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 Pacific
Gate installation in Pacific costs between $1,800 and $7,500 for most residential jobs, with steel-frame swing gates running $2,200 to $4,800 installed and automated slide gates starting around $3,500. The bigger variable here isn’t labor or materials, it’s what’s under the soil. Pacific sits on the Green River Valley floor, where saturated ground shifts posts and heaves footings faster than almost anywhere else in King County. That means a proper install in Pacific starts with the post, not the panel. If you’re planning a new gate or replacing one that’s sagged or seized, call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll come look at your site before anyone quotes a number.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Pacific’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Hal Gatewood has been building and repairing gates since 2001, and his name is on the shop and every invoice. We’ve worked on hundreds of properties throughout the 98047 ZIP code, from the older single-family homes near Pacific City Park to the valley-floor lots along 3rd Avenue Southeast that catch standing water every wet season. Our crew lives and works in this part of King County, so when a Pacific homeowner calls about a gate dragging after a flood, we don’t need a map to know what they’re dealing with.
We answer the phone with a live person 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Not a voicemail, not a queue. You’ll talk to someone who can actually answer questions about your gate. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing, and estimates are free. If another company gave you a written estimate for a new gate or operator, bring it to us for a second opinion at no charge. We’d rather fix what’s salvageable than sell you something you don’t need.
Our Gate Installation team does the work in your driveway. We weld on site, reset posts in place, and hang gates the same day on most installs. You won’t wait two weeks for a gate to come back from some fab shop. For Pacific’s older homes with 1950s through 1980s gate posts, that on-site capability matters more than you’d think, because those original posts usually need replacing before the gate itself does.
Our Gate Installation Services in Pacific
Driveway Gate Installation
Automated driveway gates in Pacific run $3,500 to $7,500 installed, depending on width, material, and whether we’re adding a motor from the start. Many Pacific driveways are narrow by newer subdivision standards, which actually helps, because a compact single-swing gate costs less and strains the post less. We always quote the gate and operator as one job so you’re not surprised later by a control board that got left off the estimate.
Pedestrian Gate Installation
Pedestrian gates in Pacific run $1,800 to $3,200 for steel-frame builds with adjustable hinges and a proper latch. These are the gates people use twenty times a day, and on the valley floor they take a beating from moisture. We set pedestrian gate posts in concrete footings with drainage gravel below, because a post that sits in standing water rots or heaves within a few seasons.
Sliding Gate Installation
Sliding gates make sense on Pacific properties where a swing gate would arc into the street or fight the slope. Installed sliding gates run $3,500 to $6,800, and the track system is everything. Pacific’s floodplain soil expands and contracts enough to crack a shallow concrete track pad within two or three winters. We pour a deeper, reinforced pad with drainage so the track stays level when the ground moves.
Swing Gate Installation
Swing gates account for most of what we install in Pacific. A new steel-frame swing gate with an operator runs $2,200 to $4,800. The hinge post carries the entire load, and in Pacific’s saturated soils, an undersized footing is the number one reason a new swing gate sags within two years. We set hinge posts below the frost line and use adjustable hinges so the gate can be tuned as the soil settles.
We also install double gates for wider driveways, security gates with keypad or intercom access for properties backing up to the Green River corridor, and we retrofit older gates with modern operators and safety equipment. If you call Pacific home, you’re getting a crew that knows the ground you’re building on.
What happens when you call
- 1
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 Pacific
We’re certified on nine major gate operator brands, but around Pacific we see a lot of FAAC and BFT units on older automated gates, and Linear on newer installs. We stock motors, control boards, photocells, and remotes for those brands locally, which means we’re usually not waiting on a parts truck from Tacoma. When a flood leaves a controller dead, that stocked inventory is the difference between a same-week fix and three weeks of a gate stuck open.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Pacific Homes
- Wood posts rotted at the base from persistent soil moisture. Pacific’s valley-floor homes were mostly built between the 1950s and 1980s, and many still have the original wood gate posts. Constant ground saturation rots them from below, and the gate starts dragging within a decade. The fix is a new steel post set in concrete, not another wood post in the same wet hole.
- Footings washed loose or frost-heaved after winter flooding. The Green River Valley floods regularly, and when water rises around a post footing, the surrounding soil loses its grip. Gates that were plumb in September lean by March. We reset footings deeper and add drainage gravel so the cycle doesn’t repeat.
- Older operators with no entrapment protection. Gates hung before the mid-1990s often lack photocells or reversing edges. They’re dangerous, and they won’t meet current safety requirements. We can retrofit most older operators with current entrapment protection without replacing the whole unit.
- Sliding gate tracks seized with silt and debris after high-water events. When the Green River rises, it pushes silt and debris into ground tracks. The operator keeps pushing, the motor overloads, and the controller burns out. A deeper track pad with drainage keeps the track clear and the motor alive.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Pacific, WA
| Service | Typical Range in Pacific |
|---|---|
| Pedestrian gate (steel frame, installed) | $1,800-$3,200 |
| Swing gate with operator | $2,200-$4,800 |
| Sliding gate with operator | $3,500-$6,800 |
| Post reset and hinge realignment | $400-$900 |
| Operator retrofit on existing gate | $1,200-$2,800 |
Those numbers assume a standard residential gate on level ground. If you’ve got a double gate, a long driveway, or a post that needs a deeper footing because of Pacific’s floodplain soil, the quote adjusts accordingly. The price we give you is the price you pay, agreed before any work starts. We also knock $40 off any repair over $200, and seniors and veterans get a permanent 10% discount. Free estimates, no trip charge inside King County.
We Also Serve Cities Near Pacific
Our crew covers the surrounding communities every week, including Lakeland South, Lakeland North, Lea Hill, and Auburn. If you’re in one of those areas, you’re still in our service territory, and the same crew, same pricing, and same 90-Day Done Right Promise apply. We know the difference between valley-floor soil and hillside ground, and we plan footings accordingly.
Serving Pacific, WA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Pacific 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 Pacific
Pacific sits on the Green River Valley floor, where the water table is high and the soil stays saturated for months. Auburn, just a mile or two east, sits on higher, drier ground. In Pacific, a standard footing can heave or wash loose after a flood event, so we set posts below the frost line with drainage gravel beneath the concrete. It adds a little cost but prevents the post from leaning within two years. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll explain what your specific lot needs.
Sometimes. The post is the deciding factor. If the wood post is still solid, we can mount an operator, add safety photocells, and bring the gate up to current entrapment standards. If the post is soft at the base, which is common on Pacific’s valley floor, the operator’s torque will finish it off within months. We’ll check the post for rot before recommending retrofit versus replacement. A free estimate tells you which path costs less.
Repair the track first. If the gate itself isn’t bent or rusted through, a new track on a properly drained concrete pad usually fixes the problem. We’ve seen flood silt seize tracks that were perfectly salvageable, and replacing a $4,000 gate over a $700 track job is money wasted. If the flood warped the gate or killed the motor, replacement makes sense. We give you a straight answer either way.
Yes. Operators mounted low on posts or near ground level get hit by standing water and flood debris more often in Pacific than in surrounding upland neighborhoods. We mount control boxes higher, seal conduits, and use weather-rated enclosures on any install in the 98047 ZIP code. It’s not optional here. A flood-proofed install costs a bit more up front and lasts years longer.
Yes. Any automatic gate operator installed or retrofitted today must include photocells or reversal edges that stop and reverse the gate if something is in its path. Older operators without that protection are a serious injury risk. When we install a gate in Pacific, entrapment protection is included in the quote, not an add-on. Free estimates, and every job is backed by the 90-Day Done Right Promise.
If you’re planning a new gate in Pacific, or the one you have is sagging at the hinge post, call (877) 610-2993. We’ll come out, look at your soil, your posts, and your operator, and give you a straight answer on what should be replaced and what’s worth saving. No pressure, no inflated quote, and the number we give is what you’ll pay.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Pacific since 2001.