaw heave in original iron gate posts. DC gets 20-plus freeze-thaw cycles a winter, and the lime-based mortar used a century ago is far more porous than modern concrete. Water gets in, freezes, expands, and the post slowly leans. A leaning post is what makes the swing gate arm bind against the operator until the motor burns out. We dig out the old footing, reset the post in modern concrete, and repoint the masonry so it sheds water instead of absorbing it.
- Corroded underground operators you cannot see. The dense tree canopy that makes Chevy Chase beautiful also holds moisture. Underground operator housings sit in that damp microclimate and corrode from the outside in. By the time the gate stops moving, the housing is often rusted through while the gate itself still looks fine. We replace those operators with sealed drive units and improve drainage around the pit.
- Root intrusion under post footings. Century-old oaks push roots ten, twenty feet under gates. Root growth shifts post footings enough to throw a sliding gate off its track or misalign a swing gate by an inch at the latch. We set new footings with root barriers where appropriate and use adjustable gate hardware so future settling can be corrected without another excavation.
- Tripped safety photocells from misaligned gates. When a gate goes slightly out of true, the safety beam misses its receiver and the gate refuses to close. It is not an electrical fault. It is a mechanical drift problem. We realign the gate and the sensors together rather than bypassing the safety system, which is never an option on an automatic gate anyway.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Chevy Chase, DC
Here are real ranges for the Chevy Chase market, not national averages.
| Gate Type | Typical Installed Range |
|---|---|
| Pedestrian ornamental iron gate | $1,200 - $3,500 |
| Single swing driveway gate | $3,800 - $8,900 |
| Double swing driveway gate | $5,500 - $14,000 |
| Sliding driveway gate | $4,200 - $10,500 |
| Security gate with operator and access control | $6,500 - $15,000 |
What moves the price in Chevy Chase is the ironwork. A stock steel panel gate costs less than a custom-forged gate with matching scrollwork, hammered hinge straps, and a period-appropriate finish. Automation adds roughly $2,000 to $4,500 depending on the operator type and whether there is a power run to pull. Every quote is written, itemized, and agreed before work begins. No trip charge applies inside the county, and we charge nothing to come measure. Seniors and veterans get 10% off permanently. If you already have a written estimate from another company, bring it in for a free second opinion.
We Also Serve Cities Near Chevy Chase
Beyond our Gate Installation in Chevy Chase work, we run crews into Adams Morgan, Shaw, and throughout Washington, D.C. Dispatch and scheduling for those jobs are coordinated from our Washington, DC office, but the people who show up are the same local crew. Call (877) 610-2993 and ask for Hal or one of the staff who answer the phone directly.
Serving Chevy Chase, DC - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Chevy Chase 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 Chevy Chase
If your property sits within a designated historic district on the DC side of Chevy Chase, yes, replacement of an original wrought iron driveway gate may require review by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board. The work generally must use period-appropriate metalwork and cannot substitute modern welded steel panels or aluminum without risking a violation. We have fabricated replacements that match original hammered iron profiles and finishes for Chevy Chase homes under Board review, and we can photo-document and match your existing gate before any permit paperwork is filed. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will walk you through what your specific property likely requires.
In Chevy Chase, the usual culprit is moisture and soil movement around the operator and post footings. Underground operator housings corrode under the tree canopy even when the visible gate shows no damage, and oak root growth shifts post alignment enough to bind the drive arm. The fix is usually a combination of re-setting footings, replacing the operator with a sealed unit, and improving site drainage. We quote that work specifically rather than just swapping the motor and leaving the real problem in the ground.
Yes, but the footing work matters more than the gate panel. Sliding gates need a straight, level track, and mature roots push that track out of alignment over time. We install the track on a reinforced footing with root management measures and use a cantilever or tracked design depending on the clear space along the fence line. A sliding gate on a tree-lined Chevy Chase driveway typically runs $4,200 to $10,500 installed. Call for a free site measure and we will tell you honestly what will and will not hold up.
We fix the post, not the middle of the gate. A sagging original iron gate on a Chevy Chase property almost always means the hinge post has shifted or the hinge straps have worn. We excavate and re-set the post footing in modern concrete, then fabricate a matching hinge strap from bar stock, hammered to match the original texture. The gate stays on the property while we weld on site. That repair usually runs $800 to $2,500 depending on excavation depth and ironwork detail.
DC codes and UL 325 both require automatic gates to have monitored entrapment protection, meaning photocells, contact edges, or both, plus a reversing operator that is tested and set for the gate’s specific weight and travel force. We install and calibrate that protection on every automated gate we build, and we never bypass safety sensors even temporarily. If your existing automated gate lacks working entrapment protection, we will flag it in writing and quote the correction.
If you are in Chevy Chase and need a gate measured, replaced, or finally fixed properly, call (877) 610-2993. A live person answers, and the quote is free. No call center, no automated phone tree, nobody in another state reading a script. Just Hal Gatewood and his crew, down the road and easy to find.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Chevy Chase, DC and surrounding neighborhoods.