Every property has an entry point, and the gate is the first thing visitors see. In Metro Vancouver — where front yards face the street and laneways lead to carports — a gate sets the tone for everything behind it. We build custom metal gates at our Burnaby shop for homes across the Lower Mainland, from compact pedestrian gates in Kitsilano to full driveway systems in the British Properties. Here’s what the options look like and what they actually cost.
Gate types and where they fit
Not every property needs the same gate. The scope depends on the opening, the traffic, and whether you need vehicle access, foot traffic control, or both.
Driveway swing gates are the most common residential gate we fabricate. A pair of swing gates covers openings from 10 to 16 feet wide, with each leaf operating on heavy-duty hinges mounted to steel or masonry posts. Swing gates work best on flat or gently sloped driveways — and that rules out some of the steeper lots in North Vancouver and Burnaby where the grade changes right at the property line.
Sliding gates solve the slope problem. A single panel rides on a track or is cantilevered from a support post, sliding parallel to the fence line. Sliding gates need clear lateral space — roughly 1.5 times the opening width — so they work on properties with enough fence run beside the driveway. We install a lot of these on larger lots in South Vancouver and Richmond where driveways are wide but the front setback is tight.
Pedestrian gates are smaller, typically 3 to 4 feet wide, and serve front walkways, side yards, and garden entries. They swing on a pair of hinges and usually include a self-closing mechanism and a latch or lock. Simple in scope, but the design details — top rail profile, picket pattern, handle hardware — make the difference between a gate that looks like an afterthought and one that matches the property.
Garden gates overlap with pedestrian gates but tend to be shorter (4 to 5 feet tall versus 6 feet for a security-oriented pedestrian gate) and more decorative. Arched tops, scrollwork, and forged leaf details show up here more than on any other gate type. We’ve built garden gates for heritage homes in New Westminster and Edwardian-era houses in Mount Pleasant where the ironwork needs to feel like it belongs to the original architecture.
Materials: what works in this climate
Vancouver’s weather is the single biggest factor in material selection. Eight months of rain, occasional salt air near the coast, and freeze-thaw cycles in the Fraser Valley — exterior metalwork here takes a beating.
Mild steel is our standard material for residential gates. It’s strong, weldable, and takes detail work well. A mild steel gate with hot-dip galvanizing and a quality powder coat will last 20 to 30 years in Metro Vancouver with minimal maintenance. Raw steel left unprotected can show surface rust within a single wet season, so proper finishing isn’t optional — it’s structural insurance.
Wrought iron look. True wrought iron hasn’t been commercially produced for over a century. What people call wrought iron today is mild steel fabricated to mimic traditional forged profiles — square and round bar stock, hammered textures, scrolls, and collars. We use solid steel bar rather than hollow tube for ornamental gates because it holds up to impact better and takes forge work without collapsing. The cost premium over plain fabrication is 15–30%, depending on how much hand-forged detail is involved.
Aluminum is lighter than steel and naturally resistant to corrosion. It’s a strong choice for pedestrian and garden gates where the spans are short and the structural load is low. For wide driveway gates, aluminum needs heavier profiles to avoid flex, which narrows the cost gap with steel. Aluminum also welds differently — it requires TIG welding with argon shielding, and the joints don’t have the same forged look that steel allows.
Stainless steel (316 grade) is the premium option. It resists corrosion without galvanizing, holds a clean modern finish, and is the right call for waterfront properties in West Vancouver or exposed coastal sites. The tradeoff is cost — stainless runs 2 to 3 times the material price of mild steel, and fabrication time is longer because it’s harder to cut and weld cleanly. We use it when the environment demands it, but for most residential gates in Burnaby, Coquitlam, or East Vancouver, galvanized mild steel is the better value.
Automation: manual vs. powered
A manual gate costs less upfront and has no electrical components to maintain. For pedestrian and garden gates, manual operation is standard. For driveway gates, the question is how often you use them and whether convenience justifies the added cost.
Gate operators for residential swing gates start around $1,500 for a basic hydraulic arm system and run to $4,000+ for dual-arm systems with battery backup and smart-home integration. Sliding gate operators are slightly less — $1,200 to $3,000 — because they drive a single panel on a track rather than controlling two swinging leaves.
Automation adds to the install scope. You need a concrete pad or post foundation for the operator, low-voltage wiring from the house panel, and usually a keypad or intercom at the street. In Vancouver, where rain is constant, all electrical components need weatherproof enclosures rated for outdoor use. We coordinate with licensed electricians on every automated gate install — the gate fabrication is our scope, the electrical connection is theirs.
Access control options range from simple keypads and remote fobs to video intercoms, licence-plate recognition, and integration with home automation systems. Most of our residential clients in the $8,000–$12,000 range go with a keypad and two remotes. The smart-home integration packages add $1,000–$2,500 on top of the base operator cost.
What custom gates cost in Metro Vancouver
Here are the installed price ranges we see across residential projects. These include material, fabrication, finishing, hardware, and installation — but not electrical work for automated systems, which is quoted separately.
Pedestrian gates (single swing, 3–4 ft wide, mild steel, powder coated): $3,000–$5,000. A clean modern design with vertical pickets sits at the low end. Add forged ornamental details or an arched top rail and it moves toward $5,000.
Garden gates (single swing, 3–4 ft wide, decorative): $3,500–$6,000. The extra cost over a pedestrian gate comes from design complexity — scrollwork, forged elements, and custom hardware add shop hours.
Single driveway swing gate (one leaf, 8–10 ft wide): $4,500–$8,000. This covers a standard mild steel gate with galvanizing and powder coat. Wider openings, heavier gauge material, or ornamental detailing push toward the top of the range.
Dual driveway swing gates (two leaves, 12–16 ft opening): $6,000–$12,000. The pair needs matched fabrication, balanced weight distribution, and coordinated hinge hardware. Add automation and the total project cost (including electrical) can reach $15,000.
Sliding driveway gates (single panel, 12–18 ft opening): $7,000–$14,000. Sliding gates cost more than swing gates for the same opening because the panel is longer, the track or cantilever system adds hardware, and the installation is more involved. Automation adds $2,000–$4,000 to these numbers.
Estate-scale gates (oversize, heavily detailed, or mixed material): $15,000–$25,000+. These are full-scope projects — large openings, custom forged elements, stone or masonry pillar integration, lighting, and automation. We’ve done estate gates in the British Properties and Shaughnessy that required structural engineering for the pillar foundations alone.
Finishing for Vancouver’s rain
Every exterior gate leaving our shop gets a two-stage finish system: hot-dip galvanizing followed by powder coating. The galvanizing provides a zinc barrier that protects the steel even if the powder coat gets chipped or scratched. The powder coat provides colour, UV protection, and the visual finish.
Standard powder coat colours — matte black, satin bronze, dark grey — are included in our base pricing. Custom colours from the RAL chart add $200–$500 depending on the gate size. Metallic and textured finishes (hammered bronze, antique patina effects) cost more because they require multi-stage application.
For mild steel gates, skipping galvanizing to save $300–$600 is a false economy in this climate. We’ve repaired gates from other shops where the original fabricator applied paint directly to bare steel — within two to three years, rust was bleeding through at every weld joint and hinge point. A proper galvanize-and-coat system pays for itself many times over across the life of the gate.
Aluminum gates don’t need galvanizing but still benefit from powder coating for colour consistency and UV resistance. Stainless steel gates can be left with a brushed or polished mill finish, though many clients opt for a clear powder coat to reduce fingerprinting and water spotting.
Permits and setback rules
Gate permitting in Metro Vancouver varies by municipality. Here’s the general picture:
In the City of Vancouver, fences and gates under 2 metres (6.5 feet) in height on residential property typically don’t require a building permit. Gates over 2 metres, or any gate in the front setback area, may trigger a review. Sight-line requirements at driveway entrances — ensuring drivers can see pedestrians on the sidewalk — can affect gate placement and swing direction.
Burnaby follows similar height thresholds but has specific rules about gate proximity to the property line and sidewalk. Sliding gates that project into the city right-of-way when open are generally not permitted.
North Vancouver (City and District) has heritage overlay zones where gate design may need to align with neighbourhood character guidelines. Automated gates in these areas sometimes require design review.
For any automated gate, an electrical permit is typically required for the low-voltage wiring and operator connection, regardless of gate height. Your electrician handles that permit as part of their scope.
We always recommend clients check with their local planning department before finalizing gate design. We can adjust dimensions, placement, and swing direction during the shop drawing phase to meet municipal requirements — it’s easier to change a drawing than to modify a finished gate.
Timeline from quote to installed gate
A typical residential gate project follows this schedule:
Site measure and quote: 1–2 weeks. We visit the property, measure the opening, assess grade and soil conditions (relevant for post foundations), and discuss design preferences.
Shop drawings and approval: 1–2 weeks. Detailed fabrication drawings showing dimensions, materials, hardware, and finish. This is the stage to finalize every design decision.
Fabrication: 2–4 weeks. All welding is C.W.B. certified to CSA W47.1 standards. Complex ornamental gates with forged elements take longer than clean-line modern designs.
Finishing: 1 week. Hot-dip galvanizing at an off-site facility, then powder coating in our shop or at a dedicated coating facility.
Installation: 1–3 days for most residential gates. Automated systems with concrete work and electrical coordination can take up to a week.
Total lead time: 4–8 weeks from signed quote to a functioning gate. Simpler pedestrian gates land near 4 weeks. Large automated driveway systems with custom forging and electrical integration push toward 8.
Getting started
If you’re planning a gate project, the most useful thing you can bring to the conversation is a photo of your entry point, the approximate opening width, and a sense of the style you’re after — modern clean lines, traditional ornamental, or somewhere in between.
We handle projects across Metro Vancouver: Burnaby, Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Request a quote or contact our Burnaby shop and we’ll walk through your options and give you a number you can plan around.
