You don't have to have a huge house to have a driveway gate -

There seems to be a commonly held misconception that only houses fit for the hollywood hills should get automatic gate systems. This couldn't be further from the truth! As a homeowner, you deserve the added security and added equity that is afforded by installing an electric driveway gate, regardless of whether your home is a cozy 2 bedrroom on a quiet suburban street, or if your house is a 5 br mansion on mullhulland dr. 

So what has caused this misconception?

We believe that this misconception goes hand in hand with people feeling as though a driveway gate is a huge expense; one that is outside of the budget of most families across the nation. The truth is: a driveway gate, even an automatic driveway gate is affordable, and with the amount that having one can reduce your monthly insurance payment, the gate inevitably will pay for itself. We get it- electric drivway gates can look imposing, and put off an air of luxury, but the truth its, most electric driveway gates are well within reach of most families.

What is the actual cost of a driveway gate?

A big portion of the cost involved with installing a driveway gate is the cost of the opening system. You can get a manual driveway gate for much cheaper, but generally speaking, most people prefer to have some method of opening the gate without having to exit their vehicle. 

- Installing a single panel  driveway gate (which is the most common for residential properties),  is around $1,500 to $3,000 depending on the style and size of the gate that you choose. 

- To make that gate automatic is an additional $750-$5000 depeneding on the opener you purchase, the  larger the gate,or the more complicated the opening system, the more expensi.ve the electric gate opener will be. This is just an estimate; you will have to consult with your contractor to get a more acurate quote.

Value

The true value of a driveway gate is hard to quanitify. What is the value of added safety? What is the value of added piece of mind? What is the value of privacy? The answers to these questions will be different from person to person; and is a question you should ask yourself when considering a driveway gate.

The values tha are much easier to quantiy include reductions on home owners insurance, and added resale value that is attributed to the installation of a driveway gate. The majority of  home owners insurance companies will offer a reasonable discount for the addition of certain security features such as driveway gate or other alarm systems

Additionally: if you are trying to sell your house, a driveway gate allows your realtor to discuss the additional safety of the home, and may help homes in less affluent neighborhoods where burglaries or home invasions may be a concern to some people. There is no denying that driveway gates have an impact . Approaching a building that is surrounded by a driveway gate, you can't help but get the impression of luxry, and class, and security; and for those reasons, homes wtih driveway gates tend to haver a higher sale value than those without.

So what does it all mean?

You have to consider driveway gates as an investment, and how much that investment means to you. With a cost starting around $2000 after installation, and an average cost hovering around $3500, a driveway gate is not outside the realm of possibility for most home owners. In fact, there has been a steady growth of average family homes jumping onto the bandwagon and installing these security gates on their properties.And it makes sense.

Technological advances have grately reduced the cost of openers, and materials and this has opened the door for typical families across the nation.  

Gone are the days where only the super rich or those living in huge houses were the only people with accesss to aelectric driveway gates. And we couldn't be happer with that