Aluminum Gate Installation in Galveston, TX

How an aluminum gate is built

Welded, not screwed. Aluminum fence panels are usually assembled with screws. Ultra Aluminum's specification even says "welding the pickets to the rails is not permitted" in its fence. Gates are different: "all gates must be fastened and 100% welded at all connections and joints", and each swing gate must "support a 300 lb. vertical load on the latch side of the gate without collapsing". Ask whether the gate in your quote is welded or assembled.

Heavier posts. The same spec uses 2½″ line posts with .075″ walls for the fence, but 4″ or 6″ square gate posts with .125″ walls "on both sides of a gate", set plumb, with the gate hung only after the concrete has hardened. Hinges are a hinge-block and J-bolt design, and double gates get a drop rod.

Strong enough for a driveway? For typical residential openings, yes, when the frame and posts are sized for the leaf. Wide or heavy-use entries go to double leaves or a cantilever slide gate. Aluminum's low weight helps automation, because operators are rated by leaf weight and length. See driveway gates, electric gates and, for a heavier custom look, wrought iron gates.

Aluminum pool gates

Most aluminum gates on the island guard a pool. Under the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, which the City of Galveston's pool permit requires, a pedestrian pool gate must:

• open outward, away from the pool;
• be self-closing and self-latching, and able to take a lock;
• have its latch at least 54 in. above the ground if it is released from outside, or, on a private pool, on the pool side at least 3 in. below the top of the gate, with no opening larger than ½ in. within 18 in. of the latch;
• on a double gate, keep one leaf secured and the other self-latching.

The picket spacing rules are the same as for the fence: no opening that passes a 4-inch sphere, and no more than 1¾ in. between pickets if the gate's rails are less than 45 in. apart. See aluminum fences, self-closing, self-latching pool gates and pool fences.

Near salt water: hardware and warranty

Hardware is the weak link. The aluminum won't rust, but hinges, latches, screws and brackets can. The Ultra specification calls for all-stainless fasteners. The American Galvanizers Association rates galvanized steel against aluminum as "only a slight chance of a reaction", but recommends an insulating barrier between dissimilar metals, and notes that galvanized steel touching aluminum or stainless near salt water "may require electrical isolation".

Read the gate warranty on its own. Jerith gives homeowners a limited lifetime on its aluminum panels and posts, but swing gates' powder coat and workmanship are covered for 1 year. Ultra excludes "coastal installations" as an extreme condition and requires cleaning every 3 months within 1,500 ft of salt water. Ask for the terms on the exact gate in your quote.

Care. Rinse salt off, keep hinges and latches moving, and check that pool gates still close and latch on their own. See aluminum in hurricane and salt-air areas and wood vs metal gates on the coast.

From estimate to working gate

1. Free on-site estimate. We measure the opening, swing or slide room and slope, and ask whether the gate guards a pool or may be automated.
2. Product and a written price. The gate, posts, hinges and latch or operator, and that product's written warranty.
3. Permits. The pool permit if the gate is part of a pool barrier.
4. Installation. Gate posts set plumb in concrete, the gate hung once the concrete has cured, and closers, latches or operators adjusted.
5. Walkthrough. We test the swing, self-closing and latching (or the operator) with you.

What affects cost and timing

We give you a written price after the free on-site visit. The main things that move it:

• Type and size. Walk and pool gates cost far less than double driveway gates or a cantilever slide gate.
• Style. Spear tops, finials, arches and puppy-picket spacing.
• Hardware. Self-closing hinges and self-latching or lockable latches.
• Posts. Heavier gate posts, or mounting to masonry columns.
• Automation. An operator, safety sensors, entry controls and power.

See what determines the cost of a custom gate. Financing is available through the providers on our financing page, subject to credit approval.

Questions we get about this