Horizontal Slat Dual Swing Gate with a Vehicle Exit Loop in Burlingame
We built a custom dual swing driveway gate for a Burlingame home: a modern black horizontal slat design, two LiftMaster LA500 operators, a matching pedestrian gate, and a vehicle exit loop so you drive out without touching a remote.
The project
Automatic Gate Masters completed this custom automatic driveway gate for a residential property in Burlingame, CA. The new entrance pairs a clean horizontal slat design with coordinated dual swing automation, a matching pedestrian gate, and a vehicle exit loop for convenient everyday access. Two large driveway leaves, each powered by its own LiftMaster LA500 operator.
The gate was designed to give the property a modern, cohesive entrance while still sitting naturally inside a wooded residential setting and the existing perimeter fencing. Everything was fabricated to the actual opening rather than forcing a standard size into the space available.
Dual swing horizontal slat gate
Two leaves meeting evenly at the center
LiftMaster LA500, one per leaf
Mounted low on the interior side
Matching pedestrian entrance
Same slats, same spacing, same finish
Two leaves, two operators
Configured to open and close in sequence
Drive out, no remote
Detection loop set into the driveway
Built into the existing fence line
Black finish against natural wood and eucalyptus
Modern horizontal slat gate design
Wide slats, narrow gaps, and a black finish that lets the trees do the talking.
The driveway gate uses a contemporary horizontal slat layout finished in black. Wide, evenly spaced slats draw strong horizontal lines across both leaves, so the entrance reads as clean and balanced rather than busy.
The narrow openings between the slats are what keep the gate from feeling overly solid or visually heavy. Light passes through, parts of the landscape behind stay visible, and the gate still marks a clear boundary for the property.
A substantial outer frame wraps each leaf and carries the structural load for a wide driveway opening. The two leaves were fabricated and aligned to meet evenly at the center when closed. The black finish sits well against the wooded surroundings and contrasts cleanly with the natural wood fencing already on the property.
Wide horizontal slats
Evenly spaced across both leaves, drawing one continuous line from side to side.
Black finished metal
A dark finish that recedes against the eucalyptus and contrasts with the natural wood fence.
Substantial outer frame
Carries the load across a wide opening and keeps each leaf square and true.
Narrow gaps, not a wall
Light and landscape come through, so the gate does not read as a heavy solid panel.
Wide black slats with narrow gaps, set against the existing wood fence line · Burlingame, CA
The vehicle exit loop, and why it changes the daily drive
Most of the friction with an automatic gate is not opening it when you arrive. It is leaving. A remote in the wrong car, a keypad you have to roll the window down for, an app that wants to load. Every single departure.
So we installed a vehicle exit loop in the driveway. The loop sits within the driveway surface on the interior side of the gate and detects a vehicle approaching from inside the property. When it recognizes a vehicle in the detection area, it sends an open command straight to the gate controls.
You just drive toward the gate and it opens. No remote, no keypad, no phone. We integrated the loop with the dual LA500 system, so both leaves respond together when a vehicle is detected.
The takeaway for homeowners: an exit loop is one of the least glamorous parts of a gate and one of the most used. It is worth asking about before the driveway is finished.
Two LiftMaster LA500 operators, one coordinated gate
A dual swing gate is not one gate. It is two moving panels that have to behave like one.
The gate is powered by two LiftMaster LA500 swing gate operators, one on each leaf. The LA500 uses an articulated arm to move the gate through its opening and closing cycle, and each operator was mounted to its own post and leaf according to the movement and geometry the installation actually required.
One operator per leaf is what lets both sides be controlled as a single coordinated system. We configured the pair so the leaves open and close in the correct sequence, which is what keeps them from colliding at the center and what makes a wide entrance feel like one smooth motion.
The operators sit low on the interior side of the gate, so the mechanical equipment stays out of the picture when the entrance is viewed from the street. The clean horizontal design remains the thing you actually see.
We used the same operator on a custom Ipe wood dual swing gate in Emerald Hills, and a single LA500 on a 15 foot steel swing gate elsewhere in Burlingame.
See our gate openers →Alignment, the walk gate, and the wiring
The parts of a gate job nobody photographs, and everyone feels.
Alignment. On a dual swing this wide, alignment is most of the job. Both leaves had to meet cleanly at the center, hold consistent spacing above the driveway, open without catching the nearby fencing, move together as a coordinated system, and stay visually level across the full entrance. The finished gate holds one clean horizontal line from one side of the driveway to the other.
The pedestrian gate. The walk gate uses the same black horizontal slat design, the same slat spacing, and the same finish as the driveway leaves, with its own handle and locking hardware for controlled foot access. The adjoining fence sections carry the pattern through as well, so the driveway gate, the walk gate, and the existing fencing all transition into one another instead of reading as three separate things.
The electrical. The LiftMaster control enclosure, conduit, junction boxes, and operator wiring all went in on the interior side, routed around the gate posts, the existing fence, and the available mounting surfaces. Conduit follows defined runs to the control equipment and the operators rather than being left loose or unsupported. It is not decorative work, but an organized install is what makes the system straightforward to inspect and service years from now.
The matching pedestrian gate, with the LiftMaster control enclosure and conduit on the interior side · Burlingame, CA
The finished result
Custom fabrication, coordinated automation, and access features that get used every day.
The new gate had to work with what was already there: existing wood perimeter fencing, a tree lined residential setting, a wide concrete driveway, limited equipment space near the posts, a separate pedestrian access point, and the homeowner's need for automatic vehicle exit. The gate and the adjoining sections were built to the real opening instead of squeezing a standard size into it.
Automatic gate installation in Burlingame
Burlingame runs from tree lined residential streets to older brick and paver entrances, and the right gate depends entirely on which one you have. A modern slat gate like this one suits a contemporary home in a wooded setting. A few blocks away, a traditional steel gate is the right answer. We design to the property rather than to a catalog.
We build and service custom driveway gates, install gate openers and access control, and handle full swing gate installation across Burlingame and San Mateo County. See our other Burlingame build, a 15 foot custom steel single swing gate. Burlingame sits in San Mateo County, where we also handle automatic gate installation in San Mateo.
Already have a gate in Burlingame?
If your existing automatic gate is stuck, grinding, or will not close, we handle same day gate repair across Burlingame for all brands and every operator type. We can also tell you honestly whether a repair or a new gate makes more sense.
See Gate Repair in Burlingame →Burlingame gate project FAQ
What is a vehicle exit loop and how does it work?
Why did this gate get two operators instead of one?
Why use a dual swing layout instead of one long gate leaf?
Why are the slats spaced instead of solid?
Does the pedestrian gate match the driveway gate?
Can you add an exit loop to a gate I already have?
Planning an automatic gate in Burlingame?
We design, build, and automate custom driveway gates across Burlingame and the Peninsula, including exit loops, keypads, intercoms, and matching pedestrian gates. Free on site estimate and a written fixed quote before any work begins.
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