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 Seattle
A basic Seattle Gate Access Control installation typically runs $1,800 to $4,200, while pedestrian gates land between $700 and $1,900 depending on materials, post work, and whether you’re adding an operator. Salt air off Puget Sound and near-constant ground saturation from October through June mean the hardware and footing specs matter more here than almost anywhere else in the state. We answer the phone around the clock at (877) 610-2993, and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts. No surprises at the door, ever.
Gatewood Fence & Gate is the local Gate Installation shop that welds on site, stocks stainless and hot-dip galvanized hardware for coastal conditions, and puts the 90-Day Done Right Promise on every job in writing. If a hinge sags or a latch misaligns within 90 days, one call brings Hal Gatewood back out. That’s not a warranty buried in fine print. That’s the name on the shop, and the shop is down the road, not three states away.
Key Takeaways
- Driveway gate installation in Seattle runs $1,800-$4,200; pedestrian gates $700-$1,900.
- Salt air and saturated soil rot cedar posts and corrode mild steel faster than inland cities.
- Stainless or hot-dip galvanized hinges and latches are the baseline spec here, not an upgrade.
- Sloped lots in Queen Anne, Phinney Ridge, and Capitol Hill need rake-cut bottom rails and anti-sag cables.
- Live person answers the phone 24/7 at (877) 610-2993. Written price agreed before work begins.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Seattle’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Hal Gatewood has been at this since 2001, and the shop is owner-operated with a published address and license number anyone can look up. When you call, you get a live person, not a voicemail tree or a chatbot. When we show up, it’s Hal or a background-checked crew member who knows Seattle’s soil and slope conditions because they’ve worked them for years. That matters in a city where cedar posts rot from the soil line up while the boards above still look fine.
Seattle homeowners have a particular set of gate problems you won’t find in Kirkland or Bellevue in quite the same way, and they’re not problems a generic gate company from out of the area solves well. We’re in Seattle regularly, we know which neighborhoods sit on hardpan and which ones slump after a wet winter, and we stock the hardware that actually survives Puget Sound salt air. You can drive to the shop and look us in the eye. That’s the oldest accountability there is.
Our Gate Installation Services in Seattle
Driveway Gate
A new driveway gate in Seattle needs more thought than picking a panel and setting two posts. Salt air eats painted mild-steel hinges in five to eight years, and the saturated clay soils in neighborhoods like Greenwood and Ballard heave concrete footings seasonally. We quote hot-dip galvanized hinge sets, deeper footings, and a powder-coated frame as the starting spec for anything on Puget Sound. A typical driveway gate install here runs $2,600 to $4,200 with an operator, and we always write the price down before the first hole is dug.
Pedestrian Gate
Most of the pedestrian gates in Seattle’s Craftsman-era neighborhoods were built with four-by-four cedar posts set in shallow concrete during the 1990s and 2000s. Those posts are now 25 to 30 years old and they’re failing at the soil line where the water never leaves. We replace the post before we talk about the panel. A new pressure-treated or steel post, properly set 36 to 42 inches deep, runs $180 to $420 in Seattle depending on access and old concrete removal. The gate itself adds $300 to $900 for cedar, or $700 to $1,900 for powder-coated steel or aluminum.
Sliding Gate
On Seattle’s narrow lots and tight driveways, a sliding gate is often the only option that leaves room to park. That’s especially true in South Lake Union and Georgetown, where infill construction packed houses close to the street. We install and convert to sliding gates, and we service the operators too: LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking. Sliding gate installs on a cantilever system run $3,200 to $5,800 in Seattle. Gate conversion from swing to slide usually lands between $2,000 and $3,400 depending on the track run and concrete work.
Swing Gate
Seattle’s hills are the first thing any gate installer here has to account for. In Queen Anne and Phinney Ridge, we regularly see swing gates with a six-inch grade drop across the arc, enough that the gate digs into the slope within a year. A swing gate that doesn’t clear the grade gets a rake-cut bottom rail and an anti-sag cable as standard on our quotes, not a line item we try to add later. Double swing gate installations in Seattle run $2,800 to $5,200. Single swing gates run $1,200 to $2,800.
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 Seattle
We’re certified to service nine major gate operator brands, and in Seattle we keep parts on hand for FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking because they’re the most common units we see in the older residential neighborhoods and newer townhome builds alike. That means when a board fails or a limit switch goes on your FAAC operator in Ballard, we’re not waiting a week on an order from Ohio. We stock the parts locally, we bench-test operators before we leave the shop, and we don’t sell you a new motor when a capacitor and a good cleaning would fix the one you have. Gate Repair - Seattle first, replace when it’s actually necessary. That’s how Hal’s run this since 2001.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Seattle Homes
- Cedar posts rotting from the soil line up. Seattle’s ground stays saturated from October through June, and water wicks up into cedar post butts continuously. The boards above look fine, the gate starts to sag, and then the post snaps off at the base in a windstorm. We set replacement posts in deeper concrete with a drainage gravel bed.
- Swing gates dragging on sloped lots. In Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, and Phinney Ridge, a gate installed level on a slope will dig into the rising grade within one season. The fix is a rake-cut bottom rail so the gate follows the slope, plus an anti-sag cable to keep the latch edge from dropping. Flat-city contractors rarely stock either.
- Mild-steel hinges and latches corroding early. Salt air off Puget Sound combined with chronic humidity eats painted steel hardware years faster than it fails inland in Spokane. We see gates in Ballard with hinges seized and latches misaligned by year six or seven when the panel itself is still fine. Stainless or hot-dip galvanized hardware is the answer here, and it’s what we quote as standard.
- Operator boards falling in coastal damp. The electrical boards inside gate operators dislike Seattle’s damp, salt-laden air. We open more corroded boards in West Seattle and Ballard than almost anywhere else we work. Sealed enclosures, dielectric grease on connections, and rust-resistant mounting hardware extend a board’s life substantially.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Seattle, WA
| Service | Typical Range in Seattle |
|---|---|
| Pedestrian gate (cedar, new post) | $700 - $1,900 |
| Pedestrian gate (steel/aluminum) | $900 - $2,400 |
| Single swing driveway gate | $1,200 - $2,800 |
| Double swing driveway gate | $2,800 - $5,200 |
| Sliding gate (new install) | $3,200 - $5,800 |
| Gate conversion (swing to slide) | $2,000 - $3,400 |
| Gate operator/automation added | $800 - $2,200 |
| Post replacement (cedar or steel) | $180 - $420 per post |
Those ranges reflect what we actually quote in Seattle, not a generic national number. Salt-spec hardware, deeper footings on wet slopes, and old concrete removal all move the price. We write it down before any work starts, no trip charge inside the county, and $40 off any job over $200. Seniors and veterans get 10% off, permanently. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate. If someone else has quoted you, bring it to us for a free second opinion.
We Also Serve Cities Near Seattle
We work across Seattle and the surrounding communities, including White Center, Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Kirkland. If you’re in one of those areas and you need Gate Installation or repair, same shop, same phone number, same written-price promise. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll get you scheduled.
Serving Seattle, WA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Seattle 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 Seattle
Because Seattle’s ground stays saturated from October through June, and water wicks up into the end grain of the post where it meets the soil. The buried portion rots first while the visible wood above still looks sound. We replace those posts with pressure-treated material set in a concrete footing with a drainage bed, 36 to 42 inches deep. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you if your post is salvageable or needs replacing.
Salt air accelerates corrosion on mild steel, so hinges seize and latches misalign years before they’d fail inland in Spokane. Homes closer to the water in Ballard see it fastest. We install stainless or hot-dip galvanized hardware as the standard spec here, not an upgrade, and we stock it so we’re not waiting on a shipment. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free hardware inspection.
Yes, in most cases. We cut a rake along the bottom rail so the gate follows the grade, and we add an anti-sag cable and sometimes heavier hinges to keep the latch edge square. The panel usually stays. If the post itself is rotted, we replace the post and reuse the gate. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll come out to Queen Anne and tell you exactly what needs doing and what it costs before we touch anything.
Thirty-six inches, minimum, and 42 inches on sloped or especially wet lots. Anything less in Seattle’s saturated clay heaves within a couple of winters and the gate sags. We always go deeper than code minimum because we’ve seen what 24-inch footings do here by year three. Call (877) 610-2993 for an exact assessment of your site.
Yes. A double gate on a slope needs an operator with enough torque to push both panels up-grade, plus a synchronized control board that keeps the leaves from fighting each other. We specify and install FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking operators configured for that load, and we bench-test them before we leave the shop, including Mighty Mule repair in Seattle. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll survey the slope, measure the panels, and give you a written price.
What Seattle’s Coastal Conditions Mean for Your Gate Hardware
Seattle gets roughly 150 overcast or rainy days a year, and the air moving off Puget Sound carries salt. That combination corrodes mild-steel gate hinges and latches measurably faster than inland cities like Spokane. We see it constantly: a gate installed in Ballard or West Seattle six or seven years ago, the panel still straight, the hinges seized solid brown, the latch misaligned because the steel swelled. Painted steel doesn’t cut it here. Hot-dip galvanized hardware dipped after fabrication, or stainless steel, is what actually lasts on the coast. Welds need grinding and re-coating to stop rust at the joint. Operator enclosures need sealed gaskets, not just a plastic cover. Gate boards that look fine hide posts that have been slowly dissolving underground for years. The spec that works in Wenatchee fails here, and if the person quoting your gate doesn’t know that, you’ll be calling someone else in three years to redo it.
We do Gate Parts & Welding in Seattle on site, in your driveway. Hal has been welding since before the first iPhone came out, and a gate that fails at the weld gets re-welded, not replaced. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers all of it. If it’s not done right, we make it right. One call, and we’re back.
On a Phinney Ridge hillside lot, we replaced a sagging swing gate where the hinge post had rotted at the soil line while the cedar boards still looked sound. We set a new pressure-treated post in a deeper concrete footing, installed a hot-dip galvanized hinge set with an anti-sag cable, and raked the bottom rail to clear the six-inch grade drop across the swing arc. The gate’s been dead level for over two years now, through two full Seattle wet seasons. That’s the difference between fixing a gate in this city and fixing a gate in a place where the ground dries out in summer.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for Gate Installation in Seattle, WA
If you’re in Seattle and your gate post is rotting, your swing gate is dragging on a slope, or you’re starting fresh with a new install, call us at (877) 610-2993. You’ll get a live person, a straight answer, and a free estimate. We write down the price before we do anything, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise is stamped on every job in writing. Locally owned, owner-operated since 2001, with a published address and license number you can look up. Gatewood Fence & Gate serves Seattle neighborhoods including Ballard, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, Phinney Ridge, South Lake Union, West Seattle, and Georgetown, covering ZIP codes 98102, 98103, 98107, 98108, 98109, 98114, 98115, 98116, and 98117. Call today and get someone who actually shows up on time.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Seattle since 2001.