What’s the Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Driveway Gates?October 25th, 2015

With driveway gates – and this is no joke – you can pay $2,500 on the low end and $50,000 or more on the high end.

Seriously. They’re just like houses. You can get something that’s small and simple that does only what you need. Or you can go with big and beautiful gates, or pretty much as high as your budget allows.

So let’s take a look at what makes one gate cheap and another much more expensive:

Amount of Maintenance Required

This is how it works with just about every product you can buy. Cheaper gates require more maintenance. Insects can crawl inside the gate or gate operator more easily and make their new home there. The physical gate and circuitry doesn’t resist damage from use and the weather as well either.

So, you pay a low price now, but maintenance and service costs catch up with you a little later.

With a more expensive gate, the circuitry and gate is built with a stronger resistance to damage. The gates themselves can even include maintenance-free hinges.

Generally, higher-price security gates and gate operators save you money on maintenance and service calls over the long run.

You’ll Miss Out on Certain Safety Features

You don’t have to pay for a “vehicle detection loop.” In case you don’t know, that’s an underground apparatus that detects whether or not a car is just above the loop. The same thing is found around most traffic lights. When the loop notices a car, the security gate stays open.

If you don’t install a vehicle detection loop, which you can certainly do, automatic gates shut after a few seconds. And if your friend or neighbor has their care there, it’s going to get damaged.

Hopefully they’re nice and don’t hold you responsible for it. But there’s no guarantees that’ll happen. So you can get stuck with a costly repair bill or higher insurance premiums by trying to save a little money now.

The Contractor’s Experience And Skill

Have you ever thought of going to the doctor that works out of a hotel room you enter through an alley late at night?

Few, if any, sane people do.

That’s kind of what it’s like when you go with a “handyman” contractor or one clearly with not a whole lot of experience in gate installation. It’s just not a good idea in most cases.

Go after the contractors with extensive experience and demonstrated skill. Look at pictures of their past work to judge their skill. Note the kinds of homes and businesses they’ve done work for.

Consider all these factors after researching them, and then go with the contractor that rates the best in your judgment.