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 Short Hills
Gate installation in Short Hills usually runs between $6,500 and $18,000 for a complete custom driveway gate with automation, and most projects take 2 to 4 weeks from measure to final walkthrough. That covers the gate itself, the operator, safety sensors, and the concrete or stone work. We are not a national chain that subcontracts your job to whoever picks up the phone. Hal Gatewood owns Gatewood Fence & Gate, he has been doing this since 2001, and when you call (877) 610-2993 a live person answers.
Short Hills is its own animal when it comes to gates. We say that because we have worked on enough of them to know the difference between a modern Maplewood driveway gate and a 1930s Georgian estate off Old Short Hills Road. The housing stock here is older, grander, and built with materials that demand more than a generic kit from a big box store. If you live in the 07078 zip code, you likely already know this: your gate does not match anyone else’s.
Key Takeaways for Short Hills Homeowners
- Custom Short Hills gate installation typically runs $6,500 to $18,000 depending on size, materials, and automation
- We build swing gates, slide gates, driveway gates, pedestrian gates, and security gates
- Every quote is written down, agreed to upfront, and locked before we start
- We service FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing operators
- The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers every installation in writing
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Short Hills’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
We are locally owned and owner-operated. Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop and on every invoice that leaves it. You do not get a rotating cast of subcontractors with us. The person who measures your driveway is the same person you will see at the hardware store on a Saturday morning.
Short Hills customers call us for two reasons. First, we answer the phone. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, a live person picks up. Not a voicemail. Not a call center three states away. Second, we actually fix things instead of hauling them to a scrap pile and selling you something new. That repair-first philosophy is rare in this business, and it is why homeowners in Short Hills have kept our number in their contacts for over two decades.
We know the neighborhoods here. We have measured gates in the Hartshorn section, worked on long driveways in Knollwood, and diagnosed operator faults on properties near Short Hills Park. Dispatch and scheduling for Short Hills are coordinated from our office, with crews based locally. When you call with a broken gate on a Tuesday morning, we do not need you to explain where Millburn Township ends and Short Hills begins. We already know.
Every installation carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it is not done right, we come back and make it right. No fine print, no phone tree, no runaround. That is the whole promise.
Our Gate Installation Services in Short Hills
We install and automate the full range of residential gates. Here is how each one plays out on Short Hills properties.
Driveway Gate
A driveway gate is the most common install we do in Short Hills, and it is rarely a standard package. These are typically wide entries on estates with brick or bluestone pillars, curved driveway approaches, and sightlines that matter. We measure the actual opening, account for grade changes, and build the gate around your property, not the other way around. A typical driveway gate in Short Hills runs $7,000 to $16,000 installed, depending on whether we are building new pillars or working with existing masonry.
Pedestrian Gate
Pedestrian gates are the side doors of the property, which is exactly why they get abused. We install standalone walkway gates with their own operators, keypads, or card readers, often as part of a larger security gate system. If you have a walk gate off Roseland Place or near a pool entry, we can tie it into the same access control as your driveway gate so one code works everywhere. Pedestrian gate installation in Short Hills typically runs $2,800 to $6,000.
Sliding Gate
Sliding gates make sense when a driveway slopes upward from the street or when a swing gate would block traffic while it opens. On Short Hills properties with narrow frontage and deep lots, a slide gate is often the better answer. It rides on a track or cantilever system, needs less clearance, and handles long panels well. Sliding gate installation in Short Hills generally runs $8,000 to $18,000, with powder-coated steel or aluminum panels and a rack-and-pinion operator. DoorKing and Linear both make slide operators we trust.
Swing Gate
Swing gates are the traditional look for Short Hills estate homes: a pair of wrought-iron or solid wood panels hung from brick or stone pillars. The catch is that those pillars were often built by masons decades ago, before anyone thought about frost heave or modern operator torque. We rebuild or reinforce the pillar footings, hang the gate square, and pair it with an operator that matches the panel weight. Dual swing gate installation in Short Hills typically starts around $9,000 and goes up from there, especially when we are retrofitting existing stonework. For a custom swing gate on an older Short Hills property, we always evaluate the post first. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that is where we start.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
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 Short Hills
We stock parts and service operators from Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing, plus the European units you see all over Short Hills: FAAC, BFT, and Nice. Because we stock locally, we are not waiting two weeks on a control board to ship from a distributor across the country. When a Linear or Viking opener fails on a Short Hills driveway, we can often have it running the same day. If you are building new, we will help you choose an operator that matches the gate weight, the local climate, and how often the gate cycles.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Short Hills Homes
Short Hills has a specific set of problems because the housing stock is older, the estates are larger, and the gates were often installed by people who did not specialize in gate work. Here is what we run into most often.
- Operators wired without loop detectors or battery backup: Landscape and masonry contractors hung gorgeous gates and then wired premium operators wrong. No loop detector means the gate does not know a car is sitting in the path. No battery backup means the gate is dead in a power outage. We fix both as part of any new installation.
- Corroded underground wiring from the 1960s: We pull old Romex and direct-burial wire out of Short Hills driveways regularly. The insulation breaks down, moisture gets in, and the operator faults only after rain or a hard freeze. A new install includes new conduit run to code.
- Shifted brick pillars from frost heave: Essex County winters freeze and thaw the ground repeatedly. Pillar footings heave, the gate goes out of square, and the operator burns itself out fighting the bind. We rebuild the footing or convert to a cantilever slide gate where the driveway allows it.
- Missing UL 325 entrapment protection: High-end European operators from the 1990s were often installed without photo-eyes or edge sensors. Under today’s code, you cannot install a new automated gate without them. We add the required protection and get it inspected properly.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Short Hills, NJ
Here is what you should expect to pay in the 07078 market.
| Gate Type | Typical Short Hills Price Range |
|---|---|
| Pedestrian gate | $2,800 – $6,000 |
| Single swing driveway gate | $7,000 – $12,000 |
| Dual swing driveway gate | $9,000 – $16,000 |
| Sliding driveway gate | $8,000 – $18,000 |
| Security gate with access control | $12,000 – $25,000+ |
These ranges reflect real Short Hills jobs: custom wrought-iron panels, stone or brick pillar work, automation, safety sensors, and electrical run. A gate that has to span a wide entry off a tree-lined street will cost more than a simple walk gate. The price we quote is the price you pay. We write it down, you agree to it, and we do not show up later with a change order. Every estimate is free. Call (877) 610-2993 and Hal will walk the site with you or talk you through it over the phone.
Standing offers that do not require haggling: $40 off any repair over $200, no trip charge inside the county, a free second opinion on any written estimate, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans.
We Also Serve Cities Near Short Hills
We install gates throughout Essex and Union counties. If you are in Gate Installation territory in Springfield, Summit, Maplewood, or Livingston, the same crew that works Short Hills drives the same trucks to your driveway. You can read more about how we serve Short Hills specifically on our city page. We know the roads, the building inspectors, and the local gate installs from the past 30 years.
Serving Short Hills, NJ - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Short Hills 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 Short Hills
Because the original gate was hung by a landscape or masonry contractor, not a gate professional. They built the posts, hung the panels, bolted on a FAAC or BFT operator, and called it done. A loop detector cuts into the driveway surface, so it got skipped. On a new installation, that loop detector is not optional. It is what prevents the gate from closing on a car that is still in the path. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will explain what your driveway needs and what it costs. Estimates are free.
Yes, and often that is the smarter fix. When the brick pillars have heaved and twisted, a swing gate will keep fighting the geometry no matter how many times you adjust the hinge. A cantilever slide gate rides on a rail above the driveway and does not depend on the pillars staying true. We have converted several Short Hills estates from swing to slide, including one on Old Short Hills Road where the original pillars were leaning two inches out of plumb. If your driveway has room for the slide track, it is worth considering. Call (877) 610-2993 for a straight answer on your particular entry.
It is usually the wiring, not the operator itself. Those early installations in Short Hills ran thin-guage wire through old conduit that has since cracked and let moisture in. When the ground freezes, the frost heave shifts the conduit slightly, and the intermittent short triggers a fault. We find this constantly. The fix is a new wiring run and, in many cases, a modern operator with proper thermal protection. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will diagnose it properly, not guess.
No. In most cases the panels are worth keeping. We re-hang the original wrought iron, correct the sag at the hinge post, and pair it with a new operator matched to the actual panel weight. That is what we did on a 1930s Georgian estate off Old Short Hills Road: we replaced a dead FAAC 750 that had been wired into a landscape lighting transformer, added a loop detector in the bluestone driveway, installed safety photocells and battery backup, then re-hung the original panels. The gate looked like it always had. It just worked right. Call (877) 610-2993 for an honest assessment of what can be saved.
UL 325 requires entrapment protection on every automated gate: photo-eyes across the gate path, or contact edge sensors, or both depending on the risk level. No exceptions. If you are replacing an old operator, we bring the whole system up to code before the inspector sees it. That means new safety sensors, proper electrical disconnect, and often a dedicated circuit instead of a tapped landscape transformer. The quote includes all of it. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will walk you through the requirements for your specific entry.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for Gate Installation in Short Hills
If you live in Short Hills and your gate is sagging, dead, or simply overdue for a real upgrade, call (877) 610-2993. A live person answers. We will schedule a free measure, write a price in plain English, and stand behind the work with the 90-Day Done Right Promise. Hal Gatewood has been doing this since 2001, and his name is on the shop. That kind of accountability does not expire.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Short Hills and the surrounding communities.