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 Mount Lebanon
Gate installation in Mount Lebanon, PA typically runs $2,400-$7,800 for a standard driveway gate with operator, and the work usually takes one to three days depending on post conditions and grade. That’s the honest range for this market, where most homes sit on elevated, frost-heaving terrain and many still carry original 70-90-year-old masonry pilasters. We answer the phone with a live person around the clock at (877) 610-2993, and we serve every neighborhood in the 15228 zip code. If you’re reading this from a brick Colonial off Washington Road or a Tudor tucked into a hillside street, we know exactly what your gate is up against.
Hal Gatewood founded this company in 2001, and his name is on the shop, the truck, and every invoice. We’re not a dispatch queue. When you call, you get a person who knows Mount Lebanon’s housing stock and its particular gate problems. That matters more here than in the flatter South Hills suburbs, and we’ll explain why throughout this page.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Mount Lebanon’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Mount Lebanon homeowners call us because we fix what’s actually wrong instead of selling a full replacement. That’s not a slogan. It’s how we’ve operated since 2001. Hal is a welder by trade, and the crew welds on site, in your driveway. If your 1940s swing gate has a sagging hinge post or a seized operator, we don’t haul the gate off to a shop. We re-set the post, re-plumb the hinges, and bring the operator up to current safety code right where everything already lives.
We also stand behind the work in writing. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise. If it’s not done right, one call brings us back. No runaround, no “the warranty department will review your claim.” Hal’s number is on the paperwork. The price is quoted and agreed before any work starts, so the invoice doesn’t surprise you at the door. That’s the oldest accountability there is: the name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road.
Scheduling and dispatch are coordinated from our Philadelphia office, but the crew that shows up in Mount Lebanon lives and works in this area. We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, including LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. Local reviews from Mount Lebanon customers consistently mention two things: the live person answering the phone and the fact that the technician showed up in the window promised. We don’t run on “sometime between 8 and 5.” You get a real window and a person who honors it.
Our Gate Installation Services in Mount Lebanon
Driveway Gate Installation
Mount Lebanon’s driveways are hilly. A meaningful share of them carry a grade that matters when you’re setting a gate. We measure the slope, account for frost heave, and set posts with footings deep enough to stay plumb through five or more hard frost events a winter. A driveway gate here is not a one-size job. The terrain, the mature landscaping, and the age of the original posts all shape the install. You get a gate that clears the grade year-round, not just in October.
Pedestrian Gate Installation
Many Mount Lebanon brick Colonials and Tudors have a side yard or rear pedestrian gate that dates to the original build. Those narrow iron gates are often hung on posts that have shifted over decades. We install new pedestrian gates in matching scale, or re-hang and retrofit your existing one with a modern magnetic lock and keypad if the structure is sound. The goal is a gate that matches the house, not one that looks like it was ordered from a catalog.
Sliding Gate Installation
Sliding gates work well on flatter driveways in Mount Lebanon, but plenty of hillside properties don’t have the lateral room for a full slide track. We’ll tell you straight whether a slide is feasible or whether a swing configuration makes better sense for your lot. When we do install sliding gates, we bury the track properly and set the cantilever rollers to handle the seasonal settling that comes with Pittsburgh freeze-thaw. A sloppy track install on hilly ground is a gate that jumps the rail by March.
Swing Gate Installation
Swing gates are the heart of what we do in Mount Lebanon, because so many of these homes were built with ornamental wrought-iron swing gates as part of the original landscape design. We install new swing gates that respect that period character, and we retrofit existing ones with modern operators, photo-eyes, and edge sensors. On sloped drives, the low-side post is the failure point. We re-set it with new concrete footings sized for the grade, then torque the hinges so the leaf clears without drag. The hinge post is where a gate lives or dies, and we start there.
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 Mount Lebanon
We’re certified to service and install operators from nine major brands: LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. For Mount Lebanon specifically, we keep Linear, Viking, and Ghost Controls parts in the truck, because those three show up on a lot of retrofit jobs on older iron gates around here. If your existing operator is a DoorKing or a Viking that’s still in good shape, we can typically match a replacement control board or limit switch without swapping the entire unit. That’s the repair-first approach. We don’t replace a $900 operator because a $12 capacitor failed.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Mount Lebanon Homes
- Frost-heaved hinge posts on hilly terrain. Mount Lebanon sits noticeably elevated above the Pittsburgh valley, and the repeated freeze-thaw cycles shift steel posts and masonry pilasters out of plumb every winter. By spring, a swing gate that was fine in November drags at the low-side post and binds the latch.
- Legacy control boards without modern entrapment protection. Original operators from the 1980s and 1990s predate UL 325 safety requirements. They don’t include photo-eyes or edge sensors, which means they’re both unsafe and non-compliant. Homeowners here often inherit these boards when they buy a 1930s-1950s house.
- Mature landscaping grown tight around original gate pilasters. On many Mount Lebanon properties, trees and shrubs planted in the 1950s have grown roots directly against old gate posts. Re-plumbing or replacing a post often means careful excavation around roots and then dealing with deteriorated original concrete from the original build.
- Sagging double gates on sloped drives. Double swing gates on a grade are especially prone to the low-side leaf dragging. The hinge post on the downhill side takes the most load, and when it shifts even half an inch, the leaves no longer meet cleanly. The fix is re-setting the post, not just adjusting the hinges.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Mount Lebanon, PA
Here are the ranges we quote most often for Mount Lebanon work. A standard single swing driveway gate with operator and keypad typically runs $3,200-$5,400. A double swing gate on a sloped drive is $5,000-$7,800, with the higher end covering post re-setting and new concrete footings. A pedestrian gate with magnetic lock and keypad runs $1,400-$2,600. Sliding gate installs run $4,200-$8,500 depending on track length and gate weight. Security gates with access control integration add $1,200-$3,000 on top of the base gate, depending on the keypad, intercom, or vehicle detection you need. Every estimate is free, and the price is quoted and agreed before any work starts. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll walk the site, measure the grade, and give you a written number you can trust.
| Gate Type | Mount Lebanon Market Range |
|---|---|
| Single swing driveway gate with operator | $3,200-$5,400 |
| Double swing gate on sloped drive | $5,000-$7,800 |
| Pedestrian gate with lock and keypad | $1,400-$2,600 |
| Sliding gate with track | $4,200-$8,500 |
| Security gate access control add-on | $1,200-$3,000 |
What drives the cost in Mount Lebanon is the terrain and the age of the existing posts. A flat driveway in a newer development is less work than a 1940s brick Tudor on a hillside where the original pilasters have shifted two inches out of plumb. We don’t quote a price over the phone and change it at the door. We come out, measure, dig a test hole if needed, and give you the number in writing. Seniors and veterans get a permanent 10% discount on every job, and any repair over $200 gets $40 off. No haggling, no coupon code. Just a standing offer from a local shop.
We Also Serve Cities Near Mount Lebanon
Most of our Mount Lebanon work comes from referrals, and we serve the surrounding South Hills communities the same way. That includes Castle Shannon, Dormont, Upper Saint Clair, and Bethel Park. If you’re in one of those areas and need a second opinion on a written estimate, call us. We started Gate Installation work here because so many of these older brick homes share the same problems, and we’ve gotten good at fixing them. See our Gate Installation in Mount Lebanon page for more local detail.
Serving Mount Lebanon, PA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Mount Lebanon 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 Mount Lebanon
Yes, if the posts are structurally sound and still plumb. We assess the post condition, the footing depth, and the amount of frost-heave movement before recommending anything. Many 1930s wrought-iron gates in Mount Lebanon are hung on solid steel posts set in concrete that’s still intact; those can absolutely accept a modern operator, photo-eyes, and edge sensors. If the post has shifted or the concrete is deteriorated, we’ll tell you honestly whether a re-set is enough or whether a full replacement is the cheaper long-term answer. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free assessment; we’ll give you a straight answer and a written price.
It’s frost heave. Mount Lebanon gets repeated hard frosts over the winter, and the freeze-thaw cycle pushes the low-side hinge post upward and outward by as much as two inches on a steep grade. When the ground settles in spring, the post doesn’t always settle back to plumb. The gate then drags and binds at the downhill leaf. The permanent fix is re-setting the post with new concrete footings sized to the grade and then re-plumbing the hinge alignment. Adjusting the hinges alone is a temporary patch. Give us a call and we’ll diagnose the post movement before it gets worse.
In most cases, yes. If the gate leaf is intact and the hinge hardware is serviceable, a modern operator can be retrofitted onto the existing gate without changing the look of the original ironwork. We’ve done this on dozens of Mount Lebanon Tudors and Colonials where the homeowner wants to keep the period gate but add a keypad, safety photocells, and a current UL 325-compliant operator. The key is getting the operator mount positioned correctly on a post that’s actually in plumb. If the post has moved, we fix that first. Call us for a free measure and we’ll tell you what’s possible on your specific gate.
Yes. Any automatic gate installed in Pennsylvania must meet UL 325 entrapment protection standards, which means photo-eyes and appropriate edge sensors. This isn’t optional, and we won’t skip it. On older Mount Lebanon gates being retrofitted, adding these sensors is part of bringing the gate up to code. We install photo-eyes at the correct height and angle for the gate’s swing path, and edge sensors on the leading edges where contact is possible. It’s a safety requirement, and it’s also the difference between a gate that’s safe for kids and pets and one that isn’t.
We excavate around the existing post, remove the old concrete footing, set a new post in fresh concrete, and re-align the hinge geometry before re-hanging the gate leaf. On 1940s brick pilasters in Mount Lebanon, the brick work is often sound but the inner steel post has rusted or shifted. We’ll preserve the brick facing where possible and set the new post inside the pilaster cavity. It’s more invasive than an adjustment, but it’s the correct repair when the post has moved. We’ll quote it in writing before starting, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise covers it. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll assess the post and the gate together.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for Gate Installation in Mount Lebanon
If you need a gate installed, retrofitted, or honestly evaluated in Mount Lebanon, call us at (877) 610-2993. Estimates are free, the price is agreed before work starts, and Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop. We serve every neighborhood in the 15228 zip code, and we know the terrain, the housing stock, and the particular problems of old iron gates on frost-heaving hillsides. You’ll get a live person on the phone, a real window for the visit, and a written price. No call center, no runaround, no surprise invoice. That’s how we’ve done it since 2001.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Mount Lebanon, PA with gate installation, repair, and retrofitting since 2001.