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 Northridge
Gate installation in Northridge runs $2,400 to $9,800 for most driveway and pedestrian gates, with custom ornamental iron work landing higher. We get that number in writing before any steel gets cut, and we stand behind it. If you’re off Corbin or Tampa with a gate that drags, leans, or quit opening three weeks ago, call (877) 610-2993. Hal Gatewood and his crew know precisely which corners of 91325 and 91326 hide the post-quake nightmare footings, because we’ve repoured enough of them to fill a phone book.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Northridge’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
We’ve been wrenching on gates across the San Fernando Valley since 2001, and we’ve watched Northridge age in a way most cities don’t. The 1994 earthquake flattened this town once, and the rebuilding rush that followed put thousands of automated driveway gates in the ground between 1994 and 1997. Those gates are all hitting the end of their service life at the same time. We know the failure patterns because we’re the ones untangling them every week.
Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop, the invoices, and the truck. His address is published, his license number is something anyone can look up, and he has been at it since 2001, so he’s not passing through. When a Northridge homeowner calls about a sagging custom iron gate, Hal or someone from his crew shows up and actually looks at the post before quoting anything. That’s the oldest accountability there is, and it still works.
Calls are answered by a live person, 24/7, not a voicemail or some call center three states away. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, we make it right. One call brings Hal back, no runaround.
Our Gate Installation Services in Northridge
Driveway Gate
A driveway gate in Northridge is a working piece of the house, not a decoration. The 1950s and 1960s ranch homes south of Nordhoff and the larger custom lots up near the hills each demand something different. We handle welded steel, aluminum, and custom fabricated gates matched to the house. Every install starts with the footing because a gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and we don’t skip that step like the national outfits do.
Pedestrian Gate
Walk gates take abuse in a city this busy. Teenagers, landscapers, delivery drivers, dogs. We build pedestrian gates with real hinges, proper latch hardware, and a post we’d put our own name on. If you need a pedestrian gate matched to an existing driveway gate in 91328 or 91329, we can fabricate it to match rather than telling you to live with mismatched metal.
Sliding Gate
The 1994-1997 rebuilding wave put a lot of wrought-iron slide gates on Northridge driveways, and many of them were hung on posts set in earthquake-disturbed soil. That’s why so many local slide gates drag on the track while the motor still sounds fine. We fix the track, the post, and the operator as one system. Install a slide gate with us and we’ll pour the footer deep enough that the next quake doesn’t have to win.
Swing Gate
Swing gates are the most common style on Northridge properties, and they fail in predictable ways when the post racked out of square or the hinges were undersized. We install single and double swing gates with operators sized to the gate’s actual weight, not a guess from a catalog. Underground operators are an option for homeowners who want no visible motor on a custom gate.
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 Northridge
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, including LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. For Northridge customers specifically, we keep common Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing parts on the truck and in our local stock, because waiting a week for an operator board when your gate won’t close isn’t how anyone wants to spend a Monday. If you already have a brand you like, we’ll match it. If you don’t know what’s on your gate, we’ll read the nameplate and tell you straight.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Northridge Homes
- Heaved or tilted concrete footings from the 1990s rebuilds. The contractors who rebuilt Northridge after the 1994 quake worked fast, and a lot of gate post footings went in shallow, on disturbed soil. Twenty-five to thirty years later, the posts lean, the gate binds, and the homeowner thinks the motor is dying when the real fix is repouring the footer and re-plumbing the post.
- Heat-baked operators on unshaded driveway gates. The Valley’s heat dome drives Northridge to 100-110°F on peak summer days, far hotter than the coast. That kind of heat kills gate motors early, degrades rubber drive belts, and makes steel gates expand enough to bind on misaligned stops.
- Santa Ana wind damage to lightweight aluminum gates. Fall wind events roll through Northridge every year and routinely bend thin aluminum gates or snap older welded joints on iron units. Often the gate panel itself is beyond saving, and full replacement is cheaper over five years than chasing welds.
- Racked slide gates that drag on the track. Wrought-iron slide gates hung during the 1994-1997 rebuilding boom were often mounted on posts set in earthquake-disturbed soil. As the ground settled, the frame racked out of square. The gate drags long before the motor actually fails, and no amount of lubricant fixes a frame that’s out of square.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Northridge, CA
Here are real numbers for Northridge, not vague promises. A single swing driveway gate with a basic operator typically runs $4,200 to $7,800. A double swing gate, which needs heavier operators and bigger columns, lands in the $6,500 to $9,800 range. Sliding driveway gates run $5,000 to $9,500 depending on width and whether we’re replacing a track or starting fresh. Pedestrian walk gates start around $2,400 and climb from there with custom ornamentation. Custom ornamental iron work, matched intercom and camera entry, or underground operators push the top of that range and beyond. The price we quote is the price you pay, agreed in writing before any work starts. Estimates are free. Call (877) 610-2993 and Hal will put the number in front of you plainly.
We Also Serve Cities Near Northridge
Our crew runs out to Northridge every week, and we cover the neighboring communities too. If you’re in North Hills, Chatsworth, Canoga Park, or Encino, you’ll get the same local service and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise. Most of our customers first find us through Gate Installation work nearby, and they stay because we answer the phone. Whether you’re in the heart of Northridge or just over the line in Chatsworth, we’ll be there on the day we said we would.
Serving Northridge, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Northridge 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 Northridge
The 1994 earthquake triggered a rebuilding wave in Northridge from 1994 to 1997, and thousands of automated driveway gates went in during that stretch. Many of the concrete footings were poured hastily, on earthquake-disturbed soil, and they’re now showing heave, tilt, or cracking three decades later. A motor swap on a gate with a racked post is a waste of money because the gate will still bind. The real fix is repouring the footing, re-plumbing the post, and then mounting the new operator. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you which one your gate actually needs. Estimates are free.
Yes. Northridge sits in the Valley heat dome and hits 100-110°F on peak summer days, far hotter than any coastal LA neighborhood. That heat bakes gate operator motors, degrades rubber drive belts, and causes steel gates to expand enough to bind on misaligned stops. We see unshaded driveway gates in Northridge fail years earlier than identical gates in Ventura or Santa Monica. If you want maximum life from a new operator, we can talk about mounting location, ventilation, and shading during the install.
Most likely the gate frame has racked out of square. A large share of wrought-iron slide gates installed on Northridge driveways during the 1994-1997 rebuilding rush were hung on posts set in earthquake-disturbed soil. Decades of settling have pulled the frame out of square, so the gate drags on the track long before the motor itself fails. The fix is often repouring the footer and re-plumbing the post, not replacing the motor. Call us for a free assessment and we’ll show you exactly where it’s failing.
Yes, and this is regular work for us in Northridge. Custom ornamental gates from the 1990s still have good bones in many cases, but the entry hardware is dated. We install modern intercom and camera entry systems matched to the existing gate’s style, including video intercoms, keypad entry, and phone-based app access. We’ll fabricate mounting plates that match the gate rather than bolting a plastic camera box to a piece of custom iron work. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free measure and a written price.
Yes. Any automatic gate installed in Northridge must meet current entrapment protection standards, which means safety photocells, reversing edges, or other monitored safety devices depending on the gate type and operator. We install safety systems on every automatic gate we put in, and we bring older gates up to current code when we touch them. Hal will walk you through the specific requirements for your gate during the estimate, and we’ll make sure the final job is safe for your family and compliant with the law.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for Gate Installation in Northridge
If your Northridge gate is leaning, dragging, or just done, call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate. We’ll send Hal or someone from his crew to your driveway with a tape measure and a straight answer. The name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road. That’s the oldest accountability there is.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Northridge and the surrounding San Fernando Valley since 2001.