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 Scottdale
Most gate problems in Scottdale come down to three things: red clay, wide entrances, and county permits nobody warned you about. We’ve been untangling all three since 2001. A driveway gate on a Scottdale lot has to hold plumb through DeKalb’s shrink-swell soil cycles, swing true across a wide rural entrance, and pass a county inspection that many contractors never mention until the stop-work order shows up. Call (877) 610-2993 and you’ll get Hal or one of his crew on the line, not a voicemail. We’ll tell you straight what your gate needs and what it’ll cost before anyone lifts a tool.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Scottdale’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Hal Gatewood started this shop in 2001, and his name has been on every invoice since. Scottdale homeowners call us because we answer the phone, we show up when we say we will, and we weld on site instead of hauling your gate to some shop across town. When a swing gate on McLendon Drive is racked and binding, the fix starts at the hinge post, not the latch. That’s the kind of thing you learn replacing gates in red clay for 24 years.
We serve Scottdale from our Atlanta office, and the person who answers your call is the same person who’ll stand in your driveway and tell you whether the posts need replacing or just re-setting. Every job comes with our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, one call brings Hal back. No runaround. No “the warranty department will review your claim.” Just a guy who lives with his work and wants it done correctly the first time.
Scottdale customers also get straight pricing. The estimate you get on the phone is the price you pay when the job’s done. We quote before any work starts, every time. And we offer a free second opinion on any written estimate from another company. Bring us their quote and we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s fair, padded, or missing something the county will flag later.
Our Gate Installation Services in Scottdale
Scottdale’s gates run the full range: original chain-link utility gates on 1950s lots, new ornamental iron driveway gates on renovated homes, wide farm gates on acreage off McLendon Drive and North Decatur Road. Here’s what we install most often around here.
Driveway Gate
A Scottdale driveway gate has to do real work. It swings or slides hundreds of times a month, holds its plumb through Georgia red clay movement, and keeps working when the summer storms roll through. We install swing and sliding driveway gates sized to your actual opening, not whatever the hardware store had on the shelf. Posts get set deep, operators get matched to the gate’s weight and width, and the whole thing gets tested under load before we call it done.
Pedestrian Gate
Pedestrian gates in Scottdale often live beside a driveway gate, and they fail first because they get used hardest. We build and hang pedestrian gates that latch solidly and swing true, with hardware that doesn’t sag after two seasons. If you need a matching pedestrian gate alongside a new driveway gate, we’ll build them as a pair so they look like they belong together.
Sliding Gate
When a driveway in Scottdale slopes or a swing gate would block the street, a sliding gate is the answer. Sliding gates carry more weight and need solid track and roller work. We set the track on a proper base, size the operator to the gate’s actual weight, and leave you with a gate that moves smoothly instead of grinding along half-buried in clay.
Swing Gate
Swing gates are the most common gate in Scottdale, and the most commonly botched. Dual gates on wide entrances need matched operators, proper alignment, and posts that can handle the load day after day. We set posts in deep concrete footings sized for DeKalb’s soil, because a shallow footing in red clay is a gate that binds within two years. Our Gate Installation team handles single and double swing gates, manual or automated.
Scottdale sits in an interesting spot. It’s unincorporated DeKalb County, wedged between Decatur and Avondale Estates, and the housing stock is shifting hard right now. Modest mid-century homes with original chain-link gates sit next to renovated properties with new ornamental iron and automated driveway gates. That means we see two different jobs every week: repairing and replacing decades-old gates on long-held properties, and installing brand-new automated gates on homes that just sold for Decatur-adjacent prices. Few ZIP codes concentrate both kinds of work like 30079 does.
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 Scottdale
We are certified to service nine major gate brands, and for Scottdale customers that matters because nobody wants to wait a week for a part to ship from somewhere else. We work on LiftMaster, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Viking, and more. We keep common parts on hand for these brands, which means faster turnaround when a Scottdale gate goes down. If your existing opener is a brand we service, we’ll work with it. If it’s worn out, we’ll tell you straight what a replacement costs and which operator actually fits your gate’s weight and width.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Scottdale Homes
- Heaved posts from Georgia red clay. DeKalb’s clay soil swells with summer downpours and shrinks in dry stretches, which torques posts out of plumb. A gate that bound suddenly after a wet month usually has a post problem, not a gate problem.
- Wide acreage entrances with underpowered operators. Homeowners buy a solar gate opener kit rated for a light pedestrian gate and bolt it to a 16-foot farm gate. It burns out in months. Wide gates need operators sized to actual weight and duty cycle.
- New ornamental iron gates without entrapment protection. Flips in Scottdale often add automated openers without required safety photocells or loop detectors. DeKalb County inspectors flag these during the renovation wave, and the homeowner gets stuck fixing what the flipper skipped.
- Original chain-link gates with shallow footings. Many 1940s-1960s Scottdale homes still have their original chain-link perimeter gates, set in footings that were shallow to begin with and have only gotten worse over 60 years of clay movement. We can often save the gate and replace just the posts.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Scottdale, GA
A single swing driveway gate in Scottdale typically runs $1,800 to $4,200 installed, depending on gate material, width, and whether it gets an automated opener. A double swing gate on a wide rural entrance runs $3,500 to $8,000 with automation. Sliding gates run $2,500 to $6,500 based on track length and operator size. Pedestrian gates run $600 to $1,800. Solar opener kits add $900 to $2,200 for the operator and panel setup on acreage without line voltage. The price you’re quoted is the price you pay. We agree on it before any work starts, in writing. We also offer $40 off any repair over $200, a free second opinion on any written estimate, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate specific to your Scottdale property.
We Also Serve Cities Near Scottdale
Along with Scottdale, our Gate Installation in Scottdale team works throughout the surrounding communities, including Clarkston, Decatur, Belvedere Park, and Candler-McAfee. If you live just down the road in any of these areas, the same crew, the same warranty, and the same live person on the phone apply to you.
Serving Scottdale, GA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Scottdale 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 Scottdale
Yes, Scottdale is unincorporated DeKalb County, which means every gate permit runs through the county permitting office, not a city hall. Adding an automated opener to a driveway gate is a permit-required job, and we handle the paperwork as part of the install. Skipping the permit is how homeowners end up with stop-work orders when a renovation attracts county attention. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you exactly what your project needs before we start.
Yes, and we do it regularly on Scottdale acreage where running line voltage to the entrance would cost more than the gate itself. The catch is that solar openers have to be sized honestly. A small panel and underpowered operator won’t move a 16-foot farm gate through a Georgia winter. We match the panel, battery bank, and operator to the gate’s actual weight and width, then test it under load. Call (877) 610-2993 to talk about your gate and what a properly sized solar setup costs.
Because DeKalb’s red clay expands and shrinks with moisture, which slowly torques shallow post footings out of plumb. A gate that binds after rain or loosens in dry weather almost always has a post problem, not a hinge problem. The fix is setting new posts in deeper concrete footings sized for Georgia soil, then re-hanging the gate so it swings true. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll look at your gate and tell you whether you need new posts or whether a re-set will do it.
DeKalb County requires entrapment protection on automated gates under current codes, which typically means safety photocells at the gate opening, a reversing mechanism on the operator, and depending on the gate type, a loop detector for vehicle detection. Contractors who skip this create a genuine safety hazard, especially for kids and pets. We install the protection every time, and it’s part of your written quote, not an add-on at the end. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll walk you through what your specific gate needs.
In most cases we can replace just the posts and save the original gate, especially if it’s a simple chain-link swing gate from the 1950s or 1960s. The gate itself is usually fine. It’s the shallow footings underneath that failed. We’ll dig out the old posts, set new ones in deep concrete, and re-hang your existing gate so it swings correctly again. If the gate frame is rusted through or badly racked, we’ll tell you honestly and show you the damage before recommending replacement. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free look at your gate and posts.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Scottdale since 2001.