Electric & iron gates: your questions answered

Automated aluminium pairs start from £6,500; bespoke wrought iron runs £9,500–£16,000; full estate entrances from £18,000 — all installed, with safety equipment and force testing included. Automating an existing gate is £2,800–£6,000. Every figure is modelled line by line on our cost page.

Yes — free, no-obligation site surveys across the whole of Surrey, followed by a fixed written quotation that holds for 30 days. We measure on site, check power and ground conditions, and never sell door to door.

Automation of an existing gate is usually one day. A new automated gate installation is typically two to four days on site once the gate is fabricated; bespoke wrought iron adds four to eight weeks of fabrication lead time. Estate entrances with piers and groundwork run longer and are programmed in writing before we start.

Usually — after a feasibility check of the leaves, hinges and posts. Timber gates must be sound; iron gates must be true and well hung. If a gate is too heavy, warped or poorly hung, we will tell you plainly rather than fit a motor that will fail. Retrofits run £2,800–£6,000; see gate automation.

CAME, BFT, Nice and FAAC — the four systems with genuine UK spares and engineer support. We specify the motor from the gate's weight, duty cycle and wind load, not from whatever is in the van. Compare the brands on our automation brands guide.

Yes. Every powered gate is force-tested to BS EN 12453 with a calibrated meter, fitted with the safety devices the entrapment-risk assessment demands, and handed over with a Declaration of Conformity. An automated gate is legally a machine; the compliance paperwork is part of the product, not an upsell. Read what the law requires.

Yes. Every automated gate has a manual release to open it by hand, and we can fit battery backup so the gate keeps cycling through a mains failure. Solar power is an option where a mains spur is expensive to run. See electric gates in a power cut.

Usually not. Gates up to 1 metre high next to a highway, or 2 metres elsewhere, are permitted development. Listed buildings, conservation areas and properties under an Article 4 direction need consent — several apply around Guildford and Godalming. We confirm the position at survey. Full detail on planning permission for gates.

A well-specified gate lasts 20–30 years; the automation 10–15 years with annual servicing. Galvanised-and-powder-coated iron outlasts the mortgage. The motor is the wear item — serviced yearly and force-tested, it reaches the top of that range. See how long electric gates last.

Yes — all brands, including systems whose original installer has vanished. Every repair visit starts with a safety check, because a gate that has stopped working is usually a gate that is no longer safe. See gate repairs.

Guildford and the whole of Surrey — Godalming, Woking, Farnham, Weybridge, Esher, Cobham, Oxshott, Virginia Water, Sunningdale, Haslemere, Cranleigh, Dorking, Leatherhead, Camberley, Ascot and Windlesham. See the full coverage map.

Use the form on this page or call 01483 000 000. Tell us the opening width, whether power is nearby and the style you have in mind. We respond within one working day and arrange a free site survey.