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 North Kensington
Gate installation in North Kensington, MD typically runs $2,400 to $11,000 depending on whether you’re replacing an existing gate on original posts or setting new footings for a sliding or double-swing system, and most jobs in the 20895 ZIP take one to three days on site. If you’re reading this because a gate has failed or you’ve been told the whole driveway setup needs replacing, call us at (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you honestly whether it does. We have been doing this work since 2001, and the answer is often no.
North Kensington is our kind of place: tight lots, older homes, shared driveways, mature trees, and gates that have been swinging or sliding for fifty-plus years. Hal Gatewood owns Gatewood Fence & Gate, and his name is on every invoice. We coordinate from our Washington, DC office and send crews into North Kensington regularly, so when you call, you get a straight answer about what will work on your specific driveway, not a sales script.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is North Kensington’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
We work differently than the big outfits. When you call Gatewood Fence & Gate about Gate Installation in North Kensington, a live person answers. Not a voicemail, not an automated menu, not a call center three states away. Often that person is Hal. He has been at this since 2001 and still shows up on job sites in North Kensington himself, welding on site and checking every post before concrete goes in.
The reviews from North Kensington homeowners consistently mention the same thing: we show up when we say we will, we quote a price before work starts, and we fix what needs fixing instead of pushing a full replacement. We stand behind every job with our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something isn’t right, one call brings us back. No runaround, no fine print.
We know the streets here: Plyers Mill Road, Colie Drive, the blocks off Kensington Parkway, the tight lots south of Veirs Mill Road. We know what the clay does to gate posts in February. We know what oak roots do to footings in September. That local knowledge changes how we quote and how we build.
Our Gate Installation Services in North Kensington
Driveway Gate Installation
Most driveway gates in North Kensington are swing gates on mid-century posts, and many of those posts are original to 1940s and 1950s construction. Before we install a new driveway gate, we check what is actually holding it up. We reset footings where they have shifted, and we tell you straight if the existing posts can carry a new gate or if they need to come out. The price includes that assessment, not a surprise add-on after the concrete is poured.
Sliding Gate Installation
This is the work we do most in the 20895 ZIP, and there’s a reason. Many North Kensington driveways are narrow, with shared rights-of-way that prevent a swing gate from arcing over a neighbor’s easement. A slide gate keeps all motion on your property. In North Kensington, a slide gate installed on undisturbed, properly excavated footing typically runs $3,800 to $8,500 including the track, gate, and operator. We stock parts locally for LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking systems so we are not waiting on a warehouse in another state.
Swing Gate Installation
Single swing gates work well on North Kensington lots with enough clearance, but we always check the arc first. A 14-foot swing gate needs that much clear travel, and on homes off Plyers Mill Road where driveways angle toward the street, that arc matters. We also install compact double swing designs where a full single swing will not clear, which keeps the period look of an older bungalow without sacrificing function.
Double Gate Installation
Double gates are common on North Kensington’s split driveways, where two panels meet at the center. They sag at the center over time, and the fix is almost never just a hinge adjustment. The hinge posts on original mid-century installs are often shallow footings that have moved. We reset the posts, then hang the gate, then show you the difference. Our double gate installs in North Kensington run $3,200 to $7,500 depending on width and post condition.
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 North Kensington
We are certified to service nine major gate brands, and in North Kensington we commonly install and maintain FAAC, Linear, and Viking operators along with LiftMaster residential systems. Because we keep parts for those brands in stock and on our trucks, most repairs and operator swaps happen the same trip. If you have an older BFT unit still running, we can usually keep it running rather than pushing a replacement. That is the whole point of what we do.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in North Kensington Homes
- Root pressure from mature oaks and maples. The tree canopy on North Kensington’s residential streets is dense, and surface roots routinely lift post footings and rack gate frames out of square. A gate that is installed straight in May can be binding by October if the footing is already compromised by root pressure. We check for this before quoting any gate installation, because replacing a gate without addressing the root is a waste of your money.
- Clay heave after freeze-thaw cycles. Montgomery County’s heavy clay soil expands dramatically in winter, heaving gate posts and cracking the concrete around masonry pilasters. Every early spring we get calls from North Kensington homeowners whose gate suddenly drags or will not latch. The fix is a deeper, properly drained footing, not just re-shimming the gate.
- Shared driveway right-of-way conflicts. On lots where a driveway easement extends over a neighbor’s property line, a swing gate physically cannot open into that space. We install slide gates and compact double swings that keep every moving part on the owner’s side, which keeps the neighbor and the mail carrier happy and keeps the install legal.
- Failing original 1940s footings. Many gates in North Kensington are original to mid-century builds, and the footings under the hinge posts are shallow by modern standards. A new gate on a bad footing will sag within a season. We reset the post before we hang the gate, every time.
Pricing for Gate Installation in North Kensington, MD
A new pedestrian gate in North Kensington typically runs $900 to $2,600, a single driveway swing gate $2,400 to $5,500, a sliding driveway gate $3,800 to $8,500, and a full double gate system with operator $5,000 to $11,000. The biggest cost drivers are post condition, footing work, operator type, and whether we are working around live utilities or a shared easement. Every quote is fixed before we start. Not an estimate, a quote. We do not add trip charges inside the county, and if you have a written estimate from another company, we will give you a free second opinion on it. That often saves North Kensington homeowners money, because the other quote usually includes a full replacement when a repair would have held.
We also honor two standing offers on every North Kensington gate install: $40 off any job over $200, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. The price we quote is the price on the invoice. Call (877) 610-2993 and Hal will walk the job with you in person.
We Also Serve Cities Near North Kensington
Gatewood Fence & Gate provides Gate Installation across Montgomery County, including South Kensington, Forest Glen, Glenmont, and Kemp Mill. If you are a few blocks outside the 20895 line, you are still in our service area, and the same pricing, guarantees, and live-answer phone apply.
Serving North Kensington, MD - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the North Kensington 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 North Kensington
Yes, in most cases a sliding gate is exactly what we install when a shared easement prevents a swing gate from arcing over a neighbor’s property line. The slide track stays entirely on your side, and we add a safety photocell across the vehicle path so anyone using the shared drive can pass safely. On a 1948 Cape Cod off Plyers Mill Road, we replaced a warped swing gate with a LiftMaster-driven slide gate mounted on a fresh post footing, keeping the track inside the owner’s property and installing a photocell so the neighbor and mail carrier could move freely during the two-day install. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will measure your right-of-way and tell you exactly what will fit.
The gate is probably not the problem. The hinge posts are. On North Kensington’s older lots, original 1940s and 1950s footings are shallow, and Montgomery County’s clay soil heaves during winter freeze-thaw cycles, shifting those posts and letting the gate drop at the center. We reset the posts on deeper, properly drained footings before correcting the gate, because anything less will sag again next spring. If you already have a new gate sagging, call us for a second look, free of charge.
Yes, and on North Kensington’s small lots this comes up constantly. A gate that close to the house usually means limited swing room and tight access for the operator arm, so we typically recommend a slide gate or an articulated opener on a compact double swing. We check the clearance, the footing, and the power run before recommending anything, and we quote the full install including the operator and any needed electrical work before we start. There is no trip charge inside the county.
We excavate the track bed deep enough to remove any organic material and root intrusion, then set the track on a compacted gravel base with proper drainage, so the clay heave and root pressure in North Kensington does not bind the rack and pinion after the first winter. This is the failure mode we fix most often on slide gates installed by other companies: the track was laid over an unexcavated clay swell, and by March the gate will not move. We do it right the first time, and we stand behind it with our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. Call (877) 610-2993 for a quote.
A wood-plank swing gate with period-appropriate hardware, or a simple ornamental iron single swing, matches the original character of most North Kensington bungalows and Cape Cods, especially homes near the Kensington Historic District. We regularly build and install period-appropriate wooden gates that look original to the 1940s or 1950s, and we can add a discreet operator only if you want automation. The gate does not have to look modern to work well. We match the style first, then talk about mechanics.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving North Kensington and Montgomery County since 2001.