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 Leon Valley
Gate installation in Leon Valley comes down to one thing most companies miss: the clay. Bexar County’s shrink-swell soil heaves gate posts out of plumb year after year, and a gate set in a shallow footing will stop latching within a few seasons. We’ve been correcting that problem since 2001. Hal Gatewood runs the shop himself, and when you call (877) 610-2993, a live person picks up and tells you straight what your gate needs. No call center, no estimate that changes at the door, and no crew that ghosts you. If a new gate is going in on your Leon Valley property, it’s going in level, on footings that hold, with the post set deep enough that the next dry summer doesn’t pull it sideways.
We know the difference between a gate that merely looks straight and one that will still latch cleanly in three years. That’s the whole job.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Leon Valley’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Most gate companies in the San Antonio area will sell you a panel, set two posts, and never come back. We work differently. Hal’s name is on the shop, his address is published, and his license number is something you can look up yourself. When a Gate Installation goes sideways in Leon Valley, we’re the ones who get called to fix what the last outfit left behind. It happens often enough that Hal has a standing rule: if we set a post in Leon Valley clay, we set it deeper than code and wider than the manufacturer’s minimum. That’s not upselling. That’s knowing the soil.
Leon Valley homeowners have told us the same thing for years: the gate they had installed a decade ago looked fine for two summers, then started missing the latch striker and dragging on the concrete. The panel wasn’t the problem. The footing was. Our crew addresses the post before the panel, every time. We’ve done enough work on the platted 1960s and 70s streets around Huebner Road and Evers Road that we can usually tell you within a few minutes of looking whether your existing posts can be saved or need to be re-set.
We also answer the phone. At two in the morning during a February freeze when an operator has seized and the gate won’t close, you’ll hear a real voice on the other end, not a voicemail tree. That’s been true since 2001 and it hasn’t changed.
Our Gate Installation Services in Leon Valley
Driveway Gate Installation
Driveway gates in Leon Valley tend to be one of two things: ornamental wrought iron swing gates from the 1960s and 70s, or newer steel and aluminum panels that someone retrofitted onto old posts. Both have a common failure point here, and it’s not the panel. The original post footings in this part of Bexar County were often poured shallow, and the Vertisol clay has been working on them for 40 to 60 years. We install driveway gates with footings sized for the soil we’re actually digging in, not a generic spec from a catalog. We also account for the fact that many Leon Valley lots are tighter than newer subdivisions, so a swing gate that eats eight feet of driveway arc may not make sense. We’ll tell you if a sliding gate fits better. We’ll give you the written price either way, and that price is what you pay.
Pedestrian Gate Installation
Pedestrian gates on Leon Valley side yards and garden entrances see a lot of abuse from the same clay heave, plus decades of Texas heat cycles. We install pedestrian gates that swing on hinges sized for the panel, with latch strikers set so they have enough travel to absorb minor post movement. If you’re replacing a wrought iron yard gate that’s been dragging since before Hurricane Harvey, we’ll match the style to your existing fence and set the post at a depth that survives the next wet-to-dry swing. We don’t haul your old gate off and sell you a new one if the panel is still good. Hal welds on site, in your driveway, and that’s a core part of how we work.
Sliding Gate Installation
Shared driveways are common in Leon Valley, and they change the math on gate type. If your gate swings across a neighbor’s right of way, you may not have a legal or practical option for a swing gate at all. On a shared driveway off Huebner Road, our crew has retrofitted sliding gates where the swing gate would have blocked the neighbor’s access every time it opened. Sliding gates on Leon Valley properties need a track that stays clear of clay heave, so we set the track on a compacted base and verify the post alignment before the panel goes on. We also check for drainage. A sliding gate that sits in standing water after a hard rain will bind, and Leon Valley gets hard rain.
Swing Gate Installation
Swing gates on the double driveways around Bandera Road and Grissom Road are usually built as double gates, and the failure we see most often is a center latch that won’t catch because the hinge posts have tilted outward. The panels are straight. The posts are not. We realign or re-set the posts before we hang new panels, because hanging new panels on tilted posts is how you get the same complaint two years later. Swing gate installation in Leon Valley also means checking the gate’s arc against the driveway slope and the existing fence line. We’ve seen gates that clear the concrete in summer and scrape it in winter, when the whole assembly has moved a half inch. We measure for that.
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 Leon Valley
We install and service operators from Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing, among others. For Leon Valley customers, that matters in a specific way: these are the brands already on most of the automatic gates in this part of Bexar County, which means we stock the common repair parts locally and don’t have to order from two states away while your gate sits open. We also know which of these operators hold up in 105°F heat indexes and which ones are prone to seizing in a hard freeze. Hal will tell you plainly which brand he’d put on his own gate and why. The answer for Leon Valley is usually the one that survives the August heat without tripping the thermal overload every afternoon.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Leon Valley Homes
- Post heave from shrink-swell clay. The Vertisol soil under Leon Valley swells when wet and shrinks when dry, tilting hinge posts 2 to 3 inches off vertical over time. We re-set posts with deeper footings, not cosmetic shims.
- Weld fatigue at hinge post connections. Forty years of thermal cycling in Texas heat embrittles welds. Panels sag, bind, and tear at the hinge point. We weld on site rather than swapping panels that don’t need replacing.
- Shared driveway rights of way. Swing gates that encroach on a neighbor’s driveway are legal and practical problems on many Leon Valley lots. Sliding gate retrofits solve the access issue without forcing a move.
- Frozen and seized operators after hard freezes. Winter Storm Uri cracked welds and seized operators all over Leon Valley, and the same pattern repeats any time the temperature drops hard. We stock replacement operators for the brands already on your gate.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Leon Valley, TX
A new single swing driveway gate in Leon Valley typically runs $1,800 to $3,900 installed, depending on the panel material, the post depth required, and whether we need to remove old footings. Double swing gates run $3,400 to $7,200. Sliding gate retrofits on shared driveways run $2,900 to $6,500, with the higher end covering the track bed, compaction, and operator installation. Pedestrian gates run $600 to $1,800. These are installed prices, and the price we quote is the price you pay, written down before any work starts. If you have a written estimate from another company, Hal will give you a free second opinion on it. We also take $40 off any repair over $200, and seniors and veterans get 10% off permanently, no coupon needed. Call (877) 610-2993 and tell us what you have; we’ll give you a straight range on the spot.
We Also Serve Cities Near Leon Valley
We work throughout the northwest corridor and the surrounding communities, including Lackland Air Force Base, Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, and San Antonio. If you’re inside Leon Valley or just outside it, the same crew and the same Gate Installation in Leon Valley standards apply. The 90-Day Done Right Promise is written on every job, regardless of the city or the ZIP code.
Serving Leon Valley, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Leon Valley 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 Leon Valley
Because the hinge posts move, not the hinges. The Vertisol clay under Leon Valley swells in wet seasons and shrinks in dry ones, tilting the posts 2 to 3 inches off vertical. You can adjust hinges all day, but if the post has moved, the gate will still miss the latch striker. We fix it by excavating the post, re-setting it on a deeper footing, and re-hanging the panel so the striker meets cleanly. That’s the repair that actually lasts. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll come look at your post, not just your panel. Estimates are free.
Yes, and we do it regularly on the shared driveways throughout Leon Valley. Sliding gates ride a track set on a compacted base, so they don’t sweep across the adjacent property. We set the track with drainage in mind and verify the post alignment before mounting the panel. The price you’re quoted is the price you pay, and you’ll have that in writing before anything gets dug. Call (877) 610-2993 and tell us how long your driveway run is; we’ll give you a number you can plan around.
Yes. Any automatic gate operator installed on a Leon Valley property must include entrapment protection, which typically means photo eye sensors, an edge sensor, or a monitored safety circuit that reverses the gate if something or someone is in the path. This is a UL-325 requirement and it’s not optional on a residential gate that opens and closes on its own. We handle the sensor placement, the wiring, and the safety testing as part of the install. It’s included in the quote, not added as a line item surprise. Call (877) 610-2993 if you want us to check whether your existing operator meets current code.
We install and service Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing operators. For Leon Valley’s climate, the key is thermal overload behavior: the operator needs to handle a metal gate expanding in August heat without tripping its thermal cutoff every afternoon. The brands we carry are built for sustained high temperatures, but the installation details matter as much as the brand. We set the limits properly, verify the gate travel, and make sure the motor isn’t fighting the panel. The operators we stock for Leon Valley are the ones already common on gates in the area, so future service won’t require a special-order part. Call (877) 610-2993 and ask for Hal; he’ll tell you which operator fits your gate and why.
Usually just the hinge posts. Double gates sag when the posts they hang from tilt outward or settle unevenly; the panels themselves often remain straight. We start at the post, not the middle. If the post is sound, we realign it and re-hang the gate. If the post footing has failed, we re-set it. We only replace panels when the panel itself is structurally compromised, and Hal will show you the difference before he recommends anything. The written price covers exactly the work we do, nothing more. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll schedule a look. You’ll know the price before any work begins.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Leon Valley and the surrounding Bexar County communities since 2001.