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 Seattle
Gate repair in Seattle usually costs between $190 and $520 for most hinge, post, realignment, and operator fixes, with motor replacements running higher. We dispatch background-checked, uniformed technicians to every Seattle neighborhood, from Ballard to Rainier Valley, and the phone at (469) 530-2485 is answered by a live person around the clock. If your gate sags, drags, reverses on its own, or won’t open after a wet night, we’ll send someone who knows exactly what Seattle soil and weather do to gate hardware.
Why Carver Gate Repair Is Seattle’s Preferred Gate Repair Company
Seattle homeowners tend to call us after another company has already failed them. They’ve had a no-show, a quote that moved, or a repair that held for six weeks before the gate sagged again. That’s the exact problem The Garrison Standard was built to solve. Every customer gets a written price before any work starts. Every repair carries a written guarantee good for a full year. And every technician who walks onto a Seattle property has passed a background check and wears a uniform, so you know who you’re letting through the gate.
We work on Gate Repair exclusively. Not fences, not decks, not general contracting. Nine gate-motor brands, including LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. That focus means our crews arrive with the right parts and the right diagnostic habits, not a blank stare and a promise to “look into it.” Lonnie Burke runs the crew to one standard: written price, clean site, tested repair. No exceptions.
Metal Gate Repair in Seattle
Metal gate repair in Seattle most often comes down to three things: hinge failure, post drift, and operator force settings. Wrought iron and steel gates hold up better than wood in this climate, but they still fight the same wet, clay-heavy soil. A steel gate that scrapes the driveway in February wasn’t always like that. The post shifted. The hinge wore. The operator kept pushing until something bent. We see it in Magnolia, West Seattle, and Lake City every winter.
Typical metal gate repair in Seattle runs $250 to $520 for hinge replacement, weld repair, rust remediation, and realignment. If the post itself has moved, we quote footing reset work separately, because that’s a different job than a hinge swap, and you should know the difference before you pay.
Hinge & Post Repair
Welded or bolted hinges on steel gates take the full weight of the leaf every time it swings. Over years, the hinge pin wears oval, the gate drops a half inch, and the latch stops lining up. In Seattle, the added variable is rust. Constant moisture accelerates the wear. We cut out the old hinge, weld or bolt in the replacement, and then re-square the gate so it closes against the stop without being forced.
Weld & Rust Repair
Coastal air and months of rain eat powder coating once it’s scratched. A small rust blister becomes a structural problem faster than most homeowners expect. We grind back to clean metal, assess the wall thickness, and weld in new plate where the section is too thin. Then we prime and paint or re-coat. If the rust has compromised the gate frame itself, we’ll tell you before we weld, and the written price will say exactly what’s being replaced.
Wood Gate Repair in Seattle
Wood gate repair in Seattle is largely a fight against moisture. Cedar and fir gates swell in the wet season, bind at the hinge point, and then shrink again in summer. The cycle loosens joinery, splits stiles, and pulls hinges out of the wood. In neighborhoods with older homes like Queen Anne and Greenwood, we routinely see gates that have been re-hung two or three times by handymen who never addressed the root cause.
A typical wood gate repair in Seattle runs $190 to $480 depending on whether we’re rebuilding the frame, replacing pickets, or resetting hinges. If the post rotted at ground level, expect the higher end of that range and possible post replacement, which we quote separately.
Gate Realignment
When a wood gate drags, the problem is rarely just the hinge. Seattle’s wet winters swell the wood, and root-heavy soil shifts the post. We re-hang the gate, true the post if it’s still sound, and set the hinges so the gate has clearance through a full wet season, not just on installation day. We also check the latch alignment so it catches without force.
Rot & Post Repair
Rot starts at the ground line where the post meets damp soil. By the time the gate sags enough to notice, the bottom six inches of the post are usually compromised. We can sometimes sister in treated lumber or set a steel post bracket. When the post is too far gone, we pull it, pour a proper footing that drains away from the wood, and set a new post. That’s the difference between a repair that lasts one winter and one that lasts a decade.
Trusted Brands We Service in Seattle
We service LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule operators across Seattle. Most swing and slide gate failures trace back to a known failure pattern in one of these brands, and our techs see enough of each to know them by ear. We carry common boards, limit switches, and photocells in our Seattle service vehicles, so a FAAC board swap or a Viking limit adjustment usually happens on the first visit, not after a week of waiting on a shipped part.
Common Gate Repair Problems We See in Seattle Homes
- Rot-swollen wooden gates binding at the hinge point. Weeks of Seattle rain cause the gate leaf to expand against the frame and the latch post. The fix is usually a realignment with clearance cut for wet-weather swelling, not just a hinge lube.
- Operator faults triggered by wet loop detectors or photocell misreads. Seattle’s damp ground and constant drizzle cause conductivity drift in loop detectors and condensation in outdoor sensors. The operator faults out or reverses because it’s receiving a bad signal, not because the motor died.
- Sagging swing gates from footing shift in clay-heavy, root-filled soil. Tree roots and waterlogged clay push posts out of plumb over time. The gate drags, the operator strains, and the hinges wear unevenly. Real fix is resetting the post, not just cranking the hinges.
- Safety photocell and edge sensor failures after wet winters. UL 325 requires entrapment protection on automatic gates. In Seattle, these sensors take rain, mud splash, and temperature swings. They need testing and alignment during any operator repair, not just a visual check.
Pricing for Gate Repair in Seattle, WA
Smaller repairs like hinge replacement or latch adjustment in Seattle typically run $190 to $320. Mid-size jobs, including gate realignment, weld repair, or operator limit adjustments, land between $280 and $480. Swing or slide operator replacement starts around $520 and goes up from there depending on brand and linear arm versus articulated arm requirements. Post replacement or footing reset is a separate line item, usually $350 to $700, because it involves concrete work and drainage. Every job gets a written price before we start, and that number doesn’t move at the door. Call (469) 530-2485 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Seattle
Our crews handle Gate Repair in Seattle and regular service calls across the Eastside and the Sound. We dispatch to Bellevue, Mercer Island, Kirkland, and Bainbridge Island with the same written prices and the same one-year guarantee. Scheduling is coordinated from the Seattle office, but the crew shows up with local knowledge of the terrain and the gate hardware on each side of the bridge.
Serving Seattle, WA – Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Seattle 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 About Gate Repair in Seattle
Wet loop detectors and misaligned photocells are the usual culprits. Seattle’s damp soil changes the loop detector’s field, and rain-soaked sensor housings collect condensation, so the operator faults out to protect against entrapment. We dry, test, and re-align the sensors, then run the gate through full UL 325 reversal testing. If the fault persists, we replace the sensor or board. Call (469) 530-2485 and we’ll diagnose it on site.
Often, yes. If the post is sound but out of plumb from root and clay pressure, we can reset it with compacted gravel and new concrete, then re-hang the gate. If rot or severe rust has compromised the bottom of the post, replacement is the honest fix. In Seattle’s wet soil, a steel post bracket or treated footing is usually worth the extra cost. We’ll show you the post condition before quoting either path.
We service LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. Our techs carry common replacement parts for these brands on the truck, so most operator repairs are completed same visit. If your system is an older model or a brand we don’t stock, we’ll still give you a written price and a straight answer on parts availability.
A swing gate installation typically takes one to two full days, including post-setting and operator mounting. Slide gate installations can take two to three days depending on groundworks, power run, and safety edge placement. Seattle’s wet clay sometimes extends concrete cure time, so we schedule around the weather rather than rushing a footing that will fail next spring. Every installation includes a written scope, a written price, and UL 325 safety testing before we leave.
Ask to see the gate run a full open and close cycle with the safety reversal tested. On an automatic gate, that means testing the photocells and the edge sensor per UL 325. Ask for the written guarantee and confirm what it covers. And ask to see the exact parts replaced, not just a description on the invoice. We show all three on every Seattle job, because a repair isn’t done until it’s tested in front of the homeowner.
Written by Lonnie Burke, Owner at Carver Gate Repair, operating in Seattle to The Garrison Standard since 2008.
Contact Carver Gate Repair in Seattle
Need a gate that opens and closes reliably in Seattle weather? Call (469) 530-2485. You’ll get a live person, a straight answer, and a free estimate with a written price before any work begins. We serve every Seattle neighborhood with the same standard: background-checked technicians, written guarantees, and a repair that’s tested before we leave.