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Serving Dallas Fort Worth, Texas
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Fabrication
Driveway, pedestrian and security gates built to the opening you actually have — braced so they do not sag.
Gates are the most common custom fabrication request in DFW, and they fail in predictable ways: they sag, they drag, they bind against the post in summer, or the automation fights them. Almost all of that traces back to three decisions made before any steel was cut.
Posts and footings — a gate is only as good as what it hangs on, so post size and footing depth are part of the gate design rather than an afterthought. Weight and bracing — solid infill looks good, is heavy, catches wind and loads the hinges hard. Automation from the start — retrofitting an opener to a gate not designed for one is the expensive version.
Driveway, pedestrian and security gates
Gate posts, footings and hinge hardware
Fence panels, railing and infill
Automation-ready frames and operator mounts
Latches, drop bolts and locking hardware
Repairs to sagging, dragging or damaged gates
The measuring decides more than anything else — openings are rarely square, and a gate built to a nominal width will bind or leave a gap.
Four Steps
Site visit: the opening, the ground, the fall across the drive, and what the posts can be founded in.
A drawing, a material spec, a finish and a written scope — including whether it will ever be automated.
Cut, prepare, fit and weld. Powder coating or galvanising goes off site and adds lead time.
Set posts, hang and align the leaf, adjust the swing, and touch up protection disturbed on site.
We cover Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Grand Prairie, Plano, Frisco, Garland, Richardson, McKinney, Carrollton and the surrounding metroplex.
Height and setback can be governed locally even where no permit is needed, so it is worth a call to your city before committing to a design. Full service detail is on the fabrication page, examples of finished work are under projects, and there is more depth in our guide to custom metal fabrication in DFW.
Often, and it is usually cheaper. Sagging leaves can be re-braced, worn hinges replaced, cracked joints cut out and rebuilt, and posts straightened or re-set. The judgement point is corrosion — if the section has rusted thin in several places, repairing one area just moves the failure along.
Often not on private property, but height and setback can still be governed locally, and a gate across a shared access may have its own requirements. Your city’s building inspection department is the authority — a short call before work starts is far cheaper than changing it afterwards.
It can, but it is much better to say so at design stage. The operator type changes hinge position, frame stiffness and clearances. Retrofitting to a gate that was not designed for one often means reworking the leaf or the posts.
Almost always the post, the footing or the bracing. A heavy leaf on an under-sized post in soft ground will droop at the latch end no matter how well the leaf is built. Diagonal bracing or a properly designed frame plus the right post and footing is what prevents it.
Hot-dip galvanising lasts longest, particularly for posts set in ground, and can be painted or powder coated over. Powder coating gives a hard, even, good-looking finish. Paint over primer is cheapest and needs maintaining. Whichever you pick, hollow sections need drain holes at the low points.
Rough dimensions, a picture of the driveway and a style you like is enough to get a real quote.