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 Parts & Welding Across Kentfield
Gate parts and welding in Kentfield usually run $185-$480 for a hinge or post replacement, and most jobs are finished the same day when we have the part on the truck. Kentfield’s wet hillside lots punish gates faster than almost anywhere in Marin, so the real question isn’t whether a gate will fail, it’s whether the repair will hold through the next rain season. We answer that question by welding on site, right in your driveway, so the gate never leaves your property. Call (877) 610-2993 and you’ll talk to a live person, not a menu.
We’ve been at this since 2001. Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop and on every invoice. When a Kentfield gate sags, it’s usually the post, not the panel, and that is where we start.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Kentfield’s Preferred Gate Parts & Welding Company
We work on more Kentfield driveway gates than any other single repair shop in the Ross Valley, mostly because we fix what other companies want to replace. A national outfit will tell you to swap the whole gate and opener. We’ll cut out the rusted post, weld in a new steel sleeve, and have the same gate swinging true by afternoon.
Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, one call brings Hal back. No runaround, no “that’s outside the warranty” conversation. The promise is stamped on the invoice, not buried in seven pages of fine print.
We know the streets here. The cut-bank driveways off Hillview Drive. The shared easement gates on Laurel Grove Avenue. The deer-fenced parcels climbing toward the county line. That local knowledge changes how we approach a job before we ever put a wrench on it.
And you’ll always get a person on the phone. Day or night, a live voice answers. Not a voicemail, not a call center three states away. When your gate won’t open and your car is stuck in the driveway at 7 a.m., that matters.
Our Gate Parts & Welding Services in Kentfield
Hinge Replacement
A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle. On Kentfield’s hillside parcels, a sagging gate usually means the hinge post has been drinking runoff for a decade and is quietly failing below grade. We don’t just swap the hinge. We cut out the rot, weld in a new steel post base, and re-hang with grade-compensated hinges that account for the slope. That gate stays square, even on a driveway dropping 8 inches over ten feet.
Post Replacement
Kentfield’s altitude-driven rainfall gradient means upper hillside properties get noticeably more winter saturation than Ross or Kent Woodlands. A post replacement on Hillview Drive usually shows deeper corrosion than the same job two miles downhill in Larkspur. We dig out the old footing, pour a new one with proper drainage, and weld a post that will outlast the one we removed. And we quote the price before we start, never after.
Rail Repair
Rails take the load that the gate can’t shed. On the shared driveways common in Kentfield’s hillside neighborhoods, a swing gate that never quite clears the cut bank puts constant torsion on the bottom rail. We straighten, sleeve, or replace the rail, then weld the pickets back so the gate doesn’t look like it was patched. Fix the rail properly and the gate stops eating hinges.
Custom Welding
Sometimes the part doesn’t exist. An odd-angle post mount, a wood gate that needs a steel stiffener, a deer-fence walk-through that needs a welded frame. We weld on site, in your driveway, with the gate still on its hinges or the post still in its hole when it’s safe to do so. Custom welding is where Hal’s 29 years of experience really shows. We don’t haul your gate to a shop. We bring the shop to you.
Our full Gate Parts & Welding team also handles gate rollers, latch and lock repair, and track work. If a part is seized, stripped, or snapped, we’ll tell you straight whether it can be welded and repaired, or if replacement is actually cheaper in the long run.
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 Kentfield
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, but on Kentfield’s hillside properties we see a lot of older Viking and Linear units from the 1980s and 90s, plus FAAC and BFT on newer installs. Those older operators are workhorses, but their circuit boards don’t love Marin County humidity. When a board corrodes on a Viking unit that’s been running a deer-heavy latch for five years, we can usually source the part and have you running again without a full replacement. We keep common parts stocked for Kentfield customers so we’re not waiting on a warehouse in Ohio while your gate sits dead.
Common Gate Parts & Welding Problems We See in Kentfield Homes
- Slide gates binding on downhill driveways. Redwood duff and coast live oak litter pack into the rack and pinion track, and moisture trapped under the track corrodes the rollers mid-span. A slide gate that binds once a week is telling you the track needs attention, not just the rollers.
- Swing gates dropping onto hinge posts. On shared driveway gates where a swing can’t clear the slope, runoff undercuts the post footing. The gate leans, then drops, then shears the weld. That’s the most common serious failure we see in Kentfield, and it’s almost always preventable with a proper post footing and drainage.
- Improvised deer-gate latches stripping operators. Homeowners add weight to gate closers to keep deer out, which overloads older Linear operator gear trains. One rain season later, the opener is howling and the gate won’t close. We see this constantly on hillside parcels off Sir Francis Drake.
- Moisture-warped wood gates on ranch-era homes. Kentfield’s mid-century ranch homes often have original wood driveway gates. The wet-dry cycling in the Ross Valley fog belt warps the frame, pulls the hinges out of square, and eventually splits the top rail. Sometimes we weld a steel stiffener into the back face and save the gate. Sometimes the gate is beyond saving, and we tell you instead of pretending.
Pricing for Gate Parts & Welding in Kentfield, CA
Here’s what typical jobs run in Kentfield right now, so you’re not calling blind:
- Hinge replacement: $185-$340, depending on post condition and slope compensation needed.
- Post replacement with new concrete footing: $320-$480 on flat lots, $420-$650 on hillside driveways where the footing needs deeper excavation and drainage work.
- Rail repair with welding: $150-$300, more if the rail is structural and needs full replacement.
- Custom welding (brackets, stiffeners, deer-gate frames): $95-$250 per hour of shop-and-field welding time, quoted up front.
- Gate roller replacement: $140-$260 per roller set, including track inspection.
You’ll get a firm price before anything gets touched. No trip charge inside the county. We also take $40 off any repair over $200, and seniors and veterans get a permanent 10% discount. We keep those offers simple because haggling is for car lots, not gate repair. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll quote the job over the phone or come measure it for free. If another company gave you a written estimate, bring it in and we’ll give you a free second opinion.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kentfield
Our Kentfield service area covers the full 94914 zip, from the flats near the College of Marin up into the hillside neighborhoods off Sir Francis Drake. If you’re in Larkspur, San Anselmo, Corte Madera, or Fairfax, we’ll come to you too. Same crew, same welder, same promise in writing.
Serving Kentfield, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Kentfield 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 Parts & Welding in Kentfield
Because Kentfield’s year-round humidity and redwood duff get into the roller bearings and corrode them, even on gates that face south and get sun. The fog that channels through Ross Valley keeps moisture in the track longer than you’d see in San Rafael or Corte Madera. When we replace rollers in Kentfield, we use sealed bearings and clear the track of debris before installing them. That’s the difference between a repair that lasts two years and one that lasts ten. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll inspect the track and rollers the same day.
Yes, most of the time. A sagging gate usually means the hinge post is failing below grade, but that doesn’t require tearing out masonry. We cut the post at ground level, weld a new steel stub and base plate, and re-hang the gate with grade-compensated hinges. The masonry column stays intact. If the masonry itself is cracked and leaning, that’s a different conversation, but we’ll show you exactly what’s going on before recommending anything. Call (877) 610-2993 for a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
We keep the track clear and the rack teeth dry, and we replace rollers with sealed units rated for wet, debris-heavy environments. On a steep Kentfield driveway, a slide gate is often the only option, but it has to be installed with drainage under the track and regular clearance for the duff that pours down the hillside. We’ll also check that the gate operator’s limit switches are set tight so the gate doesn’t slam the post every cycle. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll come measure what you’ve got and give you a written price.
Yes, if it’s installed with corrosion protection and set up for the way your gate actually gets used. Kentfield’s humidity and rain funneling down the hillside are hard on operator circuit boards. We install corrosion-resistant housings, seal penetration points, and calibrate the operator for the loads your gate carries, including deer-proof latches and uneven terrain. A properly installed FAAC or BFT operator will outlive an identical unit that was just bolted on. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you which operator will actually hold up on your site.
The latch, then the operator gear train, then the hinge post. Deer fencing with walk-through gates is everywhere on Kentfield’s wooded hillside parcels, and the improvised latches people add to keep deer out usually overload the opener within a season. The gear train strips, the gate starts gliding, and the post takes the abuse. We weld a proper self-latching deer catch into the frame, set the operator’s force limits correctly, and make sure the walk-through gate hangs square so the opener isn’t fighting the weight. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll look at the whole system, not just the part that failed today.
One more thing worth saying plainly. On Laurel Grove Avenue, we replaced a rust-seized hinge post on a 1970s swing gate that loops a shared driveway. The operator was an older Viking unit, and the post footing was so saturated from rain funneling down the hillside that we had to cut and re-pour the concrete while the neighbor’s car still needed in-and-out. We welded a new steel hinge post with grade-compensated hinges, and kept the swing arc tight to the cut bank so the uphill access lane stayed open the whole time. That’s the kind of job that doesn’t show up on a flat-lot pricing chart, and it’s the kind we get called to in Kentfield all the time.
If your gate is sagging, seized, or just not holding the way it should, call (877) 610-2993. We’ll quote the job before we start, and if it’s not done right, we make it right. That’s the whole deal.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Kentfield since 2001.