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 Repair Across Alamo
Gate repair in Alamo, CA typically runs $195 to $485 for most service calls, and we can usually have someone at your property within one business day. That’s the honest range for the work we do most often around here: realigning a sagging dual-leaf gate on Stone Valley Road, replacing a worn hinge post, or bringing a late-1980s LiftMaster opener back to life. If your gate won’t open, won’t close, or has started groaning like it’s had enough, call us at (877) 610-2993 and we’ll talk through what you’re seeing before we ever roll a truck.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Alamo’s Preferred Gate Repair Company
We’ve been repairing gates since 2001, and a lot of that work happens right here in Alamo’s estate neighborhoods. Hal Gatewood owns the shop, his name is on every invoice, and when you call, a live person answers. No voicemail, no phone tree, no call center three states away. You get someone who knows what a 16-foot dual-leaf wrought iron gate on a sloped gravel driveway actually weighs, and why the opener is straining.
The difference with us is simple: we fix the gate you have. National companies quote replacement because it’s easier for them. We weld on site, rebuild hinge posts in place, and retrofit older operators with modern safety photocells instead of selling you a whole new system you didn’t need. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If we didn’t get it right, one call brings Hal back. That’s not a slogan. It’s stamped on the paperwork.
Alamo homeowners keep calling us because we show up in the window we promised, we quote a price before the work starts, and the person who quoted it is often the one turning the wrench. If you’d rather look someone in the eye before you commit, you can drive to the shop and do exactly that.
Our Gate Repair Services in Alamo
Electric Gate Repair
Most electric gate failures in Alamo come down to three things: a control board that’s past its useful life, a safety photocell that’s drifted out of alignment, or a limit switch that’s gotten lazy. We troubleshoot the entire circuit, not just the symptom. On Alamo estates with late-1980s and 1990s LiftMaster and Linear operators, intermittent dropouts after a Diablo wind event are often a board on its way out. We can test it on site and tell you honestly whether a retrofit makes sense.
Automatic Gate Repair
Automatic gates in Alamo work hard. They cycle multiple times a day, often for horse trailers, delivery trucks, and guests. When an automatic gate starts reversing halfway open or stops responding to the remote, the cause isn’t always electrical. On sloped driveways, poor grade adjustment can make the operator overheat and trip its force sensor. We check the mechanical side first, then the electronics. That order saves you money.
Hinge & Post Repair
A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle. That’s where we start. Alamo’s Diablo winds put real stress on open-frame wrought iron panels, and after a few windy falls, hinge posts lean, welds crack, and gates start dragging on the gravel. We rebuild posts in place, re-weld broken hinges, and get the gate swinging true again. Swapping the panel without fixing the post means you’ll be calling us again in six months.
Gate Realignment
Show me the gate closing on its own and I’ll show you where it’s failing. Realignment is the most common repair we do in Alamo, especially on oversized dual-leaf swing gates. When the gap between panels opens up or the gate starts scraping, it’s almost always a foundation-level issue. We level the posts, adjust the hinge tension, and then recalibrate the operator so it isn’t fighting the gate on every cycle. Proper alignment lengthens the life of the motor and the hinges both.
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 Alamo
We stock parts and service nine major gate brands: LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. Around Alamo, we see a lot of FAAC and BFT on newer estate installations, and a lot of Linear and Viking on the older ones. If your opener was made in the 1990s and the manufacturer no longer supports the board, we can often source a compatible aftermarket part or retrofit the system with a modern controller that keeps your existing hardware. You don’t always need a whole new gate. You need someone who knows what fits what.
Common Gate Repair Problems We See in Alamo Homes
- Legacy operator failure after Diablo wind events. Strong offshore gusts rattle open-frame gates and knock photocells out of alignment. Older LiftMaster and Linear boards from the 1980s and 1990s then drop keypad codes or fail to read the loop detector, and the gate won’t respond.
- Sagging dual-leaf gates on sloped gravel driveways. Alamo’s estate parcels often slope up from the road. When a 16-foot leaf settles on an improperly graded post, the opener strains, overheats, and reverses. This gets misdiagnosed as a board failure all the time.
- Worn hinge posts on equestrian properties. Gates wide enough for a two-horse trailer carry a lot of momentum. After years of daily use, the hinge post leans, the gate drags, and the operator burns out. Fixing the post beats replacing the operator every time.
- Rust and corrosion on open-frame wrought iron. Alamo’s hot, dry summers bake lubricant out of exposed hardware, and older gates without modern primer coatings rust along the bottom rail. We weld patch plates and re-coat on site to extend the gate’s life without hauling it off.
Pricing for Gate Repair in Alamo, CA
A typical gate realignment in Alamo runs $195 to $340. Hinge and post repair usually lands between $280 and $485, depending on whether the post needs to be re-set in concrete or just re-shimmed and welded. Electric gate troubleshooting runs $145 to $260, and if a control board needs replacement, add $200 to $450 for the part depending on brand. Weld and rust repair on a wrought iron panel typically costs $180 to $400 per panel section. Every price is quoted and agreed before any work starts. No surprises at the door. You’ll also get $40 off any repair over $200, and there’s no trip charge inside the county. If you’ve gotten a written estimate from another company, bring it to us and we’ll give you a free second opinion. Call (877) 610-2993 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Alamo
Our Gate Repair work regularly takes us beyond Alamo into the surrounding East Bay communities. We’re in Saranap, Moraga, Walnut Creek, and Danville most weeks, and we know the local roads well enough to give you an honest arrival window instead of a guess. If you’re reading this from one of those towns, call us the same way. The Alamo crew covers the whole San Ramon Valley.
Serving Alamo, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Alamo 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 Repair in Alamo
It’s almost never the motor. On the sloped gravel driveways common along Stone Valley Road and other Alamo estate corridors, the gate’s weight shifts as the hinge posts settle. That causes the opener to draw more current than its force sensor allows, so it trips and reverses. The fix is usually grade correction and post re-leveling, not a new board. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll test it on site.
Yes, in most cases. We’ve done this many times on Alamo properties where the gate predates modern UL 325 entrapment protections. The original operator can often stay, but we add current-spec photocells and a monitor that meets today’s safety requirements. If the board is genuinely too far gone, we’ll tell you that straight before we recommend a retrofit.
Weld and rust repair is almost always cheaper. A full replacement gate on an Alamo estate can run $4,000 to $12,000 or more for a custom dual-leaf wrought iron piece. Weld patch and re-coating a rusted bottom rail typically runs $180 to $400 per panel section. Unless the structural steel is compromised all the way through, we repair it and you keep the gate that matches your property. We’ll look first before we ever quote a replacement.
They really do. Diablo winds aren’t coastal gusts. They’re strong, dry offshore winds that funnel down through the San Ramon Valley in fall, and they hit Alamo gates broadside on open hillside exposures. Loose hinge bolts, cracked welds, and misaligned photocells all show up after a good wind event. We recommend checking hinge tightness after any sustained wind, or call us to do it as part of an annual tune-up.
If your gate stops and reverses when it hits resistance, that’s good. But if you don’t have working safety photocells across the gate opening, or if there’s no audible alarm on a swing gate that can reach full travel in under two seconds, you’re likely out of compliance. We can test your system against current UL 325 standards and bring it up to code without replacing the whole gate. A quick call to (877) 610-2993 gets the process started.
Hal Gatewood has been fixing gates since 2001, and he’s not hard to find. He lives in the area, his shop address is published, and his crew serves Alamo every week. If your gate is acting up, you don’t need a national company with a call center and a clipboard. You need a neighbor who will show up, look at the gate honestly, and do the repair that’s actually required. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate, or to ask a question about your gate. A live person answers, day or night.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Alamo and the San Ramon Valley since 2001.