Custom Cedar Dual Swing Driveway Gate in Alamo
We designed, built, and automated a custom cedar dual swing gate for an Alamo home: warm stained cedar inside a black steel frame with pyramid-head clavos, two LiftMaster LA500 operators, and a monitored photo eye, all fit to a sloped driveway between the property's existing masonry columns.
The project
Automatic Gate Masters built this custom cedar dual swing automatic driveway gate for a hillside home in Alamo, CA. The entrance sits on a sloped driveway between two existing masonry columns, and the homeowners wanted privacy, dependable vehicle access, and a design that felt at home against the tan brick and the dry hillside behind it. The result: warm stained cedar inside a black powder-coated steel frame, decorative pyramid-head clavos, and coordinated automation on two LiftMaster LA500 operators.
Each leaf swings on its own post, hinges, and operator, and the two meet at the center when closed to form a continuous privacy barrier across the driveway. We fabricated the gate to the actual opening and set the posts, arm geometry, and clearance around the grade and the columns that were already there.
Custom cedar dual swing gate
Vertical cedar boards in a black steel frame
Between the masonry columns
Warm cedar against tan brick and the hillside
Stained cedar and black steel
Warm wood grain with strong dark accents
Fit to the sloped entrance
Level bottom rails across the grade
Warm cedar, strong black steel
Natural wood for warmth and privacy, steel for the structure that a wide automatic gate needs.
Both leaves are built from vertical cedar boards enclosed in a black steel frame. The vertical orientation emphasizes the height and presence of the entrance, and the wide cedar perimeter trim gives each leaf a structured, architectural border. Closed, the two leaves form a solid panel that limits views into the property far more than an open-picket gate would, while the natural wood keeps the entrance from feeling industrial.
Cedar was chosen for its grain, its dimensional stability, and its suitability for exterior use. It was finished with a warm brown exterior stain that pulls out the variation in the wood without hiding the texture, and that warm tone was picked to work with the tan masonry columns and the dry hillside landscape. Because cedar varies from board to board, each section has subtle differences in grain and color that read as custom rather than manufactured. Reapplying an appropriate exterior finish over time helps preserve the color against sun and weather. We used the same material philosophy on a custom cedar driveway gate in San Rafael, finished with cedar on both sides and hidden operators.
Vertical cedar boards
A solid privacy panel with a wide cedar perimeter trim on each leaf.
Warm brown stain
Brings out the grain and ties the cedar to the tan brick and hillside.
Black powder-coated steel
Surrounds and supports the cedar and keeps each wide leaf aligned.
Pyramid-head clavos
Decorative black accents that tie the cedar panels to the steel.
The clavos. Black pyramid-head clavos were set around the cedar perimeter boards. They resemble traditional hand-forged fasteners and visually connect the wood panels to the black frame, adding a finished, handcrafted detail at the corners and edges without making the gate feel overly decorative. We build gates like this through our custom gate design service, and this one sits in our automatic driveway gates line as a solid-panel swing gate.
Vertical cedar boards, black steel frame, and pyramid-head clavos · Alamo, CA
Automating a swing gate on a sloped driveway
The hardest part of this project was not the gate. It was the grade. A swing gate on a sloped entrance has to be designed so the bottom of each leaf keeps proper clearance through its whole arc, while the gate still looks level and aligned when it is closed. Get that wrong and the leaf either drags on the high side or leaves a visible wedge of daylight on the low side.
We planned the gate height, hinge locations, post placement, and swing path around the driveway surface, then set the bottom framing of each leaf to the grade so the rails read straight across the opening. The operator-arm geometry was worked out to match, because on a slope the arm travel, the opening angle, and the load on the operator and hinges are all affected by how the leaf moves over the rising surface.
Everything had to stay consistent at the same time: clearance beneath each leaf, a clean meeting point at the center, even spacing against both masonry columns, and a safe position for the photo eye across the driveway.
The takeaway for homeowners: a sloped driveway does not rule out a swing gate. It just means the design has to be built around the grade from the start, not adjusted after the fact.
Two LiftMaster LA500 operators and a monitored photo eye
One operator per leaf, coordinated as one system, with entrapment protection across the opening.
The gate is automated with two LiftMaster LA500 swing gate operators, one on each leaf. Putting an operator on each side keeps the system's load off a single oversized panel and gives each leaf its own controlled movement across the driveway. The two are then programmed to work together, so both sides open and close as one coordinated system and meet cleanly at the center.
The operator arms were mounted according to the gate dimensions, the hinge locations, the post positions, and the opening geometry required on the slope. Correct arm geometry matters because it sets the travel of the gate, the opening angle, and the amount of force placed on the operator and hinges. The LA500 platform also supports battery backup, access-control devices, and monitored safety accessories, which is where the photo eye comes in. See the full LiftMaster gate opener lineup or our broader automatic gate openers page.
The safety sensor. We installed a monitored photoelectric safety sensor, commonly called a photo eye. It projects an invisible beam across the protected area, and if a vehicle, person, or pet interrupts that beam while the gate is closing, the system can stop or reverse the gate. It was positioned to cover the driveway opening while staying discreetly integrated into the entrance. Safety devices like this matter even more on a solid privacy gate, because drivers and pedestrians cannot see through the cedar panels to what is on the other side.
See our gate openers →Built into the existing entrance
The masonry columns stayed. The gate was designed to belong between them.
Rather than replacing the surrounding structure, we worked the new steel posts and gate into the opening already framed by the property's masonry columns. The warm cedar sits naturally against the tan brick, while the black frame adds definition and contrast between the two. The columns carry lantern-style fixtures on top, which helps the finished entrance feel established and connected to the architecture of the home rather than added on.
Consistent spacing against both columns was part of the plan. Each leaf had to clear its column through the full swing while keeping an even reveal on both sides when closed, so the gate looks centered in the opening instead of crowded to one side.
The result at the edges. Closed, the entrance reads as one coordinated transition: the custom cedar gate, the existing masonry columns, the black side fencing, the landscaped hillside, and the sloped driveway down to the street. The electrical connections were protected and organized, and the whole system was cycled through complete opening and closing to confirm smooth movement, proper stopping positions, and reliable daily operation.
The finished entrance between the masonry columns, down the sloped driveway · Alamo, CA
The finished result
Custom cedar, coordinated automation, and an entrance built for the grade it sits on.
The completed Alamo gate creates a substantial, welcoming entrance with convenient automatic access and real privacy. The warm stained cedar softens the heavy-duty steel construction, the black frame and pyramid-head clavos give it a distinctive custom character, the two LA500 operators handle coordinated automation for both leaves, and the monitored photo eye adds a layer of protection during operation. It is a gate designed around the property's slope, its masonry, its architecture, and the family's daily access.
Custom automatic gates in Alamo and Contra Costa County
Alamo's hillside lots often bring sloped driveways, established masonry entrances, and dry-grass views that a gate has to work with rather than fight. That is exactly the situation this project handled: a gate built to the opening, stained to suit the setting, and engineered around the grade.
We design and build custom driveway gates, install gate openers, and handle swing gate installation across Alamo and Contra Costa County. Nearby, we also completed a custom driveway gate project in Lafayette in the same county. Planning a new gate for your own property? See our automatic gate installation in Alamo service. For service on an existing gate in the area, see our Alamo gate repair page.
Sloped driveway or existing masonry columns?
A grade or existing columns are not a problem, they are the starting point. We design the gate, the automation, and the clearances around exactly what is already on your property. Free on-site estimate.
See Custom Gate Design →Alamo cedar gate project FAQ
What is the gate in this Alamo project made of?
Why was cedar chosen for this driveway gate?
What are the black pyramid-head clavos on the gate?
How do you install an automatic swing gate on a sloped driveway?
Which operators automate this gate?
What safety equipment was included with the gate?
Can you build a custom wood gate to match my property in Alamo?
Planning a custom automatic gate in Alamo?
We design, build, and automate custom driveway gates across Alamo and Contra Costa County, including work on sloped driveways, existing masonry columns, safety sensors, and organized electrical. Free on-site estimate and a written fixed quote before any work begins.
🔒 No spam. No obligation. Just a straightforward quote.