Motorized gates (Northlake: landscaping, fencing, safety)

[TriumphOfTheSprint]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

$1500 steep? From what I saw online, that's about the price of a heavy duty sliding gate mechanism... not including the frame, nor installation. While I love DIY, I do not have welding skills, so will have someone install the gate and I'll do the fence.

I'm looking at one that's ~ 22 feet wide, is 8' tall and the frame is built with square stock steel so it will be very durable. Just got a rough estimate of $4600, installed for a unit with an extra heavy duty 1HP motor since we MAY be doing Ipe wood (incredibly heavy, as in 2-3x the weight of the typical cedar fence). That quote was just the frame + motor + installation, I told them I was undecided on wood species at this point, so I would install the wood once the gate itself is installed.

I would also verify with them what they are using as the footing for the rail (I assume they quoted that as part of the installation) with the weight that you're talking about. You sure don't want them to skimp on that and have it move or tilt.

[billdfw]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

$1500 steep? From what I saw online, that's about the price of a heavy duty sliding gate mechanism... not including the frame, nor installation. While I love DIY, I do not have welding skills, so will have someone install the gate and I'll do the fence.

I'm looking at one that's ~ 22 feet wide, is 8' tall and the frame is built with square stock steel so it will be very durable. Just got a rough estimate of $4600, installed for a unit with an extra heavy duty 1HP motor since we MAY be doing Ipe wood (incredibly heavy, as in 2-3x the weight of the typical cedar fence). That quote was just the frame + motor + installation, I told them I was undecided on wood species at this point, so I would install the wood once the gate itself is installed.

The $1500 was for the motor only for a 10 ft swinging gate, which is much less complicated and less HP than the sliding gate.

Fence Supply Inc is a good place to get all the other materias for DIY. I think $4600 is too much, you could probably get it cheaper if you call around.

[loves2read]

are you talking about having a metal/wrought iron gate/fence that is open
or are you talking about a wooden-panel that moves so it resembles the same privacy fence most yards have
people in our old neighborhood had a sliding--not opening--wood panel gate across their drive way
it was VERY slow to open and takes a good bit of space as well

we at our new house have black painted metal fencing across both of the front side yards with gates and a double-sided opening-outward metal gate with remote access that is across the driveway portion

we had a panel burn out last week or so and had it replaced by company out of Wautaga (I think)
got their name off Angie's List--happened Friday evening--called Saturday and two-man crew came out Monday I think--
replaced the panel with that from different company they said held up better--reattached the arms that my husband had to disconnect to use the gate--
think the name was all solar gates because that is all they do--

just for fun--why would you want to buy IPE which is expensive as heck for a fence/gate---it is difficult enough to justify the cost for a nice patio decking but for a fence????

[lh_newbie]

Yeah, after doing my research for the fence, Ipe is out... too darned expensive. I liked the idea of NEVER having to repair the fence.

Also, we want the fence to be wood, just like the rest of the fence. The wood it attached to a metal tube frame.

[Tta]

We bought our house with a motorized gate, and it is we love it. It really makes the backyard seem open by spanning it across the driveway.
One thing to keep in mind with getting one installed is if you have animals in the back that you don't want to escape when you come home from work. We are looking into putting a fence up along the driveway to keep our dogs from running out when the gate opens.

[Lakewooder]

I think my mother's was around two grand. It's an iron swing gate with the solar battery setup.

[galore]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

Yeah, after doing my research for the fence, Ipe is out... too darned expensive. I liked the idea of NEVER having to repair the fence.

Also, we want the fence to be wood, just like the rest of the fence. The wood it attached to a metal tube frame.

What about a brick fence? If built right it is maintenance free and looks really good. I had one with a motorized swing gate hung on stone columns in my previous home.

[lh_newbie]

Galore - we're weighing all our options. My concern about spending too much on a fence is over-improving for my neighborhood. Don't want to go wasting my money. I haven't seen a single non-wood fence in my neighborhood. Most of them are pine or cedar. There are a handful of motorized gates though the neighborhood, so I feel this wouldn't be overkill.

TTA - yup, the openness is what we're going for. We don't have outdoor pets, so the gate won't create an issue. I've seen people put a 4' simple iron gate between the "yard" and the driveway to keep dogs from escaping. That's a nice way to maintain the open feel gained with the motorized gate.

[loves2read]

agree that spending too much on a fence would definitely be money you would not see back--
just make sure that if you get a fence it is pre-treated/stained
one less headache to worry about and gets the sides of the boards that painting after construction misses

wood is heavy and when wet it is even heavier--you need to make sure that the motor used to move a horizontal sliding gate vs one that swings open in/out is strong enough to move a gate--and move it quickly enough

some of the reports I have read about Dallas residents who get robbed outside their garages waiting for doors to open--you would not want to wait overly long for that sliding gate to move back and forth

go see several in action before deciding on that format would be my suggestion

[TriumphOfTheSprint]

Originally Posted by loves2read

some of the reports I have read about Dallas residents who get robbed outside their garages waiting for doors to open--you would not want to wait overly long for that sliding gate to move back and forth

My 3-car wide slider takes about 20 seconds to fully open, although you don't have to wait that long to pull in. It also has a setting where you can stop and reverse it before it finishes travel, so you can open it one car width, pull in, and then close it behind you. The remote also has significant travel down the alley, I can start it opening when I am still 2 or 3 houses down, so it is open enough to pull right in when I get there. We have an Allomatic - (Allomatic)