Wood that has gone soft
Wood takes on water at every joint and end grain. Once a rail is soft at the hinge side, screws pull out and the leaf drops, and a new board on a rotten frame only hides the problem for a season or two.
Gate Replacement in Austin, Out With the Rotted Leaf and In With Steel
Austin Metal Gates handles gate replacement in Austin, TX, and is Travis County's trusted specialist in swapping a tired gate for a new one, specializing in wood-to-steel conversions, rebuilt hinge posts and matched ironwork. We offer replacement swing leaves and replacement sliding panels.
- Free on-site measure
- Shop drawings you approve
- Operators set up to UL 325
- One written price
About our gate replacement & upgrades
Our team provides fitted gate hardware and a clean install on your existing opening, delivering a sturdy new entry for homeowners and a low-upkeep closure for both residential and commercial projects. The same crew that measures your old gate hangs the new one, we weld every frame in our own shop, and each replacement carries a written warranty.
From reading the sag in an old hinge post to hanging a new leaf true and level, our team handles every detail. Serving Austin along with West Lake Hills, Shady Hollow and Volente, we replace the gate and leave the rest of your entry alone.
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.
Measured on siteThe opening, the slope and the ground, measured where the gate will hang
Shop drawings firstYou approve the drawings and finish before any steel is cut
Welded in our own shopFrames fabricated and finished to your drawings, not ordered from a catalogue
Set up to UL 325Every operator installed with its safety devices tested before we leave
When a Gate Should Be Replaced Instead of Patched
A gate is worth replacing when the leaf itself has failed, not just its latch or a single hinge. Rotted wood, a bent steel frame and a chain link panel that no longer holds its shape are the three usual reasons.
Steel that has rusted through or bent
Rust is iron oxide, and it takes up far more room than the metal it replaces. That swelling splits welds and flakes the surface, and flaking rust gives no protection to the steel underneath. A leaf with rust at its lower rail and corner joints has usually lost more than paint.
Chain link that has stretched
Chain link is woven steel wire, and the wire is commonly 9, 11 or 11.5 gauge. It looks fine from the street, but a stretched panel on a light frame sags on its posts and rarely suits a house that wants a proper entrance. If the leaf can still be saved, we tell you that at the measure. If not, the quote is for a new one.
What Stays and What Goes: Posts, Columns and Your Existing Operator
Replacing a gate does not mean tearing out the entry. The posts or columns, the fence line and often the operator can stay, provided they are sound and sized for the new leaf.
Posts and columns
We check each post for lean, movement at the base and cracked footings. A new steel leaf weighs differently than the wood it replaces, so a hinge post that carried a light frame may need a new footing or a heavier section before it takes the new one.
Hinges and hardware
A hinge is a bearing that lets a leaf rotate on one axis. Weld-on barrel hinges and adjustable pivots are common gate choices, and we pick them for the finished weight of the new leaf, not for the old one.
An operator you already own
If the leaf is automatic today, we look at the operator before we quote. A working unit can be remounted to the new leaf. An aging unit is a decision to make now, while the old gate is off, and we explain the tradeoff plainly. Any operator that stays is set up again to UL 325 before we leave.
Replacing Wood or Chain Link With a Steel or Iron Gate
The most common swap here is a wood or chain link gate replaced by a welded steel gate. It costs more up front and asks for far less afterward.
- Welded frame. Welding fuses the joints into one piece, so the leaf does not loosen at the corners the way screwed wood does.
- Hollow tube frame. Square and rectangular tube has uniform strength in several directions and resists twisting, which is what keeps a wide leaf from racking.
- Finish over the steel. Steel is galvanized, then powder coated, so the color is the surface you see and the zinc is the backstop under it.
The look is your call. You can choose flat or spear pickets, a solid lower panel for privacy or a fully open design. Many gates sold as wrought iron today are mild steel made to resemble hand-forged work, since true wrought iron stopped being made commercially in 1973, and we say which one you are getting.
Upgrades While the Old Leaf Is Off
Replacement is the cheapest moment to change how a gate works, because the opening is already clear and the old leaf is out of the way.
From manual to automatic
A new leaf can be built with the mounting plates and a conduit path an operator needs, so you can automate now or later without cutting into the finish. Power reaches the gate by trench or by solar, and we sort that out at the measure.
From swing to slide
If your old gate swept across a drive that slopes, or across a short apron where cars park, a rolling gate on a track may suit the opening better. That depends on the room along the fence, the grade and the setback, and we measure all three before recommending it.
Safety devices come with the upgrade
Once a gate moves on its own, photo eyes, loop detectors and edge sensors matter. We include them in the drawing so nobody is surprised by them on the quote.
Matching Your Fence and Clearing Local Rules
A new gate should look like it belongs to the property. We photograph and measure your existing pickets, rails and posts, then draw the replacement to match their spacing, height and color.
Rules can shape the swap too. Lakeway requires a flat top on iron fences and gates, and Sunset Valley bars spiked elements above the top rail. Rollingwood's code says a driveway gate must let a car stop off the street and open parallel to it or away from it. In a POA or HOA community, an architectural review usually comes before any work starts, and the owner is normally the applicant. We supply the drawing, dimensions and finish color the committee wants, and we check the job against the current code at quote time, because these rules change.
In Texas, an HOA may require a driveway gate to sit at least 10 feet back from the right-of-way under SB 711, in force since September 1, 2025, and we mark that on the drawing where it applies.
What Drives the Cost of Gate Replacement
We do not publish a set figure here, because two replacements of the same width can differ widely in what they involve. Here is what moves the price of a replacement:
- Opening width and leaf count. One wide leaf and a matched pair need different frames and hardware.
- What comes out. Hauling off a large rotted wood gate or removing a set concrete footing adds labor.
- Posts and columns. Reusing sound ones costs less than resetting them in the limestone that sits under thin topsoil on the west side of Austin.
- Metal and gauge. Steel, aluminum or a forged look, and the wall thickness of the tube.
- Finish. Galvanizing plus powder coat, and the color chosen.
- Swing, slide or cantilever. A change in how the gate moves changes the posts and footings behind it.
- Operator and power. Keeping your unit, buying a new one, and getting power to it by trench or solar.
- Access control and safety devices. Keypads, intercom, photo eyes and edges.
- Approvals. HOA or POA review and any city permit.
Any figure you see for a project like this is an estimate, subject to change, and your written quote sets the final price after we measure the opening and check the posts. The measure is free.
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.
More of What We Build
Questions
Gate Replacement & Upgrades: Common Questions
Is it better to repair my gate or replace it?
If only a latch, hinge or picket has failed, a repair usually makes sense. If the frame is rotted, rusted through or bent, replacement is the better answer. We tell you which at the free measure.
Can you reuse my existing posts or columns?
Often yes, if they are plumb and their footings are sound. A steel leaf can weigh more than wood, so we check each post and say if one needs a heavier footing before it carries the new gate.
Can you keep my current gate opener?
If the operator still works and suits the weight of the new leaf, we remount it and set it up again to UL 325. If it is near the end of its life, we explain that before you commit.
Can you turn my manual gate into an automatic one?
Yes. We build the new leaf with mounting plates and a conduit path, and we plan the power supply, whether trenched or solar. You can automate right away or add the operator later.
What does gate replacement cost?
It depends on width, metal, finish, posts and whether the gate will be automated, so any range is an estimate. Your written quote sets the final price, and the measure that produces it is free.
Will my HOA or POA need to approve a new gate?
Most associations in Travis County want a review, and the owner is usually the applicant. We provide the drawing, dimensions and finish color, and revise the drawing if the committee asks for changes.
Can the new gate match my existing fence?
Yes. We measure your pickets, rails and posts at the visit and draw the replacement to match their spacing, height and color.
Do you cover my area?
We work across Travis County, including Austin, Rollingwood, West Lake Hills, Sunset Valley, Shady Hollow, Barton Creek, Lost Creek, Steiner Ranch, The Hills, Lakeway and Volente.
Does the new gate come with a warranty?
Yes. Each replacement gate we build carries a written warranty, and you receive it with the quote so you can read it first.
Free site visit
Talk to us about gate replacement & upgrades
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.