How much does it cost to automate existing gates?

£1,300 to £2,600 fitted for most domestic pairs, including operators, safety photocells, remotes and commissioning. Long cable runs and underground motors sit at the top of that.

Can wooden gates be automated?

Yes, if they are square, well hung and the posts are solid. Heavy hardwood needs a motor rated for the weight, which the survey confirms rather than assumes.

How long does the work take?

A day for a straightforward retrofit where power is available at the entrance. Add a day if a cable run or new posts are needed.

Will I need an electrician as well?

No, the supply and certification are part of the quote. What the quote should tell you is the cable route and who reinstates any surface that gets lifted.

Can I still open the gates by hand?

Yes. Every installation includes a manual release so the gates can be operated by hand in a power cut, and you get shown how to use it at handover.

Gate automation for existing gates in Teesside

Automating a pair of gates you already own costs £1,300 to £2,600 on Teesside, fitted and commissioned. That covers the operators, control panel, safety photocells, remotes and the power supply out to the entrance, provided the gates and posts are sound.

Get Quote From £1,300

A timber driveway gate fitted with an electric gate opener arm

The cheapest route to automatic gates

If you already have decent gates, you are most of the way there. Retrofitting automation avoids the biggest line on a new installation, the gates themselves, and typically costs a third to a half of a full replacement. The work is a day for a straightforward pair: operators fitted, control panel mounted and wired, photocells set, remotes and a keypad or intercom programmed, forces measured and the manual release demonstrated.

Are your gates suitable? Six checks

Square and true: a leaf that has dropped will fight the motor from day one. Sagging frames are re-squared or re-hung first.
Hinges and posts: a motor multiplies the load. Tired hinge pins and posts that rock in the ground need sorting before automating, not after.
Weight and width: operators are rated by leaf weight and width. Heavy hardwood on a three metre leaf needs a serious motor, and honest kit selection matters more than brand loyalty.
Solid or slatted: a full-board gate on an exposed plot catches the wind hard, which wears motors quickly. Sometimes the right advice is to change the infill.
Ground clearance and fall: a driveway that rises through the swing limits how far gates can open. Rising hinges or a re-hang solves some cases, and rules out others.
Power at the entrance: if there is no supply out there, the cable run becomes part of the job and part of the price.

Which operator type

Ram or articulated arms bolt to the pillar and the gate leaf. They are the most economical option, easy to service, and they suit wide pillars and most timber gates. Underground motors sit in a drained box at the hinge point and are close to invisible once the driveway is reinstated, which is why they get specified on period frontages and stone gateposts. They cost more and need ground that drains. For a sliding gate, the retrofit is a rack fixed along the gate frame and a motor on a plinth, provided the gate rolls freely and the track or cantilever is in good order.

What comes with a compliant kit

Automation turns a gate into machinery, so the safety layer is part of the job rather than an extra. A properly specified retrofit includes photocells covering the danger zones, force limitation set and measured with a gauge, safety edges where the risk assessment calls for them, a warning sign, a manual release, and a handover with the paperwork. If a quote is notably cheaper than the others, the safety kit and the certified electrical supply are usually what is missing from it.

Controls worth adding on the day

Remotes come as standard. Beyond that, a keypad on the pillar suits families and cleaners, an audio or video intercom handles visitors and deliveries, a GSM unit lets you open the gates from your phone from anywhere, and vehicle detection loops or free-exit sensors mean you never have to press anything on the way out. All of them are much cheaper installed while the cable trench is open and the panel is off the wall.

What it does not fix

Automation will not rescue gates that are past it. If the joints have opened, the timber is soft at the bottom rails, or the posts move when you push, the motors will simply expose it faster. In that case the honest recommendation is new gates, and you get both routes priced so the choice is yours rather than a surprise halfway through.