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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Gate Installation Across Marina del Rey
A new automatic gate at a Marina del Rey apartment complex or condo building typically costs between $7,500 and $28,000 installed, depending on whether it’s a swing or slide system, the size of the opening, and the condition of the existing posts and concrete. Property managers at the marina’s mid-century complexes call us most often for full replacements of 1960s and 1970s vehicular gates that have outlived their hardware. We quote every installation in writing before any work starts, and the price we quote is the price you pay. Call (323) 677-4063 for a free on-site measure and a firm number.
Our Gate Installation team knows Marina del Rey’s building stock. The marina was developed in concentrated waves, which means hundreds of complexes share the same aging gate hardware, the same salty air, and the same unincorporated-county permitting path. We’ve welded, leveled, and set posts throughout the harbor area long enough to know which buildings need county permits pulled before the first post hole is dug.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Marina del Rey’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Hal Gatewood has been owner-operating this shop since 2001. His name is on the company, his address is published, and he shows up personally on Marina del Rey installs when the job calls for it. The person who answers the phone at 2 a.m. is a live person, not a queue. That matters when a shared entry gate at a 40-unit building on Admiralty Way drops off its rail and tenants can’t get in or out.
We publish our license number. We run background-checked crews. And we put our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing on every installation: if the gate isn’t right, one call brings us back. No fine print, no “up to,” no hedging. Property managers at the marina’s garden-style complexes tell us that’s why they call us instead of the big national shops that quote one number over the phone and hand them another at the curb.
For Marina del Rey specifically, we stock marine-rated hinges, sealed operator housings, and corrosion-resistant fasteners locally, so we’re not waiting on a supplier in Phoenix when a gate at a Fiji Way complex needs to go in this week. That local parts access shortens install windows meaningfully.
Our Gate Installation Services in Marina del Rey
Swing Gate Installation
Swing gates are the workhorse of Marina del Rey’s apartment towers and garden-style complexes, and they demand the most from their hardware. A heavy double swing gate on Via Marina faces salt air on one side and a sandy, water-adjacent subgrade on the other. We set hinge posts deeper than inland code requires, use sealed ball bearings, and align the operator so the gate doesn’t fight itself on every cycle. $9,000 to $24,000 is typical for a custom heavy swing install here, with the upper end covering ornamental steel and underground operator work.
Security Gate Installation
Security gates at Marina del Rey multi-tenant buildings usually have to integrate with an existing intercom, keypad, or camera entry system that was installed when the complex was built. Matching a new fabricated steel gate to a 1970s entry panel is not a parts-swap job. We fabricate on site so the gate fits the opening, the operator fits the gate, and the access system keeps working without re-wiring the whole lobby. Expect $10,000 to $28,000 for a matched security gate with intercom integration.
Double Gate Installation
Double gates cover wide driveways at Marina del Rey complexes with separate vehicle lanes. If the two leaves are not perfectly plumb and the underground operators are not synced, the gates bind and overload the motors within months. We see that failure constantly on 1970s buildings where the original installers used inland components. A proper double gate install in Marina del Rey, with sealed underground operators and synchronized controls, typically runs $14,000 to $30,000.
Pedestrian Gate Installation
Pedestrian gates at the marina’s complexes are the most abused gates on the property. They get slammed, propped open, and exposed to the same salt spray as the vehicle gate but with lighter hardware. We install marine-grade latch bolts, self-closing hinges that survive the marine layer, and keypad or intercom hardware sealed against condensation. $3,500 to $9,000 is our typical range for a new pedestrian gate with access control at a Marina del Rey building.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Marina del Rey
We’re certified to install and service nine major gate operator brands, and for Marina del Rey we lean on the ones built to survive open-water salt air. LiftMaster and FAAC make reliable underground and ram operators for heavy custom swing gates. Mighty Mule gives property managers a solid, serviceable electric option when budget matters. We keep common parts for all three on our trucks, so if a Marina del Rey install hits a snag, we’re not dead in the water waiting on a dealer order.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Marina del Rey Homes
- Corroded rack and pinion on slide gates. The salt air off the harbor works its way into the teeth of the rack and the pinion gear, and the gate starts binding and grinding. On an inland install, that hardware might run a decade. Here, we use sealed or marine-grade racks on slide systems.
- Settled posts in sandy soil. Marina del Rey sits on water-adjacent, sandy subgrade. If a post footing goes in at standard inland depth, a heavy custom gate settles, goes out of plumb, and the operator chews through its own arm in a season. We pour deeper footings as standard practice here.
- Condensation inside operator housings. The persistent marine layer keeps moisture trapped against control boards and motors. Gates that work fine at noon fail at 6 a.m. when the fog rolls in. We install sealed housings and specify components rated for coastal exposure.
- Hinge post bearings eating themselves. On swing gates, salt gets into the bearing race and the gate starts to sag within a couple of years. We replace with sealed bearings and set the post so the gate doesn’t rely on the operator to hold its weight.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Marina del Rey, CA
A Marina del Rey gate installation runs higher than an inland LA job, and the reason is not markup. It’s hardware. Marine-rated operators, sealed hinges, and deeper footings cost real money, and skipping them costs more when the gate fails in 24 months. Here’s what you should expect:
- Pedestrian gate with keypad entry: $3,500 to $9,000
- Single swing vehicular gate: $7,500 to $16,000
- Double swing gate with underground operators: $14,000 to $30,000
- Slide gate with sealed rack: $10,000 to $22,000
- Full replacement with intercom and camera integration: $12,000 to $28,000
Every quote is written out and agreed to before we order materials or dig a single post hole. Estimates are free. Call (323) 677-4063 and we’ll drive out to your Marina del Rey property, measure the opening, check the subgrade, and hand you a number that holds.
Marina del Rey’s Permitting Path Is Different - and We Plan for It
Here’s something most gate contractors from neighboring Los Angeles city limits get wrong: Marina del Rey is unincorporated LA County. That means gate-related electrical and structural permits go through the LA County Department of Public Works, not LADBS. A contractor who primarily works Santa Monica or Culver City files the wrong paperwork, waits weeks, and then discovers the correction. We know the county path. We pull the right permits at the start, because we’ve done it enough times that the routine is second nature. If you’re a property manager at a Via Marina complex or a homeowner on a Silver Strand side street, that’s the difference between a gate installed this month and a gate stuck in permit limbo.
Let me tell you about a job in Silver Strand. A 1970s garden-style complex off Via Marina needed a new custom ornamental double swing gate at the entrance, matched to the building’s original intercom and camera entry. We set new hinge posts with deep concrete footings, hung a fabricated steel gate, and installed a LiftMaster underground operator with sealed marine-rated housings. The safety photocells aligned to the existing loop detector on the first pass. When the gate cycled the first time, it ran silent. No sag correction, no re-alignment, no second visit. That’s what happens when the post is set right on day one.
In Marina del Rey, a gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle. Fix the panel without the post and you’ll fix it twice. That’s the approach we bring to every install at the harbor.
We Also Serve Cities Near Marina del Rey
Our crews handle gate installation throughout the west side, including Culver City, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood. If your property sits just outside the marina boundary, the same county permitting knowledge and marine-aware hardware selection applies, and the same number gets us on the phone.
Serving Marina del Rey, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Marina del Rey 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 Installation in Marina del Rey
No. Marina del Rey is unincorporated LA County, so gate-related electrical and structural permits are processed by the LA County Department of Public Works, not the City of Los Angeles. Contractors unfamiliar with the harbor area often file through LADBS and stall the job. We pull county permits from the start and factor the county’s review timeline into our schedule. Call (323) 677-4063 to get the permit process moving on your complex’s gate project.
The open-water salt air bordering Marina del Rey on all sides accelerates corrosion on hinges, operator housings, latch bolts, and buried conduits. Components that have lasted a decade in Culver City will typically fail in a few years at the harbor if standard inland hardware is used. That’s why we spec marine-rated and sealed components for Marina del Rey installs as a baseline, not an option. It costs a little more up front and saves a full hardware replacement in the near term.
Yes. We have integrated new fabricated steel gates with original 1970s entry panels, door-release relays, and camera systems throughout Marina del Rey’s garden-style complexes. The key is fabricating on site to the exact opening dimensions and wiring the operator to work with the existing access controls, not replacing the whole entry system. We start by inspecting the existing intercom and camera wiring to confirm compatibility before the gate goes in.
Not necessarily. Sagging is usually a hinge post problem, not a gate panel problem, and we repair posts before we recommend replacing a gate. If the post footing has settled in the sandy marina subgrade, we can set a new post with a deeper footing and transfer the existing gate onto it. We’ll tell you honestly whether the gate itself is worth saving. A replacement only makes sense when the panel is so corroded or fatigued that welding on it would be lipstick on a failing structure.
Yes. Automatic vehicular gates in California must meet UL 325 entrapment protection standards, including photo sensors, contact edges, or both, depending on the gate type and travel path. Our installations include the required entrapment protection and we test the entire system before we call the job done. The county inspector verifies the gate during the permit sign-off, and we stand behind the work with our 90-Day Done Right Promise.
Get Your Marina del Rey Gate Installed Right the First Time
If you manage a Marina del Rey complex or own a home near the harbor, don’t let an inland contractor spec a gate that won’t survive the salt air. Call Hal Gatewood directly at (323) 677-4063 for a free on-site measure and a written price before any work begins. The name is on the shop, the address is published, and we’ll put the 90-Day Done Right Promise on your invoice in writing.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Marina del Rey since 2001.