Signature Work
Custom Driveway Gates & Gate Automation
Double-drive, single-swing, cantilever slide and pedestrian gates — cedar, iron or a marriage of both, with Texas star cutouts, decorative corbels and full automation.
The gate is the part of your property everybody sees and nobody forgets. It is also the part with moving weight, wind load and, increasingly, electricity — which is why it deserves more engineering than the fence it sits in.
We design and build gates in our own shop. Cedar drive gates on welded steel frames, all-iron gates with decorative windows, and modern horizontal-plank designs that read like the fence continued. Every gate is sized to its opening, hung on heavy-duty hinges rated well above the leaf weight, and braced so it will not sag out of square in the first year.
At a glance
| Materials | Cedar clad over welded steel frame, all-steel, or aluminum |
|---|---|
| Configurations | Single swing, double drive, cantilever slide, pedestrian |
| Typical widths | 12ft for cars · 16–20ft where trailers and equipment pass |
| Detailing | Texas star and diamond cutouts, arched tops, corbels, iron windows |
| Automation | Operator sized to leaf weight, keypad, remotes, phone entry |
| Safety | Photo eyes, reversing edges, loop detection, battery backup, manual release |
Not sure which option fits? That is what the on-site measure is for. We walk the property, show you samples and tell you honestly which material earns its cost on your job — and which does not. Call 682-456-8200 or request an estimate.
What We Build
Options, materials and how we detail them
Texas star, diamond cutouts and arched tops
An arched cathedral top with a cut-in Texas star and diamond detailing is the signature we are best known for. It is genuinely custom work: the arch is templated to the opening, the star is cut and inset rather than nailed on, and the surrounding pickets are ripped to keep the reveal even all the way around.
The same detail carries into the fence line so the gate reads as part of the run, not an afterthought bolted into it.
- Templated arched & cathedral tops
- Inset Texas star and diamond cutouts
- Detailing carried into the fence line
- Matched stain across gate and run
Iron windows and mixed-material gates
A wrought iron window set into a cedar gate does two useful things: it lets you see who is at the gate without opening it, and it breaks up a large solid panel so the gate catches less wind. We fabricate the ironwork, powder coat it, and frame it into the cedar so the two materials move independently and the joint never splits.
Scrollwork, ranch brands, house numbers and custom silhouettes are all fair game.
- Fabricated and powder-coated in-house
- Reduces wind load on large leaves
- Custom brands, numbers & scrollwork
- Framed to allow for wood movement
Automation, keypads and safety
An automated gate is a piece of machinery on your driveway, and it has to be installed like one. We size the operator to the leaf weight and duty cycle, run conduit and power properly, and install the safety devices — photo eyes, reversing edges and loop detectors — that keep the gate from closing on a vehicle, a pet or a child.
Entry options include keypads, card readers, remotes, telephone entry and smartphone control. Battery backup keeps you moving through a power cut, and every automated gate we install has a manual release you can actually reach.
- Operators sized to leaf weight
- Photo eyes, edges & loop detectors
- Keypads, remotes & phone entry
- Battery backup and manual release
Modern horizontal and slide gates
Where the driveway is short or the ground slopes toward the street, a swing gate has nowhere to go. A cantilever slide gate rolls clear of the opening on a truck assembly with no track across the drive to catch a low car or fill with gravel.
We build both slide and swing leaves in the same modern horizontal cedar used on contemporary fence runs, on a welded steel frame that carries the span without flex.
- Cantilever slide — no track in the drive
- Welded steel frame under cedar cladding
- Matching horizontal fence runs
- Powder-coated frames and hardware
The Standard
Why this job holds up
Sized to the opening
Every gate is measured, templated and fabricated for its specific opening — nothing is trimmed to fit on site.
Welded steel cores
Cedar gates are clad over a welded steel frame so they carry their own weight without racking.
Safety-first automation
Photo eyes, reversing edges and loop detection on every powered gate we install.
Detailing that lasts
Inset cutouts, cedar corbels and iron windows built into the structure, not tacked to the surface.
Where We Work
Custom & Automatic Gates across the DFW metroplex
We build this service in every city below. Pick yours for local permit notes, common HOA requirements and nearby projects.
Questions
What homeowners ask us about this
How much does a custom driveway gate cost?
Gates vary more than any other product we build. A single cedar walk gate is a few hundred dollars; a wide double-drive cedar gate with a steel frame, custom cutouts and full automation with keypad and safety devices can reach several thousand. We price the gate, the ironwork and the automation as separate line items so you can see exactly what each part costs.
Swing gate or slide gate?
Swing gates cost less and look more traditional, but they need clear space to open and a reasonably level approach. Choose a cantilever slide gate when the driveway is short, slopes toward the street, or when you need to keep the full opening clear. We assess your driveway during the estimate.
Can you automate a gate I already have?
Usually, yes — provided the gate is structurally sound, hangs square and the posts can carry the extra load of an operator. We will inspect the existing hardware and tell you honestly whether it is worth automating or whether the money is better spent on a new gate.
What happens to my gate in a power outage?
Every automated gate we install includes a manual release so you can push it open by hand, and we recommend battery backup on primary entrances so the gate keeps cycling normally through a typical outage.
Will a wooden gate sag over time?
Not if it is built right. Wide cedar gates get a welded steel frame underneath, heavy-duty hinges rated above the leaf weight, and diagonal bracing that puts the load into the hinge post. Sagging gates are almost always the result of a wood frame with no steel and undersized hardware.
Get Started
Tell us about your project
Four short steps. A real person from Grace Construction follows up within one business day to book your on-site measure.
Call or text
682-456-8200Request Your Free Estimate
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Let’s get your project measured and priced
Free on-site estimate across Alvarado, Burleson, Cleburne, Joshua, Mansfield, Midlothian, Waxahachie, Crowley, Grandview and Fort Worth.