We design and install automatic gates for residential and commercial property in Scottsdale: swing and slide gates in steel or iron, the electric operator that moves them, and the access control that decides who comes through. The median home here was built in 1990. Plenty of driveways were laid out before anyone planned for a motor, a keypad or a safety sensor, so we fit each system to the entry that is actually there.
Ground shapes the job as much as the hardware does. Maricopa County has 1,206 feet of local relief within a few miles, and it changes from block to block, so every site is graded and tested on its own before work starts. A gate on a slope needs different hinges and travel than one on flat concrete. Call us for a free estimate.
We set the posts, hang the gate, mount the operator and wire it, then tune the system until it opens and stops the same way every time. Posts go into concrete footings sized to the weight of the leaf, with steel sleeves where the gate is heavy. Low-voltage control wire runs in conduit. We add photo eyes and safety edges so the gate reverses on contact, then set up access control: keypad, remote or phone entry. You leave knowing how the manual release works.
Most driveway gates here swing or slide, and the choice comes down to space and slope. A swing leaf needs clear, level ground across its whole arc. Grade varies from block to block, so we grade and test each site before we settle on a layout. Frames are heavy-wall square steel tube, fully welded and ground smooth, with iron pickets or flat bar infill built to your design. Every piece gets a zinc-rich primer under a powder coat finish.
Sliding gates suit short driveways and sloped approaches where a swing leaf would drag. We either pour a continuous concrete footing for a ground track, or build a cantilever frame that rides on sealed roller trucks and stays clear of the ground. The gear rack is bolted on, not tack-welded, so it can be adjusted as the gate settles. Slide gates usually fail from debris in the track or a sagging frame. We build against both from the start.
Repair calls usually start with a gate that stalls halfway, reverses for no reason, or hums without moving. The cause is often small: a misaligned photo eye, a worn hinge bearing, a stripped drive gear, a tired backup battery or a limit switch out of adjustment. The median home here was built in 1990, so we also see older operators and brittle buried wire. We test the whole system, show you what we found, and repair or replace only what needs it.
We build electric gates as if we will be the ones servicing them later. The median home in Scottsdale was built in 1990, so we often meet an older gate, a tired operator or iron that has outlived its hinges. We look at what is on the property first, and we replace only what has to go.
The ground matters just as much. Maricopa County has 1206 feet of local relief within a few miles, and it changes from block to block. A slide gate that runs true on flat concrete can bind on a grade. Every site is graded and tested on its own before we set a post, and the design follows what we find.
Before anything is drawn, we walk the driveway, measure the opening and check where the gate can actually travel. Maricopa County has 1206 feet of local relief within a few miles, and grade can change from one block to the next, so we shoot the slope on every site rather than guess. A swing gate on a rising drive will drag. A slider needs flat run beside the opening. We also locate power, irrigation and utilities, and note what access control the property needs.
Every gate is drawn to its opening, then built from steel in the shop. Frames are heavy-wall square tube, fully welded rather than stitched, with an internal truss so a wide leaf does not sag at the latch end. Iron pickets, plate or decorative panels fill the frame. Once the welds are ground clean, the steel is sandblasted, primed with a zinc-rich primer and powder coated. We confirm the design, color and hardware with you before any metal is cut.
Concrete does most of the work on a gate job. Posts and operator pads sit on footings sized to the leaf weight and span, reinforced with a rebar cage and set against the grade we measured at the start. Undersized footings are the most common reason the gates we repair start dragging: the post leans a little over time and the latch stops lining up. We handle the permit, and the concrete cures fully before any weight goes on it.
Hanging the gate is slow, careful work. Swing leaves go on heavy ball-bearing hinges welded to plate steel, set plumb so the gate holds still at any point in its arc. Sliding gates run on a V-groove track or, where the driveway can't take a track, a cantilever carriage with guide rollers at the top. We check clearance along the full travel, shim where the grade dips, and set positive stops so the operator never drives the gate into its own frame.
Power runs from your panel to the operator in buried conduit, with low-voltage control wiring pulled in its own conduit to keep it clear of interference. We mount the operator (swing arm, pad-mounted slide unit or underground motor, depending on the design), then wire in access control: keypad, remotes, intercom or phone-based entry. A buried vehicle loop or exit wand lets cars leave without a code. Battery backup keeps the gate in operation through a power outage.
Nothing is handed over until the gate has cycled many times under load. We set open and close limits, adjust force so the operator stops and reverses the moment it meets resistance, and test every safety device: photo eyes across the opening, contact edges on the leading edge, and entrapment protection at the pinch points. We run it with a vehicle, on foot and on battery alone. Anything that hesitates, rubs or stalls gets corrected here, not later.
The last step is yours. We walk you through daily operation, show you the manual release for when both power and battery are out, and program every remote and code you need. You get a plain maintenance list: keep the track clear of gravel, lubricate hinges and rollers, wipe dust and webs off the photo eyes, and have the system serviced periodically. Questions come up once you live with a new gate, and repair or maintenance calls are always welcome.
Size comes first, because width and height decide how much aluminum goes into the frame and how heavy the posts and footings need to be. Style is next: straight pickets are simpler to build than a scrolled or custom design. Automation adds an operator, wiring and access control. Then there is the ground. It can be steep and hilly here, and it changes from block to block, so every Scottsdale site is graded and tested before we give a number.
It depends on the gate, the operator and the site, which is why we price each one after seeing it. A single swing leaf on a flat drive needs one operator and a short wire run. A pair of heavy steel leaves needs two operators sized for the weight, stronger posts, and safety sensors so the gate stops when something is in its path. Access control, from a keypad to a remote, is part of the number too. Call for a free estimate.
There is no single figure, because an anti-tailgating system is built around how the entry gets used. The main pieces are a fast-cycling operator, vehicle detection that can tell one car from two, and access control that logs each credential. A residential community entry and a commercial lot call for different setups. Sometimes the existing gate and posts can stay, and that changes the scope. We size the system to the traffic first. Price follows from that.
Distance drives most of it. The intercom at the gate has to reach the house, either through a wired run under the driveway or through a wireless or cellular unit that skips the trenching. Audio-only stations cost less than video. Tying the intercom into the gate operator, so you can open the gate from a handset or your phone, adds wiring and setup. On a Scottsdale property with a long drive, the wiring choice matters more than the hardware.
Mostly, it closes the gap between the yard and the street. Kids and dogs stay in, and foot traffic that has no business there stays out. It also finishes the side of the house properly when the iron or steel matches the rest of the fence and the front entry. Around a pool, a self-closing hinge and a latch set above a child's reach add real safety. A lock on the patio side keeps tools and equipment secure.
Yes. We install intercoms as part of a full electric gate system, or on their own for a gate that already runs. The call station goes where a driver can reach it without getting out of the car. From there, the wiring runs to the handset inside and to the operator's control board, so answering and opening happen from the same place. Before we pack up, we test the call, the release and a full gate cycle together.
We build in steel and wrought iron, and we choose the operator to suit the opening. A swing gate needs clear arc space on the drive side. A slide gate needs a straight, level run beside the opening. Either one runs on an electric operator with safety sensors, a manual release for power outages, and access control that ranges from a simple keypad to a full entry system.
Ground settles most of the design. Maricopa County carries 1206 feet of local relief within a few miles, and a drive that looks flat often is not, so we grade and test every site before a post goes in. The median Scottsdale home was built in 1990, which means we check existing pillars and walls before hanging new iron on them.
