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 The Colony
Gate installation in The Colony usually takes one to three days once materials are on site, and the biggest delay is almost always HOA approval, not the work itself. We know that because we’ve been building and hanging gates in The Colony long enough to have seen the architectural committee process slow down a dozen good projects. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll walk you through what your HOA will want to see before we ever dig a post hole.
Hal Gatewood started this shop in 2001 and still runs it himself. When you call about a driveway gate on Memorial Drive or a pedestrian gate off Paige Road, you’re talking to someone who knows exactly which side of your street catches the lake wind. That matters more than you’d think. The Colony has its own set of rules about our Gate Access Control in The Colony covering gate height, finish, and setback, and a gate that looks right in Frisco won’t always pass review here.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is The Colony’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Most of our work in The Colony comes from neighbors telling neighbors. Somebody sees a new swing gate going in on a cul-de-sac in The Tribute, asks who did it, and then calls us. That’s how Hal has built this business for over two decades. The name is on the shop, the shop is down the road, and that’s the oldest accountability there is.
Every gate we install in The Colony carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something isn’t right, one call brings Hal back. No runaround, no “that’s not covered.” We also answer the phone with a live person around the clock, which means when your gate won’t close at 11pm and the HOA is sending notices, you get a real voice, not a voicemail.
The Colony’s housing stock is mostly 1990s and mid-2000s construction, which means a lot of the original gate hardware in neighborhoods like Ridgepointe and Colony Lakes is hitting the end of its service life. Actuators fail, control boards burn out, hinge welds crack - that’s where Gate Parts & Welding in The Colony comes in. We see it daily. When you call for a quote, the person on the phone understands that a 25-year-old swing gate isn’t the same animal as a new build.
Our Gate Installation Services in The Colony
Here’s what we install most often in The Colony, and what each one involves.
Swing Gate Installation in The Colony
Double swing gates are the standard for HOA driveway entries in The Colony, especially in the larger brick-and-stone homes built around Stewart Peninsula and along Lake Ridge Drive. The thing nobody tells you: a swing gate sags because the hinge post moves in the clay, not because the gate itself is weak. We set hinge posts deeper than code minimum for this specific reason. The Colony’s black clay expands in spring and contracts in August, and a shallow post will heave within two seasons. We also recommend marine-grade primer on the lake-facing side anywhere within half a mile of Lewisville Lake’s shoreline. The humidity out there strips normal paint in three years.
Sliding Gate Installation in The Colony
Sliding gates show up more on narrower lots and on HOA community entry points where there’s no room for a gate to swing into the driveway. They need a solid track and a level run, and The Colony’s soil movement means the track will sink unevenly unless the base is over-excavated and compacted properly. We’ve pulled old tracks out from under gates in The Tribute that had settled two inches in ten years. The gate jumped the rack constantly. You fix that at install, not after.
Security Gate Installation in The Colony
A security gate in The Colony is less about keeping people out and more about giving a visual boundary. But the electronics matter, especially on shared entry gates. Loop detectors and photocells are what keep a gate from closing on a car or a kid’s bike, and when the soil shifts under the post, the photocell alignment goes out and the gate starts reversing for no reason residents can see. We install and tune safety edges and photocells with the assumption that the ground here will move. That’s not a guess; it’s North Texas clay. In The Tribute especially, we’ve seen lake-facing posts drift far enough to trigger daily nuisance reversals.
Pedestrian Gate Installation in The Colony
Pedestrian gates usually run between the side fence and the driveway, or form a gated entry from the front walk. These are often ornamental iron to match HOA requirements. The Colony HOAs tend to be strict about matching existing fencing style, so we fabricate and hang pedestrian gates that mirror your neighborhood’s standard iron picket or panel design. A gate that looks like it’s been there since the house was built is the one that clears committee.
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 The Colony
We install and service operators from Linear, Viking, and DoorKing, among others. Why those three for The Colony? Linear operators are the workhorse on older HOA perimeter gates here because they were the default spec in the late 90s and early 2000s. Viking and DoorKing show up frequently on newer Tribute and lakeside installs. Because we service these brands regularly across The Colony, we stock the control boards, remotes, and safety sensors that fail most often. That means a faster repair and fewer return trips. And when we install a new gate with one of these operators, you’re not locked into a proprietary system that only one company in the metroplex will touch.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in The Colony Homes
- HOA architectural rejection after the fact. A homeowner orders a gate, we install it, and then the committee says the height or finish doesn’t match the neighborhood standard. This is avoidable. In The Colony, HOA approval happens before you commit to a style. We’ll help you prepare the submission.
- Hinge posts rotating in expansive clay. North Texas black clay swells after spring rain and shrinks in drought. A hinge post set at standard depth rotates and throws a double swing gate out of plumb. The gate binds on the latch post. Deeper footings and caged rebar are the fix, and we do that on every swing gate in The Colony.
- Lake-driven rust on the lake-facing side of iron gates. In The Tribute and other waterfront subdivisions, the gate’s lake side blisters faster than the street side because of persistent humidity off Lewisville Lake. We prep and seal that face differently than inland jobs. Marine-grade epoxy and primer on that side, every time.
- Slide gates jumping the rack as the track settles. The Colony’s clay doesn’t just push posts up; it also settles unevenly under tracks. A slide gate that was smooth for the first few years suddenly grinds and stalls. Proper base compaction and a heavier track bed at installation prevents most of this.
Pricing for Gate Installation in The Colony, TX
For a standard single swing gate with operator, expect to spend $3,800 to $7,200 in The Colony. A double swing gate typically runs $5,500 to $11,000 depending on ironwork and whether it’s a driveway entry or a shared community gate. Sliding gates on The Colony lots usually land between $4,200 and $8,500. A basic ornamental pedestrian gate is $900 to $2,400 installed. Security gate systems with keypad entry, intercom, and vehicle detection run higher, often $6,000 to $14,000 for a full shared entry rebuild.
The price is quoted and agreed in writing before any work starts. Not an estimate that drifts. A number on paper. We also offer a free second opinion on any written estimate from another company, $40 off any repair over $200, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free measure and a written quote.
We Also Serve Cities Near The Colony
Our crews cover Gate Installation across the north Dallas suburbs. We regularly work in The Colony, and we also serve Frisco, Little Elm, Carrollton, and Lewisville. If you’re just across the line but still in Denton County, call and ask.
Serving The Colony, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the The Colony 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 The Colony
Yes, and you’ll save real money by doing it first. The Colony’s HOAs, especially in master-planned sections like The Tribute, have architectural guidelines covering gate height, finish, style, and setback. A gate installed without committee sign-off can be ordered removed at your expense. We can quote you before or after approval, but we won’t fabricate until the approval letter is in hand. Bring us the HOA’s gate specs and we’ll build to them exactly. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you what your committee will want to see.
Persistent humidity off Lewisville Lake keeps the lake-facing side of iron gates damp longer than the street-facing side, which accelerates oxidation. A wrought iron gate a mile inland in Colony Lakes or Ridgepointe will hold paint for years; the same gate on a lakefront cul-de-sac in The Tribute will blister on the water side within three or four seasons. That’s why we use marine-grade epoxy primer specifically on the lake face of every iron gate we install near the shoreline. It’s a small addition that saves a full repaint job down the road.
For a swing gate, we set posts at 42 to 48 inches minimum in The Colony, which is deeper than the standard 36 inches most crews use. The region’s expansive black clay swells dramatically after spring rains and shrinks just as hard in late summer. A post at 36 inches will rotate and throw the gate out of plumb within a couple of seasons. For heavy double driveway gates, we go deeper and use caged rebar. The footing is the whole job; skimp there and you’ll fix it twice. Get an exact spec from us by calling (877) 610-2993 with your gate type and we’ll talk soil.
We do it regularly in The Colony. Most management companies here require approved contractors during set windows, so we schedule fabrication around the committee’s review timeline and the management company’s contractor hours. We’ve done one-day installs in The Tribute where the HOA had already pre-approved the style and finish, and we coordinated the install window directly with the property manager. If your HOA needs copies of our insurance, license, or a W-9, we send them same day. You don’t have to chase paperwork.
If the iron is structurally sound and the hinge posts are still plumb, replace the operator. A new Linear or Viking operator on solid posts is half the cost of a full rebuild and buys you years. The problem in The Colony is that 20-year-old gates usually have posts that have already shifted in the clay. Once the post has rotated, a new operator is a band-aid. The gate will still bind. We’ll inspect the post set before we recommend anything, and if the gate can be saved, we’ll tell you so plainly. Hal has been doing Gate Repair - The Colony since 2001 and he’d rather repair a gate than sell you one you don’t need.
Need a gate installed or a quote in The Colony? Call (877) 610-2993 for a free measure and a written price. Hal will answer or call you back from the shop, and you can look us up at our published address. Estimates are free, and the price we quote is the price you’ll pay.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving The Colony and the north Dallas suburbs since 2001.