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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After
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AfterFast, Reliable Gate Access Control Across Richland Hills
Gate access control in Richland Hills comes down to one thing most homeowners don’t see coming: the operator and keypad are only as good as the post holding them. A new LiftMaster keypad wired to a gate whose hinge post has tilted three inches into the yard will bind, stall, and trip the clutch every single time. We reset posts below the 36-inch active clay line, set footings deeper than the original 1950s concrete, then mount and calibrate the access system so it works when you punch the code. Call (817) 241-4067 and Hal Gatewood’s crew will be at your Richland Hills driveway, usually the same day.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Richland Hills’s Preferred Gate Access Control Company
Hal Gatewood started this shop in 2001, and his name is still on the door and on every invoice. We’re not a call center three states away. When you call about a keypad that stopped working on a Richland Hills ranch house, you talk to a person who knows what Blackland Prairie clay does to a gate post. We’ve worked hundreds of access control jobs in this city, from simple keypad entry on a side-yard gate to full video intercom systems on long gravel driveways.
Our crews know the housing stock here. Richland Hills is roughly 2.8 square miles of post-WWII ranch homes, most built between the 1950s and 1970s on compact lots. The original gates were hung on shallow concrete footings that have spent 50-plus years fighting expansive clay. By the time a keypad gets added, the post itself is rarely plumb anymore. That’s the real reason a new access system fails on an older Richland Hills gate, and it’s why we start with the post, not the electronics.
Live Person, 24/7, Not a Voicemail
We answer the phone around the clock. If your gate won’t open at 6 a.m. and you’re stuck behind it, you’ll get a human voice, not a recording telling you to press one. That matters when your driveway gate is the only way in or out and you’ve got a job to get to in Fort Worth.
90-Day Done Right Promise
Every access control job we do in Richland Hills carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the keypad, operator, intercom, or post work isn’t right, one call brings us back. No runaround, no “well, it worked when we left.” We stand behind it because Hal’s name is on the invoice.
Our Gate Access Control Services in Richland Hills
We install and service the full range of Gate Access Control equipment for Richland Hills homes, and we service nine major brands: LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. Here’s what we handle most often.
Keypad Entry
Keypad entry is the most common access system we install in Richland Hills, and it’s also the one most likely to fail when the gate itself is out of square. We mount the keypad pedestal on a post set at the same depth as the hinge post, because if one shifts and the other doesn’t, the keypad still sends a signal but the gate binds on the operator arm. A typical keypad entry install in Richland Hills runs $350 to $650 depending on whether we’re adding a new pedestal, running new low-voltage wire, or retrofitting an existing gate operator.
Remote Control
Remote control access makes sense on Richland Hills homes where you back out of a driveway onto a busier street like Rufe Snow Drive or Baker Boulevard and don’t want to roll your window down to punch a code. We program remotes to most existing operators, and we stock replacement remotes for Linear and LiftMaster systems so you’re not waiting a week for a part. Remote add-on jobs usually run $75 to $200 per remote, or less if we’re already on site for another repair.
Phone Entry
Phone entry systems let you buzz open the gate from your cell phone, which is especially useful on Richland Hills lots where the gate sits far from the house. A visitor drives up, presses the call button, and your phone rings. You hit a key, the gate opens. These systems run $500 to $1,200 installed in Richland Hills depending on whether we’re adding a cellular module or using your existing Wi-Fi.
Card Reader
Card readers show up on Richland Hills properties where multiple people need access: a home health aide, a lawn crew, a house cleaner. We install and program standalone card readers and integrate them with existing gate operators. A basic card reader install runs $250 to $600, and we can program as many cards as you need.
What happens when you call
- 1
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 Richland Hills
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, and for Richland Hills we keep common parts on the truck for BFT, Linear, and Viking systems because those are the ones we see most often on older ranch-style homes here. That means when a Viking operator fails on a 1960s gate off Richland Plaza Drive, we’re usually not running back to a supply house. We also handle LiftMaster and FAAC access systems, and we’ll give you an honest read on whether a repair is worth doing or whether the operator has simply lived past its useful life.
Common Gate Access Control Problems We See in Richland Hills Homes
- Keypad sends signal but gate stalls because the hinge post has tilted. The Blackland Prairie clay under Richland Hills dries out in 100-degree summer stretches, then swells after spring storms. That cycle heaves posts several inches, racking the operator arm out of alignment and tripping the internal clutch. The keypad isn’t the problem; the post is.
- Solar gate opener loses winter charge. Richland Hills has plenty of mature pecan and oak trees, and a solar panel that worked in July gets shaded out by late fall. The battery can’t hold a full open cycle for a wide gate, and the opener stalls halfway. We reposition panels and size the battery to the gate, not to a generic spec sheet.
- Safety photocells shift and the gate reverses or refuses to close. Spring rains saturate the clay, post footings heave, and the photo eye that was aligned in January is now aimed at the ground. The gate thinks a car or kid is in the way and reverses. We remount photocells on brackets that tolerate seasonal movement better than the factory mounts.
- Old undersized hardware on a gate that’s been rehung twice. Many Richland Hills gates have had heavier cedar boards added over the years while the original hinges and bolts stayed. The hardware corrodes or bends, and the gate sags enough to bind against the access system’s operator arm. We weld on site and replace hardware without hauling the gate to a shop.
Pricing for Gate Access Control in Richland Hills, TX
Here’s what you can expect to pay for access control work in Richland Hills, based on the jobs we’ve done in this market.
| Service | Typical Range in Richland Hills |
|---|---|
| Keypad entry install (single gate) | $350 - $650 |
| Remote add-on or replacement | $75 - $200 |
| Phone entry system | $500 - $1,200 |
| Card reader install | $250 - $600 |
| Video intercom system | $900 - $2,500 |
| Post reset below 36-inch clay line | $250 - $550 per post |
| Solar panel and battery upgrade | $300 - $700 |
Every quote is agreed on before we start. The price we give you is the price on the invoice. We don’t show up and “discover” an extra $300. We offer $40 off any repair over $200, a free second opinion on any written estimate, and no trip charge inside the county. Seniors and veterans get a permanent 10% discount. Call (817) 241-4067 for an exact quote on your Richland Hills gate, free estimates every time.
We Also Serve Cities Near Richland Hills
If you’re just outside Richland Hills, we cover the surrounding area too, including Arlington, Fort Worth, Colleyville, and Irving. We work throughout Richland Hills and the neighboring Tarrant County communities, so if you’re on the edge of town or just down the road, give us a call.
Serving Richland Hills, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Richland Hills 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 Access Control in Richland Hills
The Blackland Prairie clay under your Richland Hills lot swells after fall rains, and the hinge post heaves or tilts toward the yard. That racks the gate frame out of square and binds the operator. The fix is resetting the post in a 36-inch concrete collar to get below the active clay zone, then recalibrating the operator travel. Call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll look at the post first, not just the operator.
Yes, but you’ll need a properly sized panel and battery, not a cheap kit. Pecan and oak shade kills the charge by late fall, and a long driveway means a wider, heavier gate that draws more power per cycle. We size the panel to your specific shade pattern and the battery to the gate’s full open and close cycle, then position everything so it charges through the winter. A typical solar upgrade in Richland Hills runs $300 to $700.
The keypad works fine; it’s sending the signal. What fails is the gate itself, because the hinge post has tilted from decades of clay movement and the operator arm binds. On Richland Hills ranch homes built in the 1950s through 1970s, the original footings are shallow and the post is rarely plumb anymore. We reset the post before we blame the keypad.
Usually not. Loop detectors make sense on long driveways where a vehicle waits well back from the gate, or where you need the gate to hold open for a trailer. On a typical Richland Hills lot where the driveway is 30 feet long, a well-adjusted photo eye and properly set open-cycle timer are enough. We’ll tell you if a loop makes sense for your setup rather than selling one because it’s on a checklist.
Spring rains saturate the clay, the footings heave, and the safety photocells shift out of line, so the gate loses its slowdown logic and slams. The fix is remounting the photo eyes on brackets that handle seasonal movement better, and often resetting the post footing below the active clay line. Call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll check alignment and post depth in one visit.
Why Post Work Comes First on Every Richland Hills Gate Access Job
Nearly every gate access upgrade on a 1950s to 1970s Richland Hills ranch home starts the same way: with the hinge post tilted toward the yard. That’s the Blackland Prairie soil doing what it does. Dry summers shrink the clay and pull the post outward. Wet springs swell it and push the post sideways. After 50 years of that cycle, the post is off by three or four inches, and no keypad, remote, or operator in the world can fix a gate that’s anchored to a leaning post.
We ran a Gate Access Control upgrade on a corner lot off Rufe Snow Drive where a new LiftMaster keypad entry and swing gate operator had already been installed, but the gate still bound every fall. Our crew reset the near-side hinge post in a 36-inch concrete collar, set the operator post footing at the same depth, then recalibrated the rack and pinion travel and safety photocells. Now the keypad entry works first try, even after a wet October. That’s the difference between a company that sells you a keypad and a company that fixes the gate the keypad is attached to.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Richland Hills since 2001.