The Challenge

The setup at this property in Newick worked, but only just. The gates themselves were sound, the piers were solid, but every coming and going meant getting out of the car, walking up the drive, and pushing the gates open by hand. In the rain, in the dark, with shopping in your arms, it had become more of a chore than a feature. The owner didn’t want to throw away a perfectly good gate; they just wanted it to start earning its keep, and they wanted the security of knowing the entrance closed itself behind them properly every time.

Our Approach

Rather than starting from scratch, we recommended retrofitting automation onto the existing gates. It’s often the most sensible choice when the timber or metalwork is in good condition: you save the cost of a brand-new gate, you keep a look the owner already likes, and you bring the everyday convenience right up to date. We chose a robust automation kit suited to the weight and width of the gates, paired with a control board, safety photocells and a remote handset for daily use.

Before we agreed the spec, our team checked over the existing gates carefully. With retrofit work, the bones of the setup matter just as much as the new kit going in: the hinges, the posts, the piers and the geometry of the swing all need to be in good enough shape to take the loads of repeated automated operation. Where they aren’t, we’ll always say so up front and put it right before we automate. In Newick, the existing setup was sound and we were happy to build on it.

The Installation

We started by checking the hinges, levelling the gates and running through the swing of each leaf. The operators were then fitted, the control cabling was run neatly through to a weatherproof housing, and we installed safety photocells across the entrance to make sure the system was fully compliant with the British Standard for the safe operation of automated gates. The control board was paired to a simple push-button remote, and we ran the system through dozens of open-close cycles to make sure everything was smooth and reliable.

Before we left, we walked the owner through the everyday operation, showed them the manual release in case of a power cut, and gave them a quick tour of the after-care the system would benefit from over the years.

A Simple Project, Done Properly

For a lot of properties in Newick, Uckfield, Lewes and the wider area, replacing a perfectly good gate is the wrong starting point. If the gates themselves are sound and the customer likes the look of them, a retrofit can deliver all three of our signature benefits, security, style and convenience, without the cost or the disruption of a full replacement. It also tends to be a faster job, which is welcome when nobody wants their driveway out of action for longer than it has to be.

Gate Automation in Newick

If you’ve got a manual gate at home in Newick, Uckfield, Crowborough, Lewes, Heathfield or anywhere else across East Sussex, Kent or Surrey, we’d be happy to come out and take a look. We retrofit automation onto existing gates like this one, and we also design and install brand-new wooden gates, wrought iron gates, aluminium gates, swing gates, and sliding gates, in both manual and fully automated setups. Once your gates are in, we can also look after service and maintenance and any gate repairs, so everything stays in good working order for years to come.

Give our friendly team a call on 01825 705160, drop us a message at info@sussexgateservices.co.uk, or have a chat with us through our contact page. We’d be happy to have a chat about what would suit your driveway and your day-to-day routine.

Latest From Our Clients

  • We can’t praise Sussex Gate Services highly enough. They have done several jobs for us including repairing our automated gate system, roller shutter garage door and drive lights. Their work is of high standard, they are efficient and reliable. We are certainly glad we found them and would recommend them to anyone.

    Jean Brooker

  • Paul automated our five-bar drive gate in November 2019. Competitive quote, hassle-free job and popped back to adjust after a few weeks.

    Highly recommended!!

    Mark Procter

 

 

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