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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After
Before
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AfterFast, Reliable Gate Installation Across Kingsgate
Gate installation in Kingsgate comes down to two things most companies don’t want to talk about: power and slope. Your 1970s cedar gate on that rolling lot off 124th Ave NE wasn’t built for today’s operators, and the downhill post has been settling since the Reagan administration. We fix both problems at the root. Hal Gatewood has been setting gates in King County since 2001, and when you call (877) 610-2993, a live person answers. Not a voicemail. Not a call center.
If you’re in the 98034 and your gate sags, won’t latch, or you’re done wrestling it open by hand, we’ll come out, look at the grade, check the post bases, and give you a written price before any work starts.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Kingsgate’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Kingsgate’s gates are a specific animal. The housing stock here is mostly ranch and split-level homes built between 1970 and 1995, and the original cedar side-yard gates are now 30 to 50 years old. That means we’re not doing fresh installs on pristine posts. We’re pulling rotted cedar, digging out failed footings, and re-setting posts in fresh concrete on ground that slopes toward the street. Most companies want to swap hinges and call it done. That gate will sag again by spring. We re-plumb the post.
The reason we get called back in Kingsgate is the same reason we get calls in the first place: Hal’s name is on the shop, and the shop is published. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something’s not right, one call brings him back. No runaround, no “that’s not covered.” If you want to drive to the shop and look him in the eye before you hire us, you can. That’s the oldest accountability there is.
We also answer the phone 24/7. When your gate fails at 6:40 in the morning and your car is stuck in the driveway, you talk to a person, not a queue. For Kingsgate customers, that matters because a dead gate operator on a sloped driveway means a car that can’t get out.
Our Gate Installation Services in Kingsgate
Here’s where we spend most of our time in the 98034. Our Gate Installation team handles everything from a simple pedestrian gate to a full automated double swing on a long driveway.
Driveway Gate
Driveway gates in Kingsgate run wide. We’re regularly setting double gates 12 to 16 feet across to handle a truck and trailer, which is common on the larger lots toward the north end of 124th Ave NE. We build the gate to the span, not the other way around. A 14-foot gate on undersized hinges will bind within two wet seasons. We size the post, the hinges, and the operator to the actual width and weight of the gate, and we account for the grade so the gate swings level even when the ground doesn’t sit level.
Double Gate
Double gates on Kingsgate’s sloped lots are where we see the most repeat failures from other installers. The two leaves have to meet on the same plane, which means both posts need to be plumb and both hinge lines need to match. If the downhill post has leaned even an inch, the leaves bind at the center or drag on the low side. We set posts in deep footings with rebar on sloped ground, and we hang the leaves so they close square the first time, not “close enough for now.”
Swing Gate
Swing gates are the standard in Kingsgate because most driveway entrances here are perpendicular to a slight grade, not a steep one. The problem is that the original swing gates were cedar on cedar posts, and the post at the bottom of the slope has been sitting in saturated ground for decades. When we install a swing gate for a Kingsgate home, we pull the old post entirely. No sleeving it, no “good enough.” Fresh concrete, proper depth, and a post that will stay put. The gate is the easy part. The post is the job.
Sliding Gate
Sliding gates can work on Kingsgate lots, but only if the grade is right. A cantilever slide needs level track, and a steep driveway entrance will fight you. We’ve installed slides in Kingsgate where the driveway was cut across a hillside and the opening was level enough to work. We’ll tell you honestly if a slide makes sense on your lot or if a swing gate is the better call. We’re not here to sell you a slide because it sounds impressive. We’re here to install what will work for 20 years.
We also install pedestrian gates, security gates, and access-control systems on Kingsgate properties. Whatever the opening, we build it to the land and the use.
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 Kingsgate
We’re certified to service and install operators from FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking, along with LiftMaster, DoorKing, and several others. For Kingsgate driveways where there’s no power run to the entrance, we commonly spec FAAC and Linear operators paired with solar panels, because they’re field-proven in wet climates and don’t get finicky when the clouds sit for a month. We stock common parts locally, so we’re not waiting on a shipment from a warehouse three time zones away when your gate needs a control board.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Kingsgate Homes
These are the failures we see week after week in the 98034. If any of this sounds familiar, the gate is telling you something.
- Rotted post bases from saturated ground. Kingsgate gets 37 to 50 inches of rain a year, and from October through April the ground around your gate posts rarely dries out. Cedar posts rot at the ground line, and the gate starts to lean within a season. The fix is a new post set in concrete, not a steel sleeve bolted to rot.
- Seized original galvanized hinges. The hinges on a 1980s Kingsgate gate have been wet for 40 years. They rust, they bind, and eventually the gate won’t move at all. We cut them off and replace them with stainless hardware sized for the gate’s actual weight.
- Chronic diagonal sag from the downhill post settling. This is the Kingsgate signature. The lot slopes toward the street, the downhill post sinks, and the gate catches on the ground on one side. Replacing hinges without re-plumbing the post fixes nothing. The post goes in fresh concrete, plumb, and the sag doesn’t return.
- Bottom rails rotted through on original cedar gates. The bottom rail sits closest to the wet ground and absorbs splash-back for decades. Once it rots, the gate loses its structure and droops in the middle. We replace the rail or the entire gate, depending on what’s left.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Kingsgate, WA
Here are the honest numbers for Kingsgate’s market, based on what we’ve installed in this neighborhood. A pedestrian gate install typically runs $450 to $900. A single swing driveway gate starts around $1,200 and goes to $2,800 depending on width, material, and whether we’re pulling and re-setting posts. A double swing gate, which is what most Kingsgate driveways need, runs $2,500 to $5,500 installed, including both posts set in concrete. Sliding gates run higher, usually $3,500 to $7,500 because of the track and hardware. Adding an operator with solar where there’s no power at the entrance tacks on $1,800 to $3,800 depending on the brand and access controls.
What moves the number is the existing post condition. If we’re pulling a 40-year-old cedar post out of saturated ground and digging a new footing, that’s labor. If your posts are still sound, the job costs less. Every price is quoted in writing and agreed before we touch your gate. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate. You’ll know the number before work starts, not after.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kingsgate
If you’re a little outside Kingsgate proper, we work throughout the surrounding Eastside communities. That includes Kingsgate, Inglewood-Finn Hill, Kirkland, Kenmore, and Bothell. If your gate is failing and you’re in the broader 98034 orbit, call us. We’ll tell you straight whether we cover your street.
Serving Kingsgate, WA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Kingsgate 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 Kingsgate
Because the sag isn’t in the hinges. It’s in the post. On Kingsgate’s sloped lots, the downhill post settles over time, dropping the entire gate out of level. New hinges on a leaning post just give you new hardware on a gate that still catches the ground. The fix is re-plumbing the post and setting it in fresh concrete. That’s the only repair that lasts. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll explain exactly what your post needs.
For a Kingsgate driveway with no power run to the entrance, a solar-powered swing gate operator is usually the best call. We’ve had good results with FAAC and Linear solar models on long driveways off 124th Ave NE. They handle the wet season fine and don’t require digging a trench all the way back to the house. The catch is that on heavily treed lots the solar panel needs a clear sightline to the south. We’ll check that during the estimate. Call us for a free measure.
Yes. Automatic gates in King County and Kingsgate are required to have safety entrapment protection, which in practice means photo eyes or contact edges that stop and reverse the gate if something is in the path. We install photocells and safety edges on every automatic gate we set, and we don’t skip them to save money. It’s not optional, and we won’t do it any other way.
It depends on the grade at the opening. Cantilever sliding gates need a fairly level run along the fence line, and a steep Kingsgate driveway entrance can make a slide impractical. We’ll tell you honestly. In a lot of cases a swing gate is the better option because it tolerates slope better and costs less. Call us and we’ll come look at your opening before you spend any money.
You start with pressure-treated posts set in concrete with the post base above grade, and you keep the bottom rail off the ground. We also treat cut ends and drill drainage so water doesn’t pool in the frame. Cedar will still weather, but a properly set gate in Kingsgate should last decades, not the 10 or 15 years you got from the original. Call (877) 610-2993 for an exact quote on yours.
One More Thing from the Field
Our crew recently installed a new double swing gate for a long driveway off 124th Ave NE in Kingsgate where the original cedar gate had rotted through at the bottom rail. We pulled the old hinge posts, poured new 36-inch footings with rebar to handle the slope, and set a LiftMaster LA400 swing gate operator with a solar panel because the driveway entrance had no power run to it. We also added safety photocells across the opening and a keypad entry so the homeowner could open it from the road. That’s the kind of job we do regularly in the 98034: fix the post, solve the power, and build the gate to the land.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate
If your Kingsgate gate is sagging, rotted, stuck, or just done, call (877) 610-2993. You’ll talk to a live person, even at 2 a.m. We’ll schedule a free estimate, put the price in writing, and tell you exactly what your gate needs. Hal Gatewood’s name is on every job, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing. No surprises at the door. Just a gate that works.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Kingsgate since 2001.