Who installs alley gates to the street, and what do they cost?

Submitted by WhyNotKenGaburo t3_10lxw52 in philadelphia

Just like the subject line: The alley behind my house has a gate facing the street that was locked at one point, but no longer is. The gate itself is in pretty terrible condition and could stand to be replaced. We have recently had a problem in the past few weeks of people going into the alley and trying to break into houses, or just randomly messing with them. Obviously, we would like to put a stop to this. Does anyone know of a company that will install a gate on the entrance from the street, and what such a gate might cost? I'm thinking of the type with a push bar on the inside but no way to open it on the outside.

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tasker_morris t1_j6025o0 wrote

You need a metal fabricator because the dimensions are not standardized. You could also just pick up a wrought iron gate from Lowe’s, but some additional framing would be needed to ensure a fit. The coat range can be pretty wide depending on what your looking for I’d say $700-$3k

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WhyNotKenGaburo OP t1_j60f9lt wrote

Thanks for the reply. I think the existing frame can be salvaged. I was just going to slap a padlock on the existing gate, but that doesn't seem like the wisest idea, although one of my neighbors seems to think that it will be fine.

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mwwmmwwm3 t1_j617wln wrote

I replaced my alley gate about two years ago, depending on how handy you are and the type of gate you want it’s a very doable DIY project if you have a saw, tape measure, and a drill.

A prefabbed or custom metal gate will cost you more than what I’m about to suggest but this is how I replaced mine and it’s holding up just fine.

I had a wood fence panel delivered to my house from Lowe’s. After measuring the opening I cut the fence panel to size then added hinges, a handle, and a lock. I put the handle and lock on the side of the gate facing my alley similar to what you want to do with yours so no one can gain access from the side facing my street.

All told it took me less than two hours to remove the old gate, make the new one, and mount it. The materials cost me a little over $100 dollars including delivery fees for the fence panel. If you hired a handy man I’d assume your looking at $300-$500 for parts and labor for something similar.

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WhyNotKenGaburo OP t1_j61k43k wrote

I'm not all that handy, even though I sometimes like to think that I am (best to acknowledge my limitations with something like this). If it was just the gate to my patio I'd just rig something up, but this is the gate from the street that we're looking to replace. Although, I do have a couple of neighbors on the other side of the street that might be willing to help.

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buddy_buda t1_j61rqy4 wrote

Any handyman or carpenter can build you one. I just built one for a neighbor about 3 weeks ago.
I am property manager/handyman... feel free to dm/pm me if you want to talk.

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z10kwas3 t1_j61xzp4 wrote

I made one myself with some pressure treated 1x4 in 2016. It’s still there!

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MrKamikazi t1_j64l76o wrote

I'm having the thread but which city department handles questions about alleys? My property ends at a retaining wall into the alley and I would like to know if the wall is the city's or mine.

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SBRH33 t1_j674tpf wrote

Homeowners do. Just put the gates up and give keys to those that are trusted if you live on the shared main alley.

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