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 Shoreline
When a gate starts to sag, bind, or refuse to latch in Shoreline, the cause usually isn’t what you think. After 29 years of fixing gates, Hal Gatewood knows that a leaning swing gate on a 1958 ranch off 15th Ave NE is rarely a hinge problem. It’s the Douglas fir hinge post, set directly into concrete when the house was built, rotted out below the soil line. If you’re in 98133 and your gate is misbehaving, call (877) 610-2993 and Hal will tell you straight whether it’s a hardware fix or a post footing replacement. No guesswork, no upsell.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Shoreline’s Preferred Gate Parts & Welding Company
Gatewood Fence & Gate has been locally owned and owner-operated since 2001. Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop and on every invoice. That matters to Shoreline homeowners who have been through the routine before: a national brand quotes one price on the phone, then a stranger at the door finds reasons to charge more. We don’t work that way.
Our Gate Parts & Welding team works on-site. We bring the welder to your driveway instead of hauling your gate to some shop across the county. Shoreline calls are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, not a voicemail and not a queue. When you call, you get Hal or a member of his crew. And every job, from a hinge replacement to a full post footing, carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, one call brings us back.
Our Gate Parts & Welding Services in Shoreline
Post Replacement
Most Shoreline swing gates fail at the post, not the panel. The original Douglas fir posts set in concrete on 1950s and 60s ranch homes have had 50-plus years of wet Shoreline winters to rot at the soil line. The gate above still looks straight, but the footing is hollow. We remove the old post, pour a new concrete footing, and weld a steel post shoe to hold the new post out of the wet. We only replace what actually failed.
Hinge Replacement
Heavy-duty hinges on a post that’s beginning to fail will only accelerate the damage. We stock and weld hinge sets rated for Shoreline’s wet, shaded lots. If your gate scrapes the driveway on the latch side or won’t stay plumb after you tighten the hardware, the hinge post is usually the root cause. We’ll tell you when a hinge replacement alone will hold, and when it won’t.
Rail Repair
Wooden rails on older Shoreline gates rot from the inside out. The hardware looks fine, but the top rail has turned soft and the screws won’t bite. We can cut out the bad section, weld a steel or aluminum rail replacement, and keep the original gate panel. On chain-link runs along 1960s side yards, corroded rails and rusted carriage bolts cause the gate to twist and bind. We repair the rail and re-tension the fabric so the gate swings true.
Custom Welding
Some repairs don’t exist in a parts catalog. A 1962 chain-link gate with a rusted latch post, a driveway swing gate with a broken brace angle, a townhome pedestrian gate that needs a stiffening plate. Hal welds on site, and he’s been doing it since 2001. We don’t swap in a generic replacement when a weld will outlast it.
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 Shoreline
Gatewood Fence & Gate services and stocks parts for the operators Shoreline homes actually have: Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing among them. Legacy operators on original ranch houses often have control boards that are no longer made. Before you replace the whole unit, let Hal look at it. In many cases we can retrofit the board, add a safety photocell, or rebuild the gearbox. If a new operator is the honest answer, we’ll install it and set the limits, force, and safety edges so it meets current standards, not the 1982 spec.
Common Gate Parts & Welding Problems We See in Shoreline Homes
- Rotting hinge posts below the soil line. The original Douglas fir post is still standing, but it’s hollow underneath. The gate leans, the latch binds, and tightening hinges doesn’t help. Post replacement is the only real fix.
- Jumping, shuddering slide gates on 1960s chain-link runs. Decades of wet leaves and rain corrode gate rollers and wear rack and pinion teeth. A new opener won’t fix a gate the rollers can’t carry. We replace the rollers, clean the rack, and align the track before touching the motor.
- Photocell trips on otherwise fine operators. When a hinge post rots and pulls the gate out of plumb, the safety eye misaligns and the gate refuses to close. The operator is fine. The geometry isn’t. We correct the post and the gate closes.
- Exit loop failure on new townhome gates. Shoreline’s upzoning along the 145th St and 185th St light rail stations has brought a wave of new automated gates. Many exit loops weren’t tuned for the clay soil movement here. After the first wet winter, the gate shifts and the sensor stops detecting cars. We retune or replace the loop detector.
Pricing for Gate Parts & Welding in Shoreline, WA
You should know the numbers before anyone starts. In Shoreline, a hinge replacement on a standard single swing gate typically runs $180-$320 if the post is sound. Post replacement, including removing the old Douglas fir post, the new concrete footing, and a steel post shoe, runs $425-$875 on most residential lots. Custom welding and rail repair runs $150-$400 depending on the length of the repair and the amount of fab needed. Rack and pinion or roller replacement on a slide gate is usually $220-$550. These prices are quoted and agreed before any work starts, and we offer $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. Call (877) 610-2993 for a straight quote.
We Also Serve Cities Near Shoreline
Our crews serve Shoreline and regular customers just beyond: Lake Forest Park, Mountlake Terrace, Kenmore, and Alderwood Manor. The same owner-operated crew, the same 90-Day Done Right Promise, the same on-site welding.
Serving Shoreline, WA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Shoreline 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 Shoreline
The hinge post is usually the culprit. On Shoreline’s older ranch homes, the original Douglas fir post was set directly in concrete and has been soaking up wet-ground moisture for 50-plus years. Tightening hinges on a post that’s rotted below the soil line won’t hold. The fix is post replacement, and it’s a one-day job for our crew. Call (877) 610-2993 and Hal can tell you over the phone if that’s what you’re dealing with.
Yes, in most cases. We wire new photocells, safety edges, and keypads into the existing control board, and update the board itself when the original is too old to accept them. We do this regularly on Shoreline homes where the operator still runs fine but was installed before current safety standards. Call (877) 610-2993 with the operator model and Hal will tell you whether it’s worth retrofitting.
Usually not. The rollers and rack on older Shoreline chain-link gates are the failure point. Rusted rollers stop turning and the gate drags, while worn rack teeth make the gate jump as the pinion skips. We replace rollers and rack first, then check the operator. Many times the motor is fine once the gate is rolling freely on new parts. Estimates are free: (877) 610-2993.
Shoreline’s clay soil holds water and shifts seasonally, which moves the gate frame just enough to throw off a loop detector that was tuned when the ground was dry. We retune the loop frequency for the current soil conditions and can add a free-exit photo-eye as backup. We’ve seen this on a number of the new townhome clusters built after the 2024 light rail upzoning. Call (877) 610-2993 to schedule a loop diagnostic.
No. Rail replacement is cheaper and often stronger than a whole gate replacement. We cut out the rotted sections, weld in steel or aluminum rails, and keep the original panel and hardware. Most Shoreline rail repairs run $150-$400. If the rails are the only failure, we’ll tell you that plainly. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free evaluation.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Shoreline since 2001.
If your gate is sagging, binding, or refusing to latch, call (877) 610-2993. Hal will answer, talk through what you’re seeing, and tell you whether it’s a hinge, a post, a rail, or a wash. Free estimates, straight answers, written upfront pricing.