Can you match my existing front door?

Yes. Bring a sample, a drawer-front off a built-in, or a clear photo of the door, and we'll match stain color, finish sheen, and hardware metal in the workshop.

Can I add a smart lock?

Yes — we install Yale, August, Schlage Encode, and Kwikset smart locks integrated into the hardwood frame so wiring and battery packs are hidden. Every smart-lock install includes a backup mechanical key and a manual thumb-turn so the gate isn't reliant on batteries alone.

What's the difference between an entry gate and a pedestrian driveway gate?

Function and proportion. Pedestrian driveway gates sit next to a driveway gate and are usually scaled to match it. Entry gates can be standalone — a courtyard front-entry, a garden path gate, a side-yard service gate — and are designed to the architecture they sit in, not to a driveway leaf next to them.

What does a custom entry gate cost?

Simple side-yard or service gates start around $4,500 installed. A typical front-entry pedestrian gate runs $6,500–$10,000. Elaborate arched courtyard entries with custom metalwork can reach $18,000 or more.

Do you handle pool-code-compliant gates?

Yes, by default. Every pool-enclosure gate we build meets California Building Code Section 3109: stainless self-closing hinges, self-latching hardware mounted at the required 60-inch height, no openings within 18 inches of the latch larger than ½ inch, and outward swing. Inspectors know our work and our pool gates pass first time.

How long does an entry gate take to install?

Typically a single day for a standard pedestrian or courtyard install. Pool-enclosure gates and gates with smart locks are still usually same-day. Custom stone or masonry post integration can stretch to two days.

Custom pedestrian entry gate framed by stone columns, handcrafted by Heartwood Gates in the Bay Area

Services

Custom Entry, Pedestrian & Garden Gates

The pedestrian gate next to your driveway, the courtyard gate at the front of your home, the gate at the end of the garden path — all small surfaces that say a lot about how a house is cared for.

Single & Entry Gates gallery Schedule consultation (925) 570-3688 Gate estimator

What's Included

Every custom entry, pedestrian & garden gates commission carries.

01Pedestrian, courtyard, side-yard, and garden configurations
02Sapele hardwood with hand-cut mortise-and-tenon joinery
03Custom curves, arches, raised panels, and decorative inlays
04Designed to match adjacent fence, front door, or driveway gate
05Brass, bronze, blackened-steel, or hand-forged iron hardware
06Yale, August, and Schlage smart-lock integration
07Keypad, RFID, and intercom options without commercial styling
08California pool-code-compliant self-closing, self-latching hardware
09Engineered post footings sized for Bay Area soils
10Matching fence sections and gate hoods on request

Chapter

A small surface, a strong statement

An entry gate is one of the most-touched surfaces of a home. Family members and visitors lay a hand on the pull, the latch, the rail every single day. We design every entry gate at hand-and-eye level — pull height, latch ergonomics, finish hand-feel — with hardware that feels right when you reach for it and a finish that ages gracefully against the stone, stucco, or plaster around it. Proportions are scaled to the doorway and to the human, not enlarged from a driveway design. The result is a gate that feels custom the first time you touch it and still feels right ten years later.

Chapter

Matched to the rest of your home

Most entry gates we build are matched to an existing driveway gate, front door, or adjoining fence section. We pull stain samples, replicate hardware metals (a brushed-nickel front door wants brushed-nickel gate hardware — not chrome), copy joinery details like raised panels or arched tops, and finish with the same penetrating-oil system used on the home's other exterior wood. The goal is for the entry gate to read as designed with the house, not added later. We routinely take a drawer-front from a built-in or a photo of a front door and color-match it in the workshop.

Chapter

Smart access without the commercial look

Yale, August, Schlage Encode, and Kwikset smart locks integrate cleanly into our hardwood frames. Wiring is hidden, battery packs are mortised flush, and the keypad faces don't look like a commercial side-yard install. For higher-security applications we install full keypad-and-strike combinations with smartphone management, one-time codes for couriers, and audit logs. Every smart-lock install includes a backup mechanical key and a manual thumb-turn so the gate is never reliant on power or batteries alone.

Chapter

Pool gates that pass inspection on the first try

California Building Code Section 3109 requires very specific hardware on any gate that's part of a pool enclosure: self-closing hinges, a self-latching mechanism mounted at least 60 inches above grade, no openings within 18 inches of the latch larger than ½ inch, and an outward swing. We build pool-enclosure entry gates to that spec by default, with stainless self-closing hinges, code-compliant latch hardware, and the right opening direction. Inspectors are familiar with our work and our pool gates pass first time, every time.

Materials

What we build with.

—Sapele hardwood — quartersawn, 1,410 Janka, naturally rot-resistant
—Hand-forged or powder-coated steel — for straps, hinges, and brackets
—Brass, bronze, and blackened steel for pulls and latches
—Yale, August, Schlage Encode, or Kwikset smart locks
—Stainless self-closing pool hinges and code-compliant latches
—Penofin Verde or Armstrong Clark penetrating-oil finish
—316 stainless hardware for coastal sites; hot-dipped galvanized inland
—Solid brass or bronze thumb latches from Sun Valley Bronze or Rocky Mountain

Timeline

How long it takes.

Entry gates ship in 4–8 weeks from approved design. Install is typically a single day. Smart-lock programming and a homeowner walk-through happen at install.

Pitfalls

Common mistakes.

—Using interior-grade hardware on an exterior gate that touches weather.
—Hanging an entry gate without proper self-closing hardware near a pool — a code violation and a real safety risk in California.
—Mismatched stain colors with adjacent millwork — a small detail that reads as careless and ages worse.
—Smart locks without a mechanical backup — the day the battery dies you're locked out.
—Underspecced hinges on a 7-foot-tall solid panel — sag shows up inside a year.
—Garden gates without a kick plate at the bottom — irrigation and mulch rot the wood from below.

Northern California

Designed for Bay Area courtyards and side yards

Bay Area lots come in every shape: Spanish-Revival courtyards in Piedmont, narrow side-yards in the Berkeley flats, deep garden paths in the Oakland Hills, walled front entries in Ross and Mill Valley. We design entry gates to the specific architectural language of your home — a Craftsman bungalow wants vertical pickets and exposed strap hinges, a Spanish Revival wants an arched solid-panel gate with hand-forged ironwork, a modern home wants horizontal slats and a flush pull. Climate matters as much as style. Foggy Berkeley and Mill Valley sites get a finish with a fungicide pack and 316 stainless hardware. Sun-baked Walnut Creek and Concord sites get UV-loaded Penofin and a finish-refresh visit at the 12-month mark. Pool-enclosure gates anywhere in California get the full Section 3109 hardware package without us having to ask.

Compare

Wood vs. metal entry gate

	Wood (Sapele)	All-Metal
Warmth	Warm, residential, ages gracefully	Cooler, more formal or industrial
Privacy	High (solid panels available)	Lower (visual transparency)
Maintenance	Annual finish refresh	Powder-coat lasts 10+ yrs
Match to wood door	Excellent	Designed contrast
Best for	Most California residential	Modernist homes, security-led
Cost (single 42")	$4.5K–$9K installed	$5K–$12K installed
Lifespan	30+ yrs with care	30+ yrs with re-coat

Case Study

A recent custom entry, pedestrian & garden gates project.

Problem: A Yountville property wanted a garden pathway gate that would frame an existing rose garden without feeling rustic, western, or out of place against the home's tailored Mediterranean architecture.
Solution: We designed a curved-top Sapele hardwood gate with hand-forged blackened-steel strap hardware, a solid-brass thumb latch from Sun Valley Bronze, and a self-closing hinge package. Stain was matched to the home's front door, and a kick plate of matching Sapele was added at the base to protect the wood from drip irrigation.
Materials: Sapele hardwood, hand-forged blackened steel straps, solid brass thumb latch, stainless self-closing hinges.
Timeline: 5 weeks; 1 day on-site.
Result: Featured in the homeowner's landscape designer's portfolio and on a Napa garden tour the following spring.

Frequently Asked

About custom entry, pedestrian & garden gates.

Usually no — most Bay Area cities don't require a permit for a pedestrian gate under 6 feet. Pool-enclosure gates have specific California Building Code Section 3109 requirements, and some HOAs (especially in Blackhawk, Ruby Hill, and parts of Lafayette) require design review. We handle those when they apply.

Service Areas