Serving Malibu, Topanga, and Pacific Palisades Arno (805) 405-9880  ·  Jaron (310) 748-9978  ·  CSLB #1076470
FORGE & COVE Site walk
Automated aluminum driveway gate with a keypad post on a Malibu canyon road
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Gates & fences

Gate automation and access control in Malibu

Operators, keypads, video intercoms, and phone access, designed in with the gate rather than added after. Set up for the outages, wind events, and dead cell zones that Malibu lots actually have.

Operators for swing and slide gates

Swing gates get articulating arm or underground operators sized to the leaf weight. Slide and cantilever gates get a rack or chain drive on a proper footing. Every operator gets safety loops or photo eyes, obstruction reversal, and a manual release you can find in the dark. We size the operator to the gate we built, so it is never working at its limit.

Intercoms, keypads, and phone access

A video intercom at the street so you can see who is there from your phone. A keypad with temporary codes for the housekeeper, the pool service, and the delivery driver. App access on one system that also runs the walk gate and the garage door. No second hub, no second app.

Power outages and battery backup

Malibu loses power in every wind event and every Public Safety Power Shutoff. The operator runs on battery backup through it, and the manual release is reachable from inside the property. Solar charging where the gate is far from the house and trenching power is not worth it.

Adding automation to an existing gate

We automate gates we did not build when the gate is sound. The site walk checks weight, hinges or track, post footing, and whether the gate is level. If it is, we add the operator and access hardware. If it is not, we say so, because an opener on a failing gate is money spent twice. See driveway and pedestrian gates.

Questions we get about gate automation and access control

My canyon lot has no cell signal at the gate. Can an intercom still work?

Yes. Where cellular does not reach we run a hardwired intercom to the house, or place a cellular unit where the signal actually is and relay it. We test signal on the site walk before we spec the hardware.

Can you automate a gate you did not build?

Usually. We check the gate weight, the hinges or track, and the post footing. If the gate is sound we add the operator, power, and access hardware. If it is not, we tell you before you spend money on an opener that a failing gate will destroy.

What about power outages and evacuations?

Every operator we install has battery backup and a manual release you can reach. A gate that traps you in during an evacuation is a life safety failure, and we design against it.

Start with a site walk.

A site walk with Arno or Jaron. Both have stood where you are standing.