Electric driveway gates

[thecopster]

Hi all,

Looking at the above for the first time and having received a couple of quotes wanted to get some thoughts/feedback.

Opening is approx 3.4m, swing gates, steel framed, hardwood infill. Cost including intercom etc is coming in at around 10k+ VAT.

Thoughts on price? And also material?

Also does anyone have any recommendations for a supplier/installer in the Bristol area?

Thanks

[Polome]

Not sure of your setup but….sliding single gate is a bit more convenient. Two years ago I had a single gate fitted , rack and pinion driven and it’s been perfect. It has square steel tubing frame ( painted with the stuff they use for oil rigs , can’t remember what it’s called but maker sent welded up frame for coating in oil fab yard) with vertical composite ( cheap and maint free) plank infill. Sliding gate is not effected so badly by winds either and apart from making sure snow cleared away ( twice a year maybe) it’s had no maintenance nor problems….good luck with choice

[Kickstart]

We have a slightly larger opening and the house had double swing metal gates when we bought it - they seemed to regularly go wrong
We replaced then just pre-covid with single panel sliding gate which has been great - cost in late 2019 about £5k plus given better privacy as it is solid

[maccas99]

We had a steel framed sliding gate timber clad fitted in 2018 - 3.8m wide. Zinc and powder coated with an antracite finish.
A few teething issues but nothing major and just need to keep the runners clear of debris occasionally.
£6.4k fitted, so I would say your quotes are slightly toppy but then there has been a lot of change in the past 5 years.

[thecopster]

Thanks all. Unfortunately I think prices have moved on!

I don’t have the option for a slider due to the drive/garden config.

I’ve just got another quote back which is £11,400 inc VAT for 3600x1800 steel gates, composite infills, matching posts, GSM intercom, 25m electric cable install.

I am hesitant to say it looks “reasonable” but it does seem the going rate!

[chippy348]

thecopster said:

Thanks all. Unfortunately I think prices have moved on!

I don’t have the option for a slider due to the drive/garden config.

I’ve just got another quote back which is £11,400 inc VAT for 3600x1800 steel gates, composite infills, matching posts, GSM intercom, 25m electric cable install.

I am hesitant to say it looks “reasonable” but it does seem the going rate!

2017 I had underground boxes, hardwood gates GSM etc £7100

What i will say is about the operation via the GSM and remote opening and closing. You really need a camera pointing at the gates to see what state they are in IE open or closed. We have had a few issues of delivery people stuck inside !

Things may have moved on and they may now have a reporting "open or closed" on some sort of app ? but if not you will need a camera

[mattwh]

Look at 2 stage systems - get gates then automate them. Look at Beninca systems - ours was sub £1k for existing gates 5 years ago. I think if you go for an all in one solution you will pay through the nose / other orifices.

[sfella]

mattwh said:

Look at 2 stage systems - get gates then automate them. Look at Beninca systems - ours was sub £1k for existing gates 5 years ago. I think if you go for an all in one solution you will pay through the nose / other orifices.

This, speaking to a guy at a show a few weeks ago. Solar powered motor, batteries, panels and fitting 3.5k all in with option of increasing secutity features. We only needed a push button as holiday cottage guests and walkers can be needing pass codes etc. We needed to suppply gate and posts/have erected ready for them. Going to have local fabricator make up some 200x200mm steel box with pyramid top and a steel gate. Expecting total bill c£6.5

[allatsea]

Price looks exactly right to me.

Had 3.8m wide x 1.9m high Iroko hardwood gates, oak posts, separate pedestrian gate 1m wide, electric opening, no intercom, just open and some spilt wood fencing done this time last year and it was about £14K all in. Surrey.

[M1AGM]

OP your quotes are entirely reasonable. We had a larger sliding gate installed last year and it was £10k just for the gate and gubbins. The intercom (2n) was on top of that. Just consider the position of your gates if you want wood infils because they will expand, contract, and warp with the seasons. I went with composite (I know its plastic but I wanted zero issues and it looks great) after speaking to a friend who has to have his gates regularly adjusted because the wood bends the frame when it gets wet/dry/hot/cold etc (eta his gates are in a very damp/shaded spot).

[thecopster]

Thanks for the feedback all.

I’m going to do some more research and investigate solar options.

Maybe I’ll get a gate out in first to get the place secure then follow up with automation….

[Ranger 6]

We bought a house with gates. The desire to automate them was accelerated with the need to keep them closed because of the dog.

Ended up with Faak motors and a Telguard GSM entry system. Has worked really well for the five years we've had them.

[DirktheDaring]

My current house has hydraulics opening/closing the gates and on average we call the ‘gate man’ out every 6 months due to them not opening or closing for a multitude of reasons.

The old house had Came electric gates which were a piece of cake to replace, adjust and maintain.

Hydraulics look nice all tucked away under the ground, but I’d take the electric gates all day long even though they are visible.

[barryrs]

Bit of a bump to ask for some opinions.

I live off a small private road serving 3 properties and people using our driveway is becoming an irritation.

If we were to install gates are they an inconvenience when it comes to deliveries/visitors?

There’s probably around 10 return journeys every day from the households.

[sfella]

On a shared drive I'd assume you'd need solar or one house would be paying and you'd need a very binding legal document where you all pay 1/3rd of install, maintenance and repairs.

Some gate only allow so many operations per day I believe so really check how many deliveries etc

[M1AGM]

sfella said:

On a shared drive I'd assume you'd need solar or one house would be paying and you'd need a very binding legal document where you all pay 1/3rd of install, maintenance and repairs.

Some gate only allow so many operations per day I believe so really check how many deliveries etc

Our previous house was a development of 3 properties with a gated shared access. It was a pita.

The other 2 properties had zero interest in maintenance of any kind and were of the ‘if it breaks’ attitude.

We would get buzzed by delivery drivers to take deliveries for one of the houses because the owners were too fat and lazy to bother answering their intercom.

We would get buzzed by random visitors ‘oops sorry pressed the wrong button’, fine to a point until its midnight or 6am and my kids are being woken up.

We managed 3 years before concluding it was a st sandwich and not something we were prepared to put up with anymore.

[TA14]

M1AGM said:

We managed 3 years before concluding it was a st sandwich and not something we were prepared to put up with anymore.

Did you move or sort it out somehow?

[M1AGM]

TA14 said:

M1AGM said:

We managed 3 years before concluding it was a st sandwich and not something we were prepared to put up with anymore.

Did you move or sort it out somehow?

No we sold and moved to a property with no neighbours.

[gotoPzero]

We used liftmaster gate motors at our old house, underground ones.

I greased them every 12 months (5 minute job per side) and checked the drain holes were not blocked and they were still working perfectly when we sold.

[barryrs]

M1AGM said:

Our previous house was a development of 3 properties with a gated shared access. It was a pita.

The other 2 properties had zero interest in maintenance of any kind and were of the ‘if it breaks’ attitude.

We would get buzzed by delivery drivers to take deliveries for one of the houses because the owners were too fat and lazy to bother answering their intercom.

We would get buzzed by random visitors ‘oops sorry pressed the wrong button’, fine to a point until its midnight or 6am and my kids are being woken up.

We managed 3 years before concluding it was a st sandwich and not something we were prepared to put up with anymore.

This is my concern although one neighbour was a mate even before they moved in and the other is my old man, so neighbourly relations isn’t a problem.