Lafayette lots hide behind oaks. The gate is frequently the only part of the property a visitor sees before the driveway bends away, which makes it disproportionately responsible for the impression the house makes. We treat Lafayette commissions as a piece of architecture in their own right — proportioned to the trees around them, not just the opening between the posts.
Our Lafayette custom gate process starts with an on-site consultation. We measure the opening, study the architecture, photograph the surrounding hardscape, and walk you through material and joinery options that will read with your home. From there we deliver a rendered design, a fixed-price quote, and a build schedule.
Materials we work with most often in Lafayette include Sapele mahogany (Janka 1,510), white oak, ipe, and western red cedar — paired with hot-rolled or blackened steel framing and marine-grade bronze or stainless hardware. Every joint is mortise-and-tenon with drawbore pins, and every panel is finished with a UV-stable penetrating oil chosen for the local climate.
We build single and double swing gates, sliding gates, bi-fold gates, pedestrian entry gates, and matching courtyard or garden gates. Most Lafayette clients commission a primary driveway gate plus a coordinated walk gate or garden gate so the entrance reads as one composition.
Lead time on a custom build is typically six to twelve weeks from approved design. Installation usually takes two to four days on site, including post-set, gate hanging, automation wiring (if applicable), and final finish touch-up.
Lafayette favors warm Craftsman, modern farmhouse, and contemporary architecture sited on wooded private drives. Oak-shaded hillside lots with steep grades and seasonal creeks — we engineer cantilever and bi-fold gates to handle slope and limited swing clearance.
Three site visits and two renderings before a single board was cut. The bottom rail follows the grade rather than sitting level, which is the only way the gate closes tight on an 11% approach without a trench.
Matched to the home's 1948 porch balusters — we copied the picket spacing off the existing rail so the gate would not read as a newer element.
A swing arc would have hit the trunk. The cantilever carries entirely on the receiving side, so no track crosses the root zone and nothing needed to be excavated under the canopy.
Burton Valley's Craftsman stock reads best with a picket-top or stepped-top gate profile in Sapele, oil-finished rather than stained, with visible drawbore pins at the rails.
The Happy Valley rebuild wave wants a blackened steel frame with a warm timber infill. We hold the steel matte, never gloss, so it recedes under the oak canopy instead of flashing in headlights.
Where the driveway pinches, a cantilever slide with a fully concealed counterbalance keeps the gate under six feet visually while spanning openings a swing gate could never clear.
"Our driveway is steep and narrow. Jon's team came out three times to measure and rendered two options. The bi-parting Sapele gate they built clears the slope perfectly."
Heartwood Gates is headquartered in Concord, CA, roughly 10 miles from Lafayette. We serve the whole of Contra Costa County within a 150-mile service radius of the shop, with a dedicated install crew on the road most weeks.
Pedestrian and garden gates start around $4,500. Custom driveway gates typically range $12,000–$45,000 depending on size, material, automation, and hardware. Estate-grade builds in Lafayette can exceed $75,000. Every quote is fixed-price after the design is approved.
Six to twelve weeks from approved design to installation, depending on workshop schedule and material lead time. Rush builds are possible for established clients.
Yes. Every gate is built in our Concord workshop and installed by our own crew — post-set, hanging, automation wiring, and final finish touch-up all handled in-house.
Browse all custom gate services, see the full Bay Area service map, or view recent custom gates projects in the gallery.
Browse the full Heartwood Gates journal for materials, joinery, and design deep-dives from projects across Northern California.
Tell us about the entrance you want to build. We respond same-day to consultations booked before 2pm, next business day after.
