We build and install steel gates for Scottsdale homes and businesses: driveway gates, walk gates, and the electric systems that open and close them. Every gate is made for the opening it hangs in. The median home here was built in 1990, so we design around the property as it stands, not a catalog picture. Access control and automation get planned in from the first sketch.
The ground in this part of the state can rise 1206 feet within a few miles, and it changes from block to block. So we grade and test every site on its own before a post goes in. That work decides how the gate hangs, how the automation runs, and whether the safety controls do their job. Call for a free estimate.
An automatic gate is three jobs done together: the gate, the operator that moves it, and the controls that tell it when. We size a swing or slide operator to the gate's weight and width, run low-voltage control wire in conduit, and fit the safety pieces a moving gate needs: photo-eye sensors, a reversing edge, and a manual release you can reach during a power outage. Access control is your choice of keypad, remote, intercom or phone app.
Most driveway gates we hang are welded steel: a 2-inch square tube frame, pickets or panels welded inside it, and diagonal bracing so a wide leaf does not sag at the latch end. Posts set in concrete footings sized for the gate's weight. Ground here runs steep in places and changes from block to block, so we grade and check each driveway across the full swing before choosing single or double leaves. Finish is zinc-rich primer under powder coat.
Sliding gates suit spots where a swing gate cannot work: a short drive, a driveway that rises toward the house, or a lot with no room for a leaf to open. We run the gate on a V-groove track set in a concrete strip, or cantilever it on rollers so nothing sits on the ground. The track has to stay level and clear. A dropped roller or a rock in the groove is the usual reason a slider jams halfway.
When a gate stops mid-travel, reverses for no reason, or hums without moving, the cause is usually one of a handful: misaligned photo eyes, a worn gear or chain, a failed capacitor, a limit setting that has drifted, or hinges that have dropped and now bind. We test the operator, the control board and the gate itself, because a motor straining against a sagging leaf will burn out again. Cracked welds, bent pickets and rust breaking through the finish get repaired too.
A steel gate is only as good as its fit to the property it guards. Half the homes in Scottsdale were built in 1990 or earlier, so we often meet old posts, tired openers and driveways that were never planned for automation. We design each entry around what is actually there, not around a catalog drawing.
Ground matters too. Maricopa County carries 1,206 feet of local relief within a few miles, and the grade can change from one block to the next. So we grade and test every site on its own before work starts. A gate that swings true on a flat pad can bind on a slope, and we find that out first.
We start at the property line with a tape, a level and a locator for buried utilities. We measure the opening, check how the drive falls across the swing path, and find where power can reach an operator. Ground here can change a lot from one block to the next, so every site is graded and tested on its own before we settle on a design. A gate hung without accounting for even a small slope drags, binds and wears out its motor early.
Measurements become a drawing you approve before any steel is cut. Frames are heavy-wall square steel tube, filled with pickets, solid panels or ornamental iron depending on the look and how much privacy you want. Welds are ground smooth, then the steel is cleaned, primed and powder coated in the color you choose. Wide swing gates get a diagonal brace or a full truss. Without one, the latch end sags after a few years of daily cycles and stops meeting the post.
Posts carry the whole gate, so the footing matters more than anything above ground. We dig each hole deep and wide enough for the post's height and the gate's weight, set steel posts in concrete, and plumb them before the mix sets. Slide gates also need a poured pad for the operator and a footing that stays level across the full run. On a sloped lot, footings are sized to the grade at that spot. The concrete cures before any weight hangs on it.
Hanging the gate is the part people picture, and it goes quickly when the footings are right. Hinges are welded or bolted to the posts, the leaf is shimmed to height, and we check clearance at every point of travel. On slide gates we set the rollers and guide posts so the leaf tracks straight without rubbing. Latches, stops and drop rods go in last. Then we open and close it by hand, repeatedly, until it moves freely and closes true.
Electric gates run on an operator matched to the gate's weight and width: surface swing arms, underground operators, or a rack-and-pinion slide motor. Wiring runs in conduit, trenched to the operator and to any keypad or intercom post. Access control fits the property: remotes, keypads, a phone-based system, or a vehicle loop that opens the gate on the way out. Residential and commercial systems follow the same approach at different scales. We handle the permit when the work calls for one.
Safety devices get tested first. Photo eyes, edge sensors and the operator's obstruction reversal all have to stop and back the gate off when something is in its path, and we check each one with a real object, not just a test button. Then we run full cycles, adjust force and limit settings, and confirm the manual release works if power drops. A gate that reverses late or pushes too hard is exactly what this step is here to catch.
This visit is yours to run. We walk the gate with you, show how the remotes and keypad codes work, and point out where the manual release is. You operate it yourself until it feels routine. We also cover what maintenance looks like: keeping the track clear, lubricating hinges and rollers, and touching up a chip in the finish before it turns to rust. If anything feels off, we adjust it while we are both standing there looking at it.
It depends on what the gate has to do. Aluminum is light and will not rust, so it suits decorative entries and pool enclosures where nobody is testing it. Steel is heavier and stiffer. It holds its shape across a wide driveway and stands up to a bumper or a determined intruder. For an electric gate guarding the main entry, we usually recommend steel, and on a sloped drive we size the operator to the weight.
Yes, many jobs need one, especially when the gate is electric, runs new wiring, or sits near the street. Height, setback and HOA rules all come into it. We look at your property, work out what approvals the job calls for, and we handle the permit. You do not have to chase paperwork or guess at the rules. If your HOA wants drawings before anything goes up, we prepare those too.
There is no honest single figure, because every lot we see in Scottsdale is set up a little differently. Cost follows the width of the lane, the length of the arm, how much traffic passes through, and how drivers get in: keypad, card reader, remote or ticket. Running power and cutting loop detectors into the pavement adds labor. We walk the lot, ask how it is used, and price the system to fit. Call for a free estimate.
Yes. We draw the gate around your property rather than picking one from a catalog. That means matching the lines of the house, choosing pickets, scrollwork or solid panels, and weighing how much privacy you want against how much view. Steel and iron are cut and welded to size, then fitted with the hardware and automation the design calls for. You see the drawing and approve it before any metal is cut.
Hot-dip galvanizing is the base we trust most. The zinc keeps protecting the steel even where the surface gets scratched. Over that, a quality powder coat gives the color and resists chalking and fading far better than brushed paint. Where galvanizing is not practical, a zinc-rich primer under the powder coat does similar work. Cut edges and weld points get sealed, since that is where rust starts. A rinse and a look each season keeps small chips from spreading.
Yes. A gate that stops working usually has a fault the control board can report, if you know how to read it. We check error codes, supply voltage, limit settings, the safety photo eyes and edge sensors, and the loop detectors that tell the gate a car is there. Often the board is fine and a sensor or a chewed wire is the real problem. We find the actual cause before replacing anything.
We build in steel and wrought iron, and we choose between them by what the gate has to do. Steel frames carry the weight of a wide driveway gate without sagging. Iron suits ornamental entry work and custom scrollwork. Either one runs on a swing or slide operator, wired to the access control you want: keypad, remote, intercom or phone. Every electric system we install gets safety sensors.
Ground decides much of the design. Maricopa County has steep, hilly terrain that changes from one block to the next, so we grade and test each site on its own before work starts. A slope can rule out a slide gate or change how a swing gate hangs. Scottsdale's median home dates to 1990, so we check existing posts and footings first.
