Do I need automation?

No — many of our swing gates are manual, especially pedestrian, garden, and side-yard gates. For driveways, about 80% of clients add automation for daily convenience and safety, especially households with kids or older drivers.

Will the gate open inward or outward?

Inward in almost every case. Outward swing is rarely safe for vehicles or pedestrians on a public-street driveway, restricted by most Bay Area jurisdictions, and a liability we won't sign off on. The rare exception is a long private drive with no public access — we'll let you know if your site qualifies.

How much does a swing gate cost?

Most custom single swings land between $12,000 and $24,000 installed. Doubles run $22,000–$40,000. Underground hydraulic automation typically adds $6,000–$10,000 over an above-ground operator. The biggest cost drivers after that are panel design and metalwork complexity.

How long does a custom swing gate last?

Thirty years is a reasonable expectation for the wood and joinery with annual finish maintenance. The hardware and operators are rated 15–20 years and built to be serviced rather than replaced.

Can I add automation later?

Sometimes — but the gate has to be engineered for it from the start. If you might want automation later, we'll build the hidden steel sub-frame, set the operator-ready posts, and run the conduit at install. Retrofitting an unprepared gate is usually more expensive than designing for it from day one.

How heavy is a typical swing leaf?

A 7-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide Sapele swing leaf with a steel sub-frame typically weighs 350–500 lb. A solid-panel coastal estate gate can exceed 650 lb per leaf, which is why hinge spec and post depth matter so much.

Double swing hardwood driveway gate handcrafted by Heartwood Gates

Services

Custom Handcrafted Luxury Swing Gates

A well-proportioned swing gate frames a home the way a fireplace frames a living room. It's the most traditional driveway gate — and still the most striking when it's done right.

Double Gates gallery Schedule consultation (925) 570-3688 Gate estimator

What's Included

Every custom handcrafted luxury swing gates commission carries.

01Single (up to 14 ft) or double swing (up to 24 ft) configuration
02Manual or fully automatic operation
03FAAC 770 underground hydraulic or FAAC 415 articulated-arm operators
04Sapele hardwood panels on a hidden welded-steel sub-frame
05Custom arches, curves, raised panels, and decorative inlays
06Brass, bronze, hand-forged iron, or blackened-steel hardware
07Engineered post footings sized for Bay Area expansive clay
08UL 325 photo eyes, reversing edges, and battery backup
09Full access-control integration — keypad, intercom, app
10Matching pedestrian gate available on every project

Chapter

Single vs. double — what your driveway wants

Single-swing gates work cleanly up to about 14 feet wide. Above that, sag becomes a long-term issue no matter how oversized the hinges. Single swing reads more residential, gives you one dramatic sweep, and is usually the right call for a side-driveway entry or a property where the gate sits at an angle to the street. Double-swing gates split the load across two posts and two operators, handle wider openings (up to about 24 feet) without sag, and are almost always the right look for symmetrical drives or homes with a centered front entrance. We'll measure your opening with a laser and make a recommendation during the consultation.

Chapter

Designed to open through every season

A swing gate that sags or binds in February is a swing gate that wasn't engineered. We calculate the moment load at the hinge for the actual gate weight (Sapele plus steel sub-frame plus hardware — typically 250–650 lb per leaf), spec hinges rated 1.5–2x that number, set posts deep enough to stay plumb through wet-season heave (36–60 inches in Bay Area clay), and engineer enough ground clearance to clear the driveway through full travel even on a sloped approach. We also account for wind load on solid panels — a fact most builders ignore until a winter storm.

Chapter

Automation that disappears

Underground hydraulic operators — FAAC 770 — leave your gate looking entirely manual when it isn't moving. No visible arm, no above-ground motor, no compromise to the design. They're our default recommendation for any aesthetic-led project. Above-ground articulated-arm operators (FAAC 415, BFT IGEA) are simpler, lower-cost, and a fine choice for working driveways where the gate's job is more practical than decorative. We help you choose based on aesthetics, budget, post-and-pier geometry, and how exposed the operators will be to weather.

Chapter

Hardware sized for the long game

The single most common reason a swing gate fails early is undersized hinges. We don't size hinges to the gate's weight — we size them to twice the gate's weight, with stainless or hot-dipped pins, sealed bearings on automated gates, and a hinge architecture that lets us re-shim plumb during a service visit instead of having to pull the gate. The rest of the hardware — pulls, latches, mortise locks — is chosen to match the entry door of the home, from Emtek and Baldwin standards through hand-forged one-of-ones from our local Bay Area smith.

Materials

What we build with.

—Sapele hardwood frames and panels — quartersawn, 1,410 Janka
—Welded hot-rolled steel sub-frame, hidden inside the wood (for automated gates)
—FAAC 770 underground hydraulics or FAAC 415 articulated-arm operators
—Stainless or hot-dipped hinges sized 2× actual gate weight
—Brass, bronze, hand-forged blackened steel hardware
—Penofin Verde or Armstrong Clark penetrating-oil finish
—Marine-grade adhesives and stainless draw-bored pegs at every joint
—316 stainless hardware on coastal sites; hot-dipped galvanized inland

Timeline

How long it takes.

Swing gates ship in 6–10 weeks. Automation adds about 2 weeks for operator lead time and on-site electrical work. Install is typically 1–3 days, plus a commissioning visit on automated installs to tune photo eyes, force settings, and battery backup.

Pitfalls

Common mistakes.

—Building a single swing gate over 14 feet wide — sag is inevitable, even with oversized hinges.
—Mounting articulated operators on a gate the manufacturer doesn't rate for them.
—Skipping the structural sub-frame on automated hardwood gates — operator torque tears the joinery apart.
—Hinges sized to gate weight, not 2× the gate weight.
—Outward-swinging gates on a public-street driveway — almost always a code violation and a liability.
—Posts set in undersized footings — first wet winter heaves them out of plumb.

Northern California

Why swing gates rule estate driveways

Most estate driveways in Lafayette, Alamo, Danville, Tiburon, Yountville, and the Napa Valley have something in common: room. Deep setbacks, mature landscaping, level approaches, and a clear arc behind the gate where it can open inward without touching anything. That's exactly the geometry that makes a swing gate sing — a long, drawn entry sequence where the gate frames the home and the gate itself is part of the architecture. We design every swing gate for the specific site. A south-facing gate in Walnut Creek gets a UV-loaded finish system because it bakes all summer. A coastal gate in Tiburon gets 316 stainless hinges and a marine-spec finish to fight salt-fog corrosion. A heavily landscaped gate in Alamo gets an underground operator so the wood is the only thing you see from the driveway. The decisions are small but they're what makes a swing gate still look right in year fifteen.

Compare

Single vs. double swing driveway gate

	Single Swing	Double Swing
Max width	~14 ft	~24 ft
Look	Residential, side-entry, asymmetrical	Symmetrical, formal, centered
Posts	1 hinge post, 1 latch post	2 hinge posts, no center post
Operators	1 (FAAC 770 / 415)	2 (one per leaf)
Cost	$12K–$24K installed	$22K–$40K installed
Cycle time	~12 seconds	~14 seconds (parallel motion)
Best for	Side driveways, asymmetrical sites	Centered, formal estate entries

Case Study

A recent custom handcrafted luxury swing gates project.

Problem: A Tiburon property had a steep approach where the existing 18-foot double-swing gate kept binding against the driveway slope at full open. The owners loved the look but the gate had become unusable inside two winters.
Solution: We re-engineered the gate with raised stainless hinges, a 4-inch ground-clearance arc to clear the slope through full travel, custom Sapele panels with vertical pickets to match adjacent fencing, and FAAC 760 underground operators with battery backup and dual photo eyes. The post footings were re-poured at 48 inches with crowned tops for drainage.
Materials: Quartersawn Sapele hardwood, raised 316-stainless hinges, FAAC 760 underground operators, dual photo eyes, vehicle loop.
Timeline: 8 weeks; 2 days on-site.
Result: Gate clears the driveway through full travel. Owners report zero binding and zero service calls across two wet seasons, and the underground operators are invisible from the street.

Frequently Asked

About custom handcrafted luxury swing gates.

We cap single swing gates at about 14 feet. Beyond that, sag becomes a long-term issue even with oversized hinges and a steel sub-frame. We'll recommend double-swing for anything wider — the engineering is more reliable and the look is usually better for a centered driveway.

Service Areas