Frequently Asked Questions

You call (559) 338-6874, a live coordinator takes your information, and we schedule a time to look at the gate in person. We diagnose the failure, explain what made it fail in plain terms, and hand you a written quote. After you approve it, we do the work on site, show you what we replaced, and test the gate through full open and close cycles before we leave. The repair either holds or we come back.

Yes, in most cases. Malibu gate repairs are often same-day when the issue is urgent and the needed parts are standard, like a hinge kit or a sensor. If your gate is stuck open and your dog is waiting at the window, call early and we'll do everything we can to get there that day. For uncommon parts we still secure the gate safely first, then return to finish the second repair once the part arrives.

We do. Most of the gate repairs we handle in Malibu are on gates built by other companies, some of them out of business and some of them national outfits whose clean trucks disappeared after the sale. Hal repairs what other companies want to replace, which means we'll often save the existing steel and rebuild the hardware around it. You don't need to start over when one component failed.

A repair visit includes an assessment of the gate itself, the hinge posts, the opener, the safety features, and the track or swing path. We'll replace what's worn, weld what's cracked, realign what's drifted, and tighten what's loose. If we find a safety sensor somebody bypassed, we fix it and tell you straight, because that's not a code detail, it's a child's hand under a closing gate. You get a full report at the end.

Yes, automatic gate openers are the largest share of our repair work in Malibu. That includes the operator arm, the control board, remote receivers, keypads, photo eyes, and the wiring between them. We work on BFT, Linear, and Ghost Controls units regularly, and we carry the common failure parts for them in the truck. Show me the gate closing on its own and I'll show you where it's failing, and it's usually in the opener.

We repair most major automatic gate opener brands, including BFT, Linear, and Ghost Controls, along with many legacy units still working on older Malibu properties. If your opener's brand plate is worn off, we identify it by the motor and board layout. When a brand is discontinued and parts are impossible to find, we tell you honestly and price a retrofit that keeps your existing gate.

We do, and we'll recommend the right model for a Malibu hillside driveway with heavy wind exposure rather than whatever the supply house had on the shelf. The opener has to match the gate's weight, swing or slide type, and daily cycle count. We quote the full install including the power run and safety edges before any work happens, so you know what the entire job costs, not just the motor.

Often we can, because some older Malibu gates were built with hardware that's still manufactured or available as direct replacements. Hal welds on site rather than taking your gate away for a fortnight, which means if a bracket or hinge can be repaired instead of replaced, we'll repair it. When a part is genuinely obsolete, we'll explain the retrofit path and give you a written number before touching anything.

We work on Viking openers along with the other common brands in this area. The key to any opener repair is diagnosing whether the problem is the motor, the board, the limit switches, or simply a low battery in the remote, and that diagnosis doesn't change by brand. We carry the failure parts for the openers we see most often on Malibu driveways and order the rest locally.

In salt air, an opener with a sealed control board and stainless hardware will generally outlast one without it, regardless of brand. Some Malibu properties near the water simply eat standard openers faster than those up in Agoura Hills, and we factor that into the recommendation. We'd rather you spend once on the right unit than twice on the wrong one.

Yes. Every pro working under the Gatewood name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires, and the work is covered by Hal Gatewood's name, not an anonymous routing system. That's the point of the name on the shop. You're hiring a business with an address in this county, not a call center three states away, and accountability travels with the truck.

Ask for the license number, the physical address, and who actually comes to your property. Hal Gatewood publishes his name, his address and his license number, and answers his own phone. A real local company can point to the shop and the truck and the finished gates in your neighborhood. Ask anyone on your street. That's the oldest verification system there is, and it still works.

We wouldn't recommend it for an automatic gate. An opener involves electrical connections, moving steel that can weigh hundreds of pounds, and safety sensors designed to keep people from getting pinned. The risk isn't just the repair failing; it's someone getting hurt. Hire a trained professional for anything with a motor and an opening edge. The savings from the handyman quote disappear the first time the gate closes on a car.

Yes, when the project requires one. Many repairs don't need a permit, but some rebuilds and new installations in Malibu do, and we'll tell you which path your project falls on before the first tool comes out. We handle the paperwork when it's needed and never ask you to skip a required permit to save a few days. The city inspector signs off, and the gate keeps working.

A gate stuck open is an emergency when it leaves your property unsecured, especially on Malibu roads with real traffic. A gate stuck closed across your only driveway is an emergency when you can't get a car in or out. An opener that screams but still works can usually wait a day. If you're not sure which category you're in, call (559) 338-6874 and talk it through. We'd rather hear from you early than have you trapped or unsecured.

Yes. If your Malibu gate fails open after dark and you need it secured before morning, we can lock it in place or disconnect the opener safely so it can't be forced. The phone is answered around the clock, and we take night calls seriously because an open gate is an invitation. We'll get you secure first, then diagnose the failure properly in the daylight.

Faster than a company dispatching from the valley. We work the Malibu-to-Westlake Village corridor daily, so the truck isn't coming from another time zone. On a true emergency, we prioritize it and tell you honestly when the technician can be there. We don't promise precision when traffic on PCH is doing what PCH does, but we'll always give you the straightest answer we have, and the phone is answered 24/7.

Usually not, but it is an inconvenience worth fixing fast if you can't open the gate at all. Try the keypad or the interior button first, because sometimes it's just a dead remote battery or a lost code. If the gate won't open by any means, we'll treat it as urgent and get you moving. Most remote failures are a quick board or receiver fix once we're on site.

Ninety days in writing on every fences and gates job. If the repair fails inside that window, one call brings Hal back to make it right. That's the promise, and it's stamped on the work because the name is on the shop and the shop is down the road. We'd rather keep you for twenty years than win one big ticket, and the warranty is how that starts.

You call (559) 338-6874 and we come back. Inside the ninety-day window, we make it right without another invoice. Outside the window, we're still the company that did the work, and we'd rather diagnose what changed than leave you guessing. Gates live outside in Malibu salt air, and occasionally a new part fails early. That's what the warranty is for.

Yes, parts and labor are covered by the same ninety-day written warranty on every job. If the part itself is defective, the manufacturer's warranty applies and we handle that process for you. If our workmanship was the problem, we own it and fix it. You won't be caught in the middle of an argument we should be having with the supplier. That accountability is the whole reason the owner answers the phone.

Repair first, unless the steel is rusted through or the post is collapsed. Hal repairs what other companies want to replace, which means most gates get more years with new hardware, a rebuilt hinge post, and a properly adjusted opener. If the gate is truly beyond saving, we'll tell you straight and quote a replacement that fits the existing driveway and opener rather than upselling a full tear-out. The honest answer either way is free.

Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Malibu since 2001.