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 Crafton
Gate installation in Crafton runs $2,400 to $9,500 for most residential jobs, and the real cost driver here isn’t the gate itself - it’s the post work. Crafton’s clay-heavy hillside soil and the freeze-thaw cycling that runs from November through March will heave a post downhill within a few seasons if the footing isn’t right. That’s why we start every Crafton quote by looking at the ground, not just the gate. Hal Gatewood has been doing this since 2001, and when you call (877) 610-2993, a live person answers - not a voicemail, not a call center three states away.
Key Takeaways
- Crafton gate installation typically costs $2,400-$9,500 depending on size, post work, and automation.
- Hillside clay soil means post footings must go deeper here than in flatter Allegheny County suburbs.
- We retrofit safety entrapment protection onto older operators as part of every installation.
- Written quote before work starts - the number we give you is the number on the invoice.
- 90-Day Done Right Promise on every job, stated in writing.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Crafton’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
We’re the shop you can drive to and look the owner in the eye. Hal Gatewood’s name is on the business and on every invoice. No “technicians” you’ll never meet - the person who walks your steep driveway off Noble Avenue or Steuben Street is someone who’s been doing this work for years, not a rotating crew from three counties over.
Crafton has its own set of gate problems. The borough’s early-to-mid 20th century housing stock - Craftsman bungalows and brick two-stories built mostly between the 1910s and 1950s - still carries a lot of original ornamental wrought iron and painted steel gates. These aren’t swap-and-go jobs. They need welding repairs, rust mitigation, and hardware sourced to match the period. That’s work we do in your driveway, not hauled back to a shop.
When something’s off after we leave, one call brings us back under the 90-Day Done Right Promise. No runaround, no “that’s outside the warranty.” That promise is written on every job ticket, plain language.
Our Gate Installation Services in Crafton
Every gate we hang in Crafton gets the same treatment: posts set deep enough to survive the freeze-thaw cycle, hinges plumbed to the post, not the panel, and a swing or slide geometry that actually works on a slope. Here’s what most Crafton homeowners call us for.
Swing Gate Installation
Swing gates are the most common install we do in Crafton, largely because so many of the borough’s older homes already had them - or had them once. Hanging a swing gate on a hillside lot means accounting for the downhill lean every single post will eventually develop. We set footings deeper than the frost line and use a post-reset on existing work rather than assuming the old post is fine. If the post is out of plumb, the gate will sag in three years no matter how good the hinges are.
Pedestrian Gate Installation
On Crafton’s narrow side yards and walkways, a pedestrian gate has to fit the actual opening - and a lot of these openings haven’t been square since the house was built. We build to match. Whether it’s a small ornamental iron gate matching a 1930s fence on Bradford Avenue or a simple steel frame gate for a side yard off Crennell Avenue, the approach is the same: measure on-site, weld if needed, set a proper post, hang it plumb. Period-appropriate hardware matters here, and we source it rather than slapping on whatever’s in the truck.
Sliding Gate Installation
Sliding gates are better options for some Crafton driveways - particularly on steeper lots where a swing gate would have to fight gravity every time it opens. A cantilever slide gate carries its own weight on the track, not the hinges, which makes it a practical choice for wider driveways and tighter side clearances. We install slide gates with the track set level even when the driveway isn’t, and we factor drainage into the plan so standing water from Pittsburgh’s wet springs doesn’t corrode the track.
Double Gate Installation
Double swing gates look right on Crafton’s wider driveways, but two panels means twice the hinge and latch geometry to get right. On a sloped driveway, both posts have to be set to the same plane or the gates won’t meet in the middle. We see this failure constantly on older installations. We also install double slide gates when the driveway’s too steep or too wide for a single panel.
Security Gate Installation
More Crafton homeowners these days want a gate that actually secures the property, not just a decorative panel. That means a steel or iron gate with a solid frame, a locking latch, and an operator with modern entrapment protection. We install FAAC and BFT operators with safety photocells and proper reversing edges, wired to meet UL 325 requirements. The point is a gate that holds up to real use, not just one that looks sturdy from the street.
Trusted Brands We Service in Crafton
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands - LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. For Crafton specifically, we keep the most common FAAC and Linear control boards and safety edges on hand, because those are the operators we see most on the borough’s older installs. BFT operators show up on a lot of the newer apartment and commercial gates in the area. The point is less about brand and more about this: when we install an operator, we’re going to stand behind it, and Hal can get parts for any of these without making you wait three weeks on a factory backorder.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Crafton Homes
- Downhill post lean from freeze-thaw on clay soil. Crafton’s hillside lots sit on clay that expands when it freezes and contracts when it thaws. Over repeated winters, this cycles the post enough to shift it downhill - sometimes two inches or more. A post-reset is nearly always part of our installation work here.
- Rust and corrosion on original ornamental iron. The high humidity Pittsburgh gets year-round is hard on the painted steel and wrought iron gates that came with Crafton’s older homes. A gate that’s been outside since the Eisenhower administration will have rust hiding inside the hinge barrels and post caps.
- Outdated operators with no entrapment protection. Pre-2000 operators often lack UL 325 safety features like reversing edges and photocells. That’s not just an old appliance - it’s a safety gap. We retrofit modern protection or replace the operator when it’s not economically worth saving.
- Gates racked out of square on uneven ground. A gate that was installed plumb on a flat lot doesn’t transfer well to a Crafton hillside. The geometry shifts as the posts move, and the latch no longer lines up. Fixing it requires re-plumbing the post and adjusting the hinge spacing - not just lifting the sagging panel.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Crafton, PA
A straightforward pedestrian gate in Crafton runs $1,100 to $3,200 installed, including a properly set post. A single swing driveway gate runs $2,400 to $5,500 depending on width, material, and whether we’re automating it. A double driveway gate with an operator runs $4,500 to $9,500 and includes the operator, safety edges, photocells, and post work.
What moves the price most in Crafton is soil. A post set on a steep hillside in clay needs a deeper, wider footing than the same post on flat ground in a western suburb. That’s extra excavation, extra concrete, and extra time - but it’s the difference between a gate that’s still plumb in five years and one that’s leaning downhill by year three. We quote the number up front, before any work starts, and that number doesn’t change unless you change the scope. The estimate is free. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll come measure.
We Also Serve Cities Near Crafton
Our Gate Installation in Crafton crew regularly works in Dormont, Carnegie, McKees Rocks, and Mount Lebanon. If you’re in any of those boroughs, the same owner-operated crew covers your street, and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise applies. Call us - a live person answers every time.
Serving Crafton, PA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Crafton 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 Crafton
The clay-heavy soil on Crafton’s hillside lots expands and contracts through the freeze-thaw cycle, which starts in November and runs through March. Each hard freeze pushes the post a fraction of an inch; each thaw lets it settle slightly downhill. Over a few winters, that adds up to a visible lean - we’ve measured posts nearly 2 inches out of plumb off Crennell Avenue. The fix is a deeper footing below the frost line, plus a re-plumb of the post before any hardware goes on. Call (877) 610-2993 to have someone come measure what your posts are doing.
Yes, in most cases. The gate itself doesn’t need to be replaced if the frame and hinge posts are sound. We weld any cracks, address the rust, and re-plumb the post, then mount a modern operator with current safety features. The weight of an old iron gate can exceed what some residential operators are rated for, so we verify the load before quoting a motor. If the iron is too far gone, we’ll tell you honestly - but we won’t replace a gate that can be saved.
If the post is solid and the rust hasn’t eaten through any structural sections, repair is almost always cheaper than replacement. A full gate replacement in Crafton runs $2,400 to $5,500 for a single driveway gate, while a weld repair and repaint usually comes in under $900. But when the frame is rusted through or the post has rotted below grade, you’re throwing money at it. We’ll give you both numbers and tell you which one makes sense for your gate. Call for a free on-site assessment.
On a driveway with more than a gentle grade, we usually recommend a slide gate or a single swing gate that opens into the slope rather than against it. A double swing gate on a slope is the hardest design to keep plumb over time - both posts have to remain perfectly aligned, and they rarely do on clay hillside soil. We’ve rebuilt enough of those off Hillside Avenue to know where it goes wrong. The right answer comes from a real measurement of grade and soil, not a catalog. Call us to set up a measure.
Yes. Every operator we install - FAAC, BFT, Linear, LiftMaster, or any of the others - gets modern entrapment protection: photocells at the gate opening, an inherent reversing edge or an add-on edge sensor, and proper warning signage. That’s not an upsell; it’s a safety requirement and our standard practice. Older operators without UL 325 protection are a real hazard, and if we’re touching the operator, we’re bringing it up to code. Call for a free quote on your specific setup.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for Gate Installation in Crafton
If you live in Crafton and you need a gate installed, replaced, or rescued from years of freeze-thaw abuse, call (877) 610-2993. A live person answers the phone, day or night. We’ll come measure, walk the property with you, and give you a written price before any work starts. The name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road - that’s the oldest accountability there is.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Crafton since 2001.