Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
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AfterFast, Reliable Gate Repair Across Richardson
Gate repair in Richardson usually means one of three things: a gate that won’t open, a gate that won’t close, or a gate that’s sagging hard enough to scrape the driveway. We fix all three, usually in one trip. Most Richardson calls get same-day or next-morning service, and you’ll talk to a live person at (936) 296-2568 whether it’s Tuesday at noon or Sunday at midnight. Hal Gatewood has been running this shop since 2001, and he still answers the phone himself most days. When you call about a gate near Arapaho Road or over in Canyon Creek, you’re not describing the problem to someone reading a script. You’re talking to the person who will likely stand in your driveway and fix it.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Richardson’s Preferred Gate Repair Company
Richardson is not like the newer suburbs to the north. Most of the neighborhoods here were built between the late 1960s and early 1990s, which means the gates and operators are old enough to have real history. We know the failure patterns in Canyon Creek, Sherrill Park, and the Heights of Eldorado because we’ve been taking these calls for two decades plus. A 1985 wood gate in Sherrill Park fails differently than a 2015 steel gate in a new Addison development, and we start every job by looking at the post, not just the panel.
Our reputation in Richardson is built on showing up with the right parts and not selling work that doesn’t need doing. When a homeowner in Canyon Creek calls about a dead opener, we check the hinge post before we quote a new motor. Half the time the post has heaved out of plumb and that’s the actual problem. A faceless national company will sell you a new operator anyway. We won’t. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing, and Hal’s name is on the invoice. That’s the kind of accountability that matters on a street where the neighbors all talk.
We answer the phone around the clock. Not a voicemail, not a call center three states away. A live person. If you’re in Richardson and your gate is stuck open at 6 a.m. on a Saturday, you get a person who can tell you whether it’s safe to leave it and when the truck can be there.
Our Gate Repair Services in Richardson
Here’s what we actually do in Richardson, day in and day out. Every service below starts with an honest assessment: fix the post before the panel, because the panel is never the root cause when a gate sags.
Electric Gate Repair
Electric gates in Richardson run on operators that sit outside in Texas weather year-round, and the older ones don’t like it. We replace control boards, loop detectors, safety photocells, and keypads on LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, and Linear units every week. A typical electric gate repair in Richardson runs $180 to $390 for board-level work. If we’re replacing a loop detector or wiring in a new keypad, figure $95 to $250 more depending on the run length and how the gate was originally wired. The Telecom Corridor means Richardson has more commercial-grade operators than most cities this size, so our trucks carry parts for FAAC and LiftMaster commercial boards that the residential-only shops don’t stock.
Automatic Gate Repair
An automatic gate that reverses for no reason, stops halfway, or grinds without moving usually gets blamed on the motor. In Richardson, it’s just as often the post. Clay soil shifts with the seasons, the gate binds, and the operator trips its entrapment protection. They call that a motor problem. We test the full system before we replace anything. Automatic gate repair in Richardson typically runs $150 to $350 for a service call with diagnosis and adjustment, and $250 to $600 if a board or limit switch needs replacement. Hal will tell you the price before we start, and it won’t change at the door. That’s not negotiable. That’s how we work.
Hinge & Post Repair
This is the repair most Richardson homes actually need, especially in Canyon Creek and the older Sherrill Park subdivisions. The expansive black-clay soil under Richardson expands when it’s wet and shrinks when it’s dry, and over decades that movement loosens posts, shears hinge welds, and throws gates out of level. We dig out and re-set posts with proper concrete footings, weld cracked hinges in place, and replace rotted wood posts with new treated or steel posts. Hinge and post repair in Richardson ranges from $200 to $450 for re-setting one post, and $350 to $900 if both posts need work and we’re also re-hanging the gate. It’s the least glamorous gate repair there is, and it’s the one that keeps the gate working for another twenty years.
Gate Realignment
A gate that drags, sticks, or won’t latch is usually not bent. It’s out of alignment because a post moved or a hinge wore. We re-square the frame, adjust or replace hinges, and re-set the gate so it swings without hitting the post or the ground. Gate realignment in Richardson typically costs $120 to $280 per gate, assuming the posts themselves are still sound. If a post has heaved, that gets folded into a hinge and post repair. On-site welding is standard for us. We fix your gate in your driveway rather than hauling it off to a shop.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Richardson
We service LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, and Linear openers, along with the full range of residential brands. We’re certified on nine major gate brands in total, and our trucks carry the boards, remotes, safety edges, and photocells most Richardson calls need on the first trip. You’re not waiting a week for a part to ship from a warehouse. If we don’t have it on the truck, we can usually have it in Richardson within a day or two and finish the job then. Older LiftMaster boards from the 1990s and FAAC operators from the early 2000s still show up all over Richardson. We know which ones are worth repairing and which ones have lived past their useful life. We’ll tell you straight.
Common Gate Repair Problems We See in Richardson Homes
- Bottom-rail rot in Canyon Creek and Sherrill Park wood gates. The original 1970s builder-installed gates used untreated Douglas fir bottom rails set within an inch of grade. The clay soil wicks moisture into that wood year-round, so by the time the gate starts sagging, the bottom rail is usually soft enough to push a screwdriver through. We replace the rail and hinges, not the whole gate.
- Post heave from clay soil shrink-swell. Drought followed by heavy rain moves Richardson’s expansive clay enough to lean posts and bind automatic gates. Homeowners think the motor died. The motor’s fine. The post moved. We re-set it and the gate works again.
- Intermittent control board failure in legacy operators. Older LiftMaster and FAAC boards crack solder joints through years of North Texas temperature swings, and the gate stops mid-cycle. A board-level repair or replacement brings it back without ripping out the whole operator.
- Frozen or stuck ornamental iron gates after ice storms. Richardson sits slightly higher and more exposed than southern Dallas, and ice storms here add enough weight to snap old iron pickets and bend aluminum frames. If the gate is still on its hinges after a freeze, we can usually straighten and reinforce it. If the frame is twisted, we’ll tell you honestly what replacement costs.
Pricing for Gate Repair in Richardson, TX
You deserve real numbers, not a vague “we’ll see when we get there.” A standard service call for gate repair in Richardson runs $85 to $125, and that fee is waived when you hire us for the repair. No trip charge inside the county. From there: hinge and post repair $200-$450 per post, gate realignment $120-$280 per gate, control board replacement $180-$390, loop detector replacement $95-$250, full operator replacement $650-$1,800 depending on brand and capacity. A complete wood gate replacement, including new treated posts and hardware, runs $900-$2,400 in Richardson depending on size and HOA requirements. Seniors and veterans get a permanent 10% discount, and right now there’s $40 off any repair over $200. The price is quoted and agreed before any work starts. Hal stands behind it in writing. Call (936) 296-2568 for an exact quote, free of charge.
We Also Serve Cities Near Richardson
We work throughout Richardson and also serve Addison, Plano, Dallas, and Coppell. If you’re near the Telecom Corridor or out toward the eastern edge of town, our Gate Repair team handles all of it. Same crew, same phone number, same promise.
Serving Richardson, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Richardson area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Gate Repair in Richardson
It’s the clay soil under the posts. Richardson sits on expansive black clay that swells when saturated, and a few days of heavy rain can heave a post enough to knock the gate off track. The fix is re-setting the post with a proper concrete footing, not re-aligning the gate every few months. That gets you a season. The post job gets you twenty years. Call (936) 296-2568 and we’ll confirm the post is the problem and quote the repair before any work starts.
Usually yes, but we’ll tell you the truth if it’s not worth doing. The older LiftMaster boards and swing-arm operators in Richardson are simple machines, and many are still repairable with new boards, limit switches, or capacitors. If the board has cracked solder joints, we can replace it. If the casting is worn or the motor windings are failing, replacement is the smarter money and we’ll show you why with a straight comparison. Either way, the estimate is free and the decision is yours.
No. Most of the time we replace the bottom rail and the hinges and keep your existing pickets and frame. The original 1970s Sherrill Park gates used untreated Douglas fir bottom rails that rot from clay moisture wicking, and it’s a pattern we see on nearly every older street in that zip code. We can splice in a new treated or cedar bottom rail, reinforce the corners, and re-hang the gate. It’s a few hundred dollars versus a few thousand for a new gate that wouldn’t match the neighborhood aesthetic anyway.
Yes, and we do this constantly in Richardson. HOA covenants in Canyon Creek, Sherrill Park, and the Heights of Eldorado often specify gate material, height, and even color. We repair and rebuild existing gates to those specs, matching the original wood species and hardware style. If a replacement panel is needed, we build it to match and confirm the HOA requirements with you before we fabricate anything. No surprises at the end.
It’s usually an entrapment-protection sensor reading a false obstruction, and cold weather makes it worse. Older photocells and safety edges in Richardson gate systems get stiff in cold air and send a false signal, which makes the operator reverse. Sometimes it’s a limit switch that’s drifted with the temperature change. We diagnose the sensor, the limit, and the board, then replace only what’s actually failed. A typical fix runs $150 to $350. Call (936) 296-2568 and we’ll walk you through what to check before we roll a truck.
If your gate is acting up in Richardson, don’t wait until it’s stuck open or the post falls over. Call (936) 296-2568. Hal or one of the crew will answer, and you’ll get a straight answer about what it costs and when we can be there. Free estimates, no trip charge in the county, and a written promise on every job.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Richardson, TX since 2001.