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 Kentfield
Gate installation in Kentfield comes down to one thing most companies miss: the ground under the gate. Kentfield sits in the fog-channeling throat of Ross Valley, directly below the Mount Tamalpais watershed. That means wetter winters, heavier fog, and soil that moves. A gate installed with standard footings and generic hardware will lean, bind, or chew through an opener within two seasons. We have been building and fixing gates in this microclimate long enough to know what survives here. Gatewood Fence & Gate installs driveway gates, pedestrian gates, sliding gates, and swing gates across the 94914 zip code. Hal Gatewood owns the shop, and he answers the phone. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate on a gate that will still be square five winters from now.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Kentfield’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Hal Gatewood has been at this since 2001, and his name is on the shop. That is not a slogan. If a post heaves and the gate starts dragging a year after we install it, you can drive to the shop and look him in the eye. The Gate Installation work we do in Kentfield is backed by our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it is not done right, one call brings us back. No runaround.
Kentfield customers tend to be people who have already been through a bad gate install or a flaky repair outfit. They ask sharper questions. They want to know the footing depth before they ask about the opener. That is exactly how we like to work. Hal and his crew know the hillside driveways off Woodside Road, the shaded parcels under the redwoods, and the deer fences that run along so many Kentfield property lines. We have welded on site in Kentfield driveways more times than we can count, and we leave the gate in your driveway rather than hauling it off to some shop you will never see.
We are locally owned and owner-operated, with a published address and license number. A live person answers every call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not a voicemail tree, not a call center three states away. When you call about a gate in Kentfield, the person on the other end knows what the fog does to a circuit board here.
Our Gate Installation in Kentfield Services
Kentfield properties are not flat-lot ranch houses with a standard single gate. Many driveways climb steep grades from the road, thread between redwoods, and open onto hillside parcels where the gate is the only thing keeping deer out and livestock in. We build around those conditions from the first measurement.
Sliding Gate Installation
On a steep Kentfield hillside driveway, a swing gate is often the wrong tool. The grade fights the hinges, and every degree of slope adds load the opener was never designed to carry. A cantilever slide gate rides on its own track and does not drag across the ground, which is why we recommend it for the wide farm gates and hillside entrances common in the 94914 area. We size the operator for the gate weight and the slope, not for a flat suburban lot, and we set the post footings below the frost line so winter heave does not knock the track out of alignment.
Swing Gate Installation
Swing gates are still the right call for many Kentfield driveways, especially on gentler approaches and pedestrian entrances. But a swing gate on wet Marin soil needs deeper footings and stronger hinge posts than what most hardware-store kits provide. We use grade-compensation hardware on sloped lots so the gate does not sag at the latch post. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that is where we start.
Double Gate Installation
Wide farm gates and acreage entrances around Kentfield often need a double gate rather than one long panel. Double gates fail most often at the center post or at the ground line, where fog and rain rot wooden posts and throw the two leaves out of alignment. We set double gate posts with deeper concrete footings and use steel posts where the soil stays wet. We also match the two openers so both leaves move together, because a mismatched pair strips gears in a single season.
Pedestrian Gate Installation
Walk-through gates on Kentfield’s wooded parcels see a lot of abuse, especially when they are part of a deer fence. An improvised latch or a weighted closer will destroy an automatic opener quickly. We install pedestrian gates with proper self-closing hardware sized for the gate leaf, and when it is part of a deer fence, we fit a latch that keeps deer out without loading up the closer mechanism.
Trusted Brands We Service in Kentfield
We are certified to service and install gate operators from DoorKing, Ghost Controls, Viking, Elite, and more. Older Viking and Linear units are common on 1980s and 1990s Kentfield installs, and those circuit boards do not love the Ross Valley fog belt. We stock parts for the brands most common in this area, which means a Kentfield repair or replacement typically moves faster than waiting on a distributor three time zones away. When an older unit has failed, we will tell you honestly whether it is worth repairing or whether replacing the operator with a modern DoorKing or Ghost Controls unit will save you money over the next three winters.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Kentfield Homes
- Post heave from wet winter soil. Kentfield’s fog belt and heavy winter rain saturate the clay-heavy hillside soil, which then expands and contracts. Posts set with shallow concrete footings heave upward in winter and settle in summer. The gate sags, the latch misses, and the opener burns out fighting a panel that is suddenly out of square. The footing has to go below the frost line, full stop.
- Circuit board corrosion in automated openers. The same marine moisture that keeps the redwoods green also works its way into control boards. Older Viking and Linear units on 1980s and 1990s Kentfield installs are especially prone. We see boards with green corrosion across the terminals that would have lasted another decade in a drier Marin town like San Rafael.
- Undersized solar openers failing in the fog. A solar gate opener that works all summer can lose charge on consecutive foggy winter days. On a heavily shaded Kentfield driveway under redwood canopy, an undersized solar panel leaves a wide farm gate stuck open. That is a livestock escape risk, not just an inconvenience.
- Deer-proof latches destroying gear mechanisms. Homeowners across Kentfield’s wooded parcels improvise latches or add weight to gate closers to keep deer out. The extra load strips the gear mechanism on an automated opener within a season or two. The answer is a properly integrated deer-proof latch and a closer sized for the actual gate weight, not a bungee cord and a prayer.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Kentfield, CA
A pedestrian gate in Kentfield, installed with proper footings and self-closing hardware, generally runs $1,200 to $2,800. A single driveway swing gate on a sloped lot runs $3,500 to $7,500 depending on gate width, material, and whether we are installing an operator at the same time. A sliding or cantilever gate for a wide farm entrance is typically $5,000 to $12,000, with the operator adding $1,200 to $3,500 depending on brand and duty cycle. Double gates run higher because you are installing two leaves, two operators, and deeper center footings. Every job gets a written quote before any work starts, and the price we quote is the price you pay. We 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. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will come measure, then hand you a number in writing.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kentfield
Most of our Kentfield work comes from the hillside parcels and ranch-style homes that sit between the Ross Valley floor and the Mount Tamalpais slopes. We also install and repair gates in Larkspur, San Anselmo, Corte Madera, and Fairfax. If you are in one of those neighborhoods and tired of a gate that will not hold square, call us at (877) 610-2993 and we will come take a look.
Serving Kentfield, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Kentfield 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 Kentfield
Kentfield sits in the fog-channeling throat of Ross Valley directly below Mount Tamalpais, so it gets measurably more winter rainfall and year-round humidity than San Rafael or Corte Madera. That marine moisture gets inside control boards and corrodes terminals, especially on older Viking and Linear units. Operators that would run a decade in a drier Marin town often fail in three to five years here. The fix is a weather-sealed board housing and an operator sized for the actual load. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will tell you whether your unit is worth repairing or should be replaced with a fog-rated option.
Yes, but only with a properly sized panel and battery bank, and most standard solar kits are undersized for Kentfield’s redwood-shaded driveways and foggy winter stretches. We size the panel for the shortest winter day, not the longest summer one, and we often add a second battery so a three-day fog spell does not leave a wide farm gate stuck open. A small panel on a north-facing post under redwood canopy will not keep up. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free site assessment and we will tell you honestly what your driveway needs.
A cantilever slide gate is usually the right answer for a steep gravel hillside driveway in Kentfield. It rides on its own track and does not drag across the ground the way a wheeled gate would on loose gravel. We size the operator for the slope and add grade-compensation so the gate does not fight the hill. On very steep lots, we also deepen the track footings below the frost line because Kentfield’s wet winter soil heaves shallow concrete. Call (877) 610-2993 and Hal will look at your driveway and tell you straight what will work.
Install a dedicated deer-proof latch and size the opener for the full gate weight including the latch, rather than adding a bungee or extra closer spring later. Improvised latches and added weight strip the gear mechanisms on automated openers fast, and on Kentfield’s wooded parcels we see it constantly. We integrate the latch into the opener from the start so the deer stay out and the gears survive. Call (877) 610-2993 for a gate that keeps both your plants and your opener intact.
Because the footing was too shallow for Kentfield’s soil. The wet-dry cycle in the Ross Valley fog belt causes clay-heavy hillside soil to heave and settle, and a post set in a 24-inch hole moves with it. We set gate posts below the frost line with deeper concrete and, on saturated hillside lots, we use steel posts where wood would rot at ground line. If your post is leaning after one winter, the fix is re-setting the footing, not shimming the gate. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will dig it out and do it right.
Get Your Kentfield Gate Installation Started Today
If you live in Kentfield and your gate is dragging, sagging, or simply worn out, call Gatewood Fence & Gate at (877) 610-2993. Hal Gatewood will answer or return your call, and he will show up when he says he will. We will measure, give you a written price before any work starts, and stand behind the job with the 90-Day Done Right Promise. Whether you need a sliding gate on a steep hillside driveway, a double gate for a wide farm entrance, or a pedestrian gate that keeps the deer out, call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate. The name is on the shop, and the shop is answerable to Kentfield. That is the oldest accountability there is.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Kentfield since 2001.