Driveway Gates · Most Requested
Custom driveway gates measured for your opening, designed for your property, and built by our fabrication partner of 15 years.
Plan the work with Method Gates
Tell us about your gate. We'll call to schedule a visit.
No obligation. It takes about a minute, then we call to schedule. Prefer to talk? (818) 782-6180
Driveway Gates
A driveway gate has to look right from the street, clear the driveway every time it opens, and keep doing both through years of sun, winter rain and Santa Ana wind. The second job is the one a catalog gate gets wrong on a Los Angeles lot: a leaf that scrapes an uphill drive, a slide gate with no wall to run along, an arch that meets a planter halfway through its swing. So the work starts with the opening, not with a model number.
At the estimate we measure the width, the grade from the street to the garage, the room beside the opening and behind it, and where power can come from. Those numbers decide between swing, slide and cantilever before anyone talks about style; the table below shows how. Then the gate is drawn to the opening, with the picket spacing, slat gap, arch and hardware on paper, and you approve that drawing before any steel is cut.
Our fabrication partner builds the gate to our drawing. If it will be automated, the operator is sized to the finished leaf, and the entrapment protection UL 325 requires is part of the job. A matching pedestrian gate, a fence run or a garage door drawn to match can share the same drawing.
Designs & details
Project photographs alongside labeled design renderings. Select an image for a closer look.
Service options
Pickets, scrolls, arches and flat-bar designs in welded steel, primed and powder-coated or painted. More on custom wrought iron gates.
Boards or slats carried by a welded steel frame, so the weight hangs on steel rather than on wood joints. More on custom wood gates.
Horizontal slats with an even gap, or solid and perforated steel panels, for contemporary and mid-century houses.
Wood infill inside a visible steel frame, or iron pickets above a privacy panel, drawn so the proportions read well from the street.
A swing or slide operator with a keypad, remotes, an intercom or phone entry, planned with the gate. See automatic gates.
A pedestrian gate and a fence run from the same drawing, so pickets, heights and finish line up along the frontage.
Gate type
The driveway decides more than taste does. Measure the room behind the opening, the room beside it and the grade from the street, and most of the choice makes itself.
| Gate type | Room it needs | On a sloped drive | Usual choice when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swing, one or two leaves | A clear arc behind the gate as deep as each leaf is wide | A drive that rises behind the gate gets in the way of the leaf | The drive is fairly level and there is space behind the opening |
| Slide on a ground track | A straight run beside the opening, at least as long as the opening is wide | The track across the opening has to be level | The drive is short or climbs steeply, but the frontage itself is flat |
| Cantilever slide | A longer run beside the opening, because the leaf carries a counterbalance section behind it | No track in the opening, so debris and an uneven surface matter less | The opening is wide or the surface uneven, and side room is available |
| Bi-fold | Little: the leaves fold onto themselves as they open | Suits a short, steep drive where neither a swing nor a slide fits | Space is tight on every side of the opening |
Our sliding vs swing gate guide compares the two common types in detail, and gates for sloped driveways covers hillside lots.
Honest pricing
Seven things move the number: the width of the opening, the material and how much ornament it carries, the slope, the operator, the entry controls, how far power has to run, and whether a permit applies. Your written, itemized estimate confirms the proposed work, and our driveway gate cost guide explains these cost factors. Already have a gate? Adding an operator starts at $5,000 – $7,000: see gate opener installation.
Every estimate is written, itemized, done in person at your property, and free. There is no pressure to sign on the spot.
Get Your Written Estimate| Project | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Automatic driveway gate installation | $10,000 – $12,000 |
Method’s published starting prices. Your written estimate will be specific to your property.
What to expect
Width, grade, side room, swing clearance and power are recorded at the property, with photographs of the house front for the drawing.
The measurements settle swing, slide or cantilever; the drawing settles design, hardware and finish, and the estimate prices each choice.
Nothing is cut until you approve the drawing. The leaf is then welded by our fabrication partner, with any operator brackets planned in.
Posts and footings go in first, then the gate and, if automated, the operator and its safety devices, tested through full cycles before handover.
Approvals
Two separate reviews can apply to a driveway gate, and one never stands in for the other.
The Los Angeles gate and fence permit guide shows how to check an address yourself.
Reviews
TRACY S
6 years ago
“Method Doors and Gates and Noam exceeded our expectations. Our gate and fence panels were installed last week. Installation was completed in four days with Noam directing and overseeing every aspect of the project. We are extremely pleased…”
iris V
6 years ago
“We had gates installed by Method. They did such a great job. They gave us the best customer service and really tried to please us all the way. The job was well done at a reasonable price. I highly recommend this company.”
Brett Pacis
4 years ago
“Highly recommend! Fantastic team and service at Method Doors & Gates. They came immediately to my home, fixed the problem with my driveway gate and kept me updated throughout the process.”
Driveway Gates FAQ
Practical answers to help you plan the next step.
Service area
From our office in Van Nuys we cover the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, and the neighborhoods in between.
Automatic & Electric GatesMotorized swing and slide gate systems with photo-eye and edge safety sensors, plus the access control you choose — keypad, remote, intercom, or phone entry.
Custom Wrought Iron GatesWrought iron and steel gates built by our fabrication partner of 15 years — pickets, scrollwork, arches, and hand-forged details to your drawing.
Custom Wood GatesClear cedar and redwood gates carried by welded steel frames, so the weight hangs on steel rather than on wood joints.
Pedestrian GatesWalk gates, side-yard gates, and entry gates built to match the driveway gate, with self-closing hinges, keyed or electric locks, and intercom release.
Privacy and Security Driveway Gates in Los Angeles: Height Limits, Solid vs Slatted, Anti-ClimbHow tall a gate can be in the City of Los Angeles, what solid, slatted and picket infill each trade away, anti-climb details that suit a home, and why the gate is only one part of the perimeter.
Driveway Gate Design for Los Angeles Homes: Matching the Gate to the ArchitectureMatch the gate to the house: proportions, materials and details for Spanish, Craftsman, mid-century, ranch, traditional and contemporary homes, plus the height, safety and HPOZ rules that shape them.
How to Choose a Gate Contractor in Los Angeles: License Class, Fabrication, Safety and the Questions to AskCheck the CSLB license and classification, find out who builds and installs the gate, and get the safety, permit, and payment terms in writing.
Free on-site estimate · Answered 24/7
Call now or send the form. A real person from our Van Nuys office will schedule your free visit and walk the opening with you.
Free · No obligation
Tell us about your gate. We'll call to schedule a visit.
No obligation. It takes about a minute, then we call to schedule. Prefer to talk? (818) 782-6180
