Iron Driveway Gates and Fencing in Southlake, Colleyville, Westlake and Trophy Club

On an estate property, the driveway gate is the first thing anyone sees and the single most mechanically demanding piece of metal on the lot. It's also the thing most likely to be built by someone who didn't account for what it weighs.

We fabricate custom gates and fence for properties across Southlake, Colleyville, Westlake and Trophy Club. Here's what these jobs actually involve.

The Gate Is a Machine, Not a Panel

A residential garden gate weighs forty pounds. A sixteen-foot ornamental driveway gate can weigh several hundred, and it swings or rolls thousands of times a year on hardware that has to hold alignment the entire time.

That changes what has to be right:

The posts. A gate post carries a cantilevered load that never stops pulling. It needs a footing sized for the gate, not for the fence line it sits in. Undersized gate posts are the single most common failure we're called out to fix, and by the time the gate is dragging, the post has already moved.

Hinges rated for the actual weight, not the catalog picture. Heavy gates need heavy hardware and a way to adjust alignment later, because everything settles.

The frame. A wide gate wants to rack into a parallelogram under its own weight. Preventing that is a fabrication decision made before anything is welded.

Swing versus slide. Swing needs clear arc and a driveway that isn't sloped into the path. Slide needs run-out room along the fence line. The lot decides this, not preference.

Tying Into Stone and Masonry Columns

Most estate entries around here are stone or brick columns with iron between them, and the connection between the two is where jobs fail.

Hinges mounted into stone need proper anchoring into the structural mass, not into veneer. We see hinges pulled out of column faces on a regular basis, and the tell is always the same – the anchor went into the stone skin instead of what's behind it. Repairing that means going back into the column properly, which is more work than doing it right the first time.

Automation, and What Breaks

Most estate gates are automated, and most service calls we get on them aren't the gate. They're the system around it.

Common failures, roughly in order:

• Operator arm or motor failure, usually after the gate has been fighting misalignment for months
• Safety loops and photo eyes knocked out of alignment or damaged in landscaping work
• Keypads and call boxes that have taken years of weather
• Battery backup that quietly died, discovered the first time the power goes out
• The gate itself sagging, which then makes the operator work harder and shortens its life

That last one matters most. An operator failing is often a symptom of a fabrication or post problem, not the cause. Replacing the motor on a gate that's out of alignment buys you a year. Fixing the alignment fixes the motor problem.

HOA and Architectural Review

Most neighborhoods in these cities run an architectural committee, and street-visible fence and gate work usually needs approval before it goes in. Height limits, permitted materials and setback all vary by city and by neighborhood.

Get the approval before fabrication, not after. Custom steel doesn't get returned.

What We Repair Here

• Gates sagging, dragging, or no longer meeting in the middle
• Hinges pulled out of stone or brick columns
• Gate posts that have moved out of plumb
• Racked or twisted gate frames
• Damage from a vehicle strike
• Rust at the base of posts and at the bottom rail, usually from sprinkler overspray
• Coordinating with your gate operator company when the mechanical side is the metal, not the motor

More on how we build and repair iron on our wrought iron fence page.

Get a Free Quote from Autograph Construction

We fabricate custom driveway gates and iron fence in our own shop for estate properties across Southlake, Colleyville, Westlake and Trophy Club. Contact Autograph Construction for a free on-site measurement and a written quote.

Questions? Call (945) 231-3781