Rollingwood · West Lake Hills · Sunset Valley · Shady Hollow
Metal Gates in Lost Creek, Drawn for ACC Approval Before Anything Is Built
Austin Metal Gates fabricates metal gates in Lost Creek, TX, as a trusted Travis County specialist, specializing in ACC-ready driveway gates, garden gates and iron fence panels drawn for committee review. We offer masonry-column gate entries and custom stair railings.
- Free on-site measure
- Shop drawings you approve
- Operators set up to UL 325
- One written price
Gates and ironwork in Lost Creek
Our team provides solar and hardwired gate operators, delivering dependable daily access for homes and well-documented submittals for both residential and commercial projects. Before any steel is cut, the opening is measured by the same crew that installs it, and we fabricate every piece in our own shop.
From shielded, downward-facing light on a gate column to a complete ACC package with elevations and a finish sample, our team handles every detail. Serving Lost Creek, Barton Creek and West Lake Hills, we confirm the current rules with the ACC and the permitting bodies at quote time.
Why Austin Metal Gates
How We Work
No stock panels cut down to fit, and no handoffs. The crew that measures your opening builds and installs the gate.
In Lost Creek, the Neighborhood ACC Approves the Fence First
Lost Creek sits between Capital of Texas Highway, Barton Creek, Barton Creek Boulevard and Bee Caves Road, and it is almost completely built out. That means a gate or fence job here is usually a change to an established home, and in Lost Creek a change to the outside of a home goes through the Lost Creek Neighborhood Association's Architectural Control Committee.
The ACC Guidelines and Procedures (October 2023, Revision 3) give the committee authority over any and all exterior changes or improvements. They define a structure to include fences, walls or retaining walls of any kind, and anything that obstructs views at street intersections. A driveway gate with its columns and wing walls falls squarely inside that definition.
The timeline is written down. The Designee acknowledges an application within 3 business days and decides within fifteen days of acknowledged receipt, or a shorter period where the deed restrictions set one. A variance needs a majority of the ACC, which may consult neighbors, and the owner must record any variance in the Travis County real property records.
We do not quote Lost Creek height or material limits from memory. Those sit in each section's deed restrictions, and we read the ones for your lot and follow the committee's decision.
Woodslopes, The Valley, and Who Enforces the Rules
Two sections work differently. The Lost Creek Limited District states that approval authority for architectural changes, including fence construction, remains with the LCNA committee for all sections except Woodslopes and The Valley, whose own HOAs handle their sections. Before we draw anything, we confirm which body reviews your address.
Enforcement is a separate role. The Limited District enforces the deed restrictions and warns that starting work without ACC approval may result in enforcement action and delay of the project. On a gate job, that delay can land with posts already set and steel already coated, which is why our schedule starts only after approval is in hand.
Approval from the committee is also not the only sign-off. The Limited District notes that Travis County, City of Austin and ESD 9 (Westlake Fire Department) permits may also be required, and the ACC does not issue them. Lost Creek was annexed by Austin in December 2015 and dis-annexed in May 2024, so which permits apply now is something we confirm for your job at quote time rather than assume.
Gate and Column Lighting in a Dark Sky Community
Lost Creek is an International Dark Sky Development of Distinction, the first in Austin. The Limited District asks residents to keep outdoor lighting fully shielded and pointing downward, no brighter than necessary, and low in blue light. The request is voluntary, and it still shapes a good gate design.
Column lights and pilaster lamps on an entry are where a gate job most often adds light. We specify fixtures that shield the source so light falls on the drive and the keypad rather than into the sky, at a warm color and a modest output. Full cutoff fixtures, which send no light above the horizontal, are the standard type for that goal.
Lost Creek is also a Firewise USA site, and Firewise guidance covers ignition-resistant materials within the 200 foot Home Ignition Zone around a house. That is worth weighing when you choose between steel and wood for a fence or gate that ties into the home. Whichever way you go, the ACC still decides the material.
Driveway Gates, Garden Gates and Railings for Lost Creek Homes
Once the committee has the drawings, the product side is familiar ground. Swing gates, single or dual leaf, suit a level approach with room for the leaves to open. On a steep drive, a slide or cantilever gate is often the better choice, because it moves sideways instead of arcing into rising grade, and a cantilever carries its weight on rollers beside the opening with no track across the pavement.
Automation adds an operator matched to the leaf and the daily cycles, photo eyes, a keypad, intercom or remotes, and a backup battery. Where trenching power from the house would disturb mature landscaping, a solar operator with a panel on the column is an option. Operators are set up to UL 325, the US safety standard automatic gate operators are listed to.
Garden gates into side courts, iron fence panels along a rear line and stair or porch railings complete a property. We build all of them in mild steel, galvanize it in molten zinc for a bonded corrosion barrier, and powder coat it in the color the ACC approves.
What Drives the Cost of a Gate or Iron Fence in Lost Creek
We do not publish prices. A Lost Creek job is quoted in writing after the measure, and the figure moves with:
- Opening width, leaf count, and swing, slide or cantilever.
- Slope and grade at the gate and along any fence run.
- Steel gauge for frames and pickets, and the pattern the ACC approves.
- Galvanizing under powder coat versus powder coat alone.
- Operator type and duty cycle, and power by trench or solar panel.
- Access control, intercom, photo eyes and safety edges.
- Masonry columns, footings and any retaining wall work, which the ACC also reviews.
- Shielded column lighting.
- Preparing the ACC application and any county, city or ESD 9 permits the job turns out to need.
The on-site measure is free, and it is where the scope is settled.
How We Take a Lost Creek Job Through Approval and Install
First, the site visit. The crew that will install your gate measures the opening, the grade, the setback from the street and the route for power, and we identify which reviewing body covers your section.
Second, the application. We prepare shop drawings with elevations, dimensions, materials and finish, plus the lighting fixture where one is planned, and you submit them to the ACC with our help. We wait for the written decision, and if the committee asks for changes we revise the drawings. At quote time we also check what county, city or ESD 9 permits apply and handle them.
Third, fabrication. Everything is cut and welded in our own shop, then galvanized and powder coated. On site the crew sets columns and posts, hangs the gate, installs and tests the operator and its safety devices, and walks you through the manual release. The finished work carries a written warranty.
The process
From Site Visit to a Gate That Runs
Four steps, and nothing is fabricated until you have signed off on the drawings and the price.
Free site visit
We measure the opening, the slope and where power can reach, and talk through style, automation and access.
Drawings and a written price
You get scaled drawings for your approval and for any HOA or city review, with one written price.
Fabricated in our shop
Steel is cut and welded to the approved drawings, then galvanized, powder coated or both.
Installed and tested
Columns and posts set, gate hung, operator set up to UL 325 and every safety device tested with you.
Gates, Fences and Ironwork We Build
Questions
Lost Creek: Gate and Fence Questions
Do I need ACC approval for a gate or fence in Lost Creek?
Yes. The LCNA ACC guidelines treat fences, walls and retaining walls of any kind as structures the committee must approve first. Woodslopes and The Valley have their own HOAs, so we confirm which body reviews your address.
Who prepares the ACC application?
We draw the elevations, dimensions, materials and finish the committee needs and help you submit them. If the ACC asks for changes, we revise the drawings before anything is built.
How long does ACC approval take?
The guidelines say an application is acknowledged within 3 business days and decided within fifteen days of acknowledged receipt, or sooner where the deed restrictions say so. Our schedule starts after approval.
How tall can my fence be in Lost Creek?
That is set by your section's deed restrictions and the committee, and we do not guess it. We read the restrictions for your lot and design to what the ACC approves.
What does a Lost Creek gate cost?
It depends on opening width, gate type, slope, steel gauge, finish, the operator and its power, columns and footings, lighting and the approvals. We quote in writing after a free measure.
Swing or slide for my driveway?
A level approach with room to open suits a swing gate. A steep or tight drive usually suits a slide or cantilever, which moves sideways instead of into the grade.
Can fire crews get through my gate?
ESD 9 permits may apply in Lost Creek, and we confirm with the district at quote time what access device it wants, then fit a key switch or key box to suit.
What if the power goes out?
Our operators carry a backup battery, and each one has a manual release so the gate can be opened by hand.
Is the work warrantied?
Yes, every Lost Creek job is handed over with a written warranty at the final walkthrough.
Talk to us about a gate in Lost Creek
Free on-site measure across Austin and the west side. We call you back to set a time.
Calls only, we do not receive text messages.