Estate Driveway Gates in Orinda.

The double swing is our estate driveway statement piece — two leaves meeting at the centerline, sized for openings 12 to 20 feet. We build it in three design languages: mid-century modern with clean horizontal lines and minimal ironwork; Craftsman with heavier timber and exposed joinery; and traditional estate with custom arches and, on the right property, an arbor built above the opening.

In Orinda, orinda is hillside country — driveways climb, curve, and cross drainage. site rules the design. Berkeley Hills fog cycles and steep decomposed-granite lots demand drainage-first footings and finishes that handle daily dew without cupping. Manual or motor-automated is a decision made per site — long drives almost always warrant automation, shorter formal approaches sometimes read better manual.

Frames are mortise-and-tenon joinery in Sapele mahogany over redwood, hung on hardware sized to the loaded leaf. We build regularly in Orinda Downs, Sleepy Hollow, Glorietta, the Orinda Country Club area, and Ivy Drive.