Frequently Asked Questions

You call (936) 261-4733, a live coordinator answers and takes down what's happening with your gate, and we get a time on the calendar that works for you. Before work starts, we quote the repair in writing and you approve it. Most University Park gate repairs are done in one visit; the work and the cleanup happen the same day. We don't take your gate back to a shop unless the repair truly can't be done on site. Hal Gatewood would rather fix your gate in your driveway than haul it across town.

Usually, yes. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle. We straighten or reset the post, replace hinges that have worn egg-shaped, and sometimes add a tension bar or wheel to carry the weight. Fix the panel without the post and you'll fix it twice. In University Park, where gates swing over brick pavers and uneven turf, we also check the ground clearance and swing arc. Call (936) 261-4733 and we'll tell you honestly whether the gate is worth saving.

Most hinge, latch, and alignment repairs take two to three hours on site. An operator or control board replacement runs three to five hours, including wiring and safety checks. A full gate installation with new posts is usually a full day, sometimes a day and a half if we're trenching power. We'll tell you up front how long the job should take, and if that changes, you'll hear it from us before it does. Call (936) 261-4733 to schedule your repair.

Yes. University Park has plenty of brick and stone gate columns, and we work on them carefully. We anchor hinges into the masonry properly rather than bolting a face plate that works loose in a season. If the column itself is cracked or leaning, we'll tell you straight because no hinge fix survives a failing column. Our team handles the gate and hardware; if the column needs a mason's touch, we can coordinate that so you're not juggling two contractors.

Almost never. Hal Gatewood welds on site rather than taking your gate away for a fortnight, and that's the way we work in University Park. The gate stays on your property, you can watch the repair if you want, and there's no week without a gate across your driveway. The only time a gate leaves is if it's an unusual ornamental repair that needs a fabrication table. Even then, we tell you first and tell you when it comes back.

We repair and install Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing operators, which covers the vast majority of gate openers running in University Park today. We carry common boards, remotes, and safety edges for these brands on the truck, so we're not waiting a week on parts. If your opener is an older or off-brand unit, we'll look at it anyway and tell you honestly whether repair or replacement makes more sense. Call (936) 261-4733 with the brand and model if you know it.

Yes, we install both. Ghost Controls is popular on lighter residential gates, and Linear is common on heavier or solar-powered setups in University Park. The best choice depends on your gate's weight, swing or slide configuration, and power access. We'll recommend the brand and model that fits your gate rather than the one we happen to have in the truck. Installation includes safety edges, programming, and a walkthrough so you know how everything works.

Often yes. We can source boards, limit switches, remotes, and receivers for many older Viking and DoorKing units that other companies tell you are obsolete and need full replacement. If the part is genuinely discontinued and can't be found, we'll tell you that straight and show you replacement options. Hal Gatewood repairs what other companies want to replace, and that means parts hunting before we even talk about a new opener. Call (936) 261-4733 with your opener's model number.

It depends on the gate. For a light single-swing pedestrian gate, Ghost Controls is hard to beat. For a heavy driveway gate with solar power, Linear is a solid choice. Viking and DoorKing are both strong on long sliding gates and high-cycle use. In University Park, where lots are dense and gates open close to sidewalks, we pay special attention to safety edges and closing force. We'll recommend the brand that fits your gate, not a brand we're pushing that month.

Every pro working under our name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires, and the brand behind us has been around since 2001. We carry the coverage your job needs and we're glad to show you proof before work starts. Hal Gatewood puts his name on the work, and the name on the shop is the accountability. Call (936) 261-4733 and we'll walk you through exactly what our coverage looks like for your project.

"Gatewood" is a real American surname that happens to contain the trade, which nobody planned and everybody remembers. The name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road. When you hire us in University Park, you're hiring a local branch of a brand that Hal Gatewood built starting in 2001, with standards that don't change block to block. You get the same guarantee, the same accountability, and a local team that knows this city's soil, codes, and streets.

The people who work on your gate carry our name and our standards. We hold every pro working under our umbrella to the licensing and insurance their state requires, and we stand behind the work they do on our behalf. If something isn't right, one call brings us back. That's the whole arrangement, and we don't hide behind layers of paperwork. Call (936) 261-4733 and you'll reach a live person who knows our University Park schedule.

Often yes, especially when the gate is jammed open, jammed closed, or a car can't get in or out. We keep repair time in the University Park schedule and carry common parts on the truck, so many hinge, latch, and opener failures are handled in one visit. Tell us what's happening when you call, and we'll tell you straight what today looks like. The phone is answered 24/7 at (936) 261-4733.

Call us right away at (936) 261-4733. A gate stuck closed with a car behind it is a priority for us, and we'll get someone to your University Park home as fast as the schedule allows. While you wait, check whether the opener has a manual release; most do, and we can walk you through it over the phone. If the release is seized or the gate is bound, don't force it. We'll handle it. The phone is answered 24/7, so call the moment you're stuck.

We do. Whether it's an apartment gate stuck open at midnight or an office drive gate not closing, call (936) 261-4733 and tell us what's happening. The phone is answered 24/7, and we'll assess the situation and get a plan in motion. For commercial properties, a gate stuck open is a security problem, and a gate stuck closed is a liability problem. We treat both as urgent. We know University Park's commercial zones and the property managers who run them.

Yes. The phone is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and nights. You call, a live coordinator answers, and the local team gets moving. We don't want you out there at 11 p.m. trying to muscle a gate back onto its post. Call (936) 261-4733 and let us handle it. For genuine emergencies, the sooner you call, the sooner we can get there.

Every fence and gate job carries a ninety-day written warranty. If something isn't right inside those ninety days, one call brings us back, no runaround. Hal Gatewood publishes his name and stands behind the work; the warranty isn't buried in fine print. We also honor the manufacturer's warranty on any operators and parts we install. If you ever have a question about whether something's covered, call (936) 261-4733 and ask. We answer.

Our workmanship on opener installations is covered by the same ninety-day guarantee we put on every fence and gate job. The opener itself carries its manufacturer's warranty, and we handle the paperwork so you're not left dealing with a support line. If the opener fails inside the warranty period, call us and we'll sort it out with the manufacturer. Call (936) 261-4733 and ask about coverage before you commit to a brand.

For latch, handle, and cosmetic work, a homeowner with basic tools can usually manage. But gates are heavy, and the dangerous parts are the springs, cables, and an opener under tension. In University Park, where many gates are ornate iron over brick, a gate off its hinges is a serious injury risk. And a gate can fall on a car, a kid, or a delivery driver. Show me the gate closing on its own and I'll show you where it's failing. For anything structural or automated, hire someone who does this every day. Call (936) 261-4733 and we'll give you an honest assessment of what's safe to tackle yourself.

The name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road. We hire here, we buy here, we sponsor the team here. When you call, you get a live coordinator who knows the University Park schedule, not a routing system three states away. The truck carries our name, and you're going to run into us again on a Saturday, which is the oldest accountability mechanism there is. Hal Gatewood built this brand starting in 2001 on a simple idea: do the repair right, stand behind it, and answer your own phone. We still do all three.

Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving University Park since 2001.