If you are looking for metal gates in Dublin, Kildare, Meath or Wicklow that are made for your entrance rather than picked from a catalogue, this page explains how we do it. The Home Upgrade Co. works with a local gate maker who measures your opening, makes the gates and railings in steel in his own workshop and fits them himself. You deal with us on WhatsApp from the first photo to the day the gates are hung.
What metal gates and railings do you make?
We make driveway gates, side gates, pedestrian gates and railings in steel, each one made to the measured opening and fitted by our gate maker.
Every job below is made to order. The frame is welded steel, and what goes inside the frame is your choice.
- Driveway gates, as a pair or a single leaf, in upright bar with finials, in a steel frame with composite board infill, or fully sheeted for privacy
- Metal side gates, a lockable steel frame with composite or timber infill, made to the gap between your house and the boundary wall
- Pedestrian gates to match the driveway gates or the railings
- Railings for the top of a front wall and for garden boundaries, made to match the gates
- Automation as an add on to any gate we make
- Commercial gates for yards, units and sites: sliding, sheeted and mesh gates, covered further down
Each has its own page: wrought iron gates, metal side gates, railings.
Who makes and fits the gates?
Our gate maker, a local steel fabricator with his own workshop. He measures the opening, makes the gates, fits them and guarantees the work.
We are straight about how this works. The Home Upgrade Co. takes your enquiry, answers your questions and arranges the visit. Our gate maker does the measuring, the welding and the fitting, and the guarantee on the gates is his. The person who measures your entrance is the person who makes the gate, which is how mistakes between the tape and the workshop are avoided.
Why have a gate made to measure instead of buying one off the shelf?
Shop gates come in fixed widths and heights. Real entrances do not, so a made to measure gate is the only kind that fills the opening properly.
Measure between two driveway piers at the top and at the bottom and the figures often differ. Piers lean, driveways fall towards the road, and the gap beside a house is whatever the builder left. A gate bought in a fixed size is packed out with posts and filler strips to make it fit, and the gaps show. A made to order gate is built to the opening as it actually is, including the fall of the ground under it.
It also means the details are yours to choose: the height, the bar spacing, the finial, square or arched tops, and whether you can see through it or not.
What styles of driveway gate can I choose from?
Two main looks: traditional upright bars with finials, often called wrought iron style, or a steel frame filled with composite boards for privacy.
The traditional bar gate suits brick piers and period fronts, and it pairs naturally with railings on the wall either side. The composite infill gate suits newer houses and anyone who wants the driveway screened from the road. The boards sit inside a welded steel frame, so the gate keeps its shape in a way an all timber gate does not.
Send us a photo of your entrance and the rough width, and we will tell you what would suit it.
How much do made to measure metal gates cost?
Every job is priced individually, because every opening is different. You get a rough guide from a photo and the width, and a firm written price after the measure.
| What is made | What moves the price |
|---|---|
| Metal side gate, steel frame with composite or timber infill | Width and height, the infill, the lock, whether posts are needed |
| Pedestrian gate, upright bar | Finials, arched or square top, matching it to existing work |
| Pair of driveway gates, upright bar with finials | Opening width, height, amount of detail, new posts or existing piers |
| Pair of driveway gates, steel frame with composite infill | Opening width, height, board choice |
| Railings | Length of the run, height, finials, wall top or post fixed, corners and changes in level |
| Automation added to a gate we make | Swing or sliding, getting power to the gate, intercom or keypad |
| Commercial yard gates | Clear width, sliding or swing, sheeted, bar or mesh, the ground they run on |
The figure for your gate depends on the width and height of the opening, the style, how the steel is finished, and whether your existing piers can carry the weight or new steel posts are needed. A rough guide is possible from a photo and a width. The firm price comes after the opening has been measured.
This is premium steelwork made for one entrance, and it is priced to that standard. If you are comparing it with a flat pack gate from a DIY shop, we are honestly not the right fit, and we would rather say so here.
How is the steel protected from rust?
Ask for the finish in writing before you compare prices. The longest lasting finish for outdoor steel is hot dip galvanising with powder coating on top.
Finish matters more than anything else in Irish weather, so ask about it before you compare any two gate quotes. Hot dip galvanising means the finished gate is dipped in molten zinc, inside and out, to the standard EN ISO 1461. Powder coating then goes on top for colour. A gate that is only painted or powder coated onto bare steel will look the same on day one and very different after a few winters.
Can the gates be automated?
Yes. Any driveway gate we make can be automated, either when it is fitted or later, as long as that is planned before the gate is made.
Tell us at the start if you want electric gates now or might want them in a few years. It changes how the gate is built: the frame, the hinges and the posts have to suit the motors, and a duct for the cable is far easier to put in before the driveway is finished.
Do I need planning permission for new gates or railings?
Usually not. Gates and railings at a house are exempt up to 2 metres high, but forming or widening an entrance onto a public road needs permission.
The exemption is Class 5 of Schedule 2 to the Planning and Development Regulations 2001. It covers building or altering a gate, gateway, railing, wooden fence or wall within or bounding the curtilage of a house. The height cannot exceed 2 metres, and a wall or fence in front of the house is held to 1.2 metres. Many councils apply the 1.2 metre figure to everything along a front boundary, so if you want front gates or railings taller than that, check with your council first. Metal palisade and other security fencing is not covered by the exemption at a house.
Two things take a job outside the exemption. The first, under Article 9 of the same regulations, is forming a new vehicle entrance or materially widening an existing one onto a public road where the surfaced carriageway is more than 4 metres wide. The second is a protected structure or a house in an architectural conservation area, where the front railings and gates are often part of what is protected. The exemption changes that took effect in July 2026 dealt with extensions, garden rooms and similar work, and did not change the rules for gates and railings. Replacing gates in an existing entrance at an ordinary house is the straightforward case.
How long does it take to get a gate made and fitted?
It depends on the size of the job and how busy the workshop is. You are told the expected timeframe with your written price, before you commit to anything.
- WhatsApp us a photo. Send a photo of the entrance, the rough width and your area. We come back with what would suit and a rough guide on price.
- Measured on site. Our gate maker visits, measures the opening top and bottom, checks the piers and the fall of the ground, and agrees the style and height with you.
- A written price. One figure for making, finishing and fitting, with anything extra such as new posts or automation listed separately. No obligation.
- Made in the workshop. The gate is welded to your measurements and then finished.
- Fitted. The same man hangs the gates, sets the latches and drop bolts and makes sure they swing and close properly.
Do you make metal railings as well as gates?
Yes. Our gate maker makes and fits metal railings for front walls, gardens and boundaries, and most fronts are done as gates and railings together.
Railings are as much his trade as gates. Panels are made to the measured gap between each pair of piers and fixed to the wall, or carried on steel posts where there is no wall. Made in the same job as the gates, the bar size, the spacing, the height and the finials run through from one end of the front to the other. The detail is on our metal railings page.
Do you make commercial and industrial gates?
Yes. Our gate maker makes and fits yard gates, sliding gates, mesh gates and sheeted security gates for businesses, as well as gates for homes.
He takes on commercial work as readily as house gates: galvanised sliding gates across wide yard entrances, sheeted steel gates where a site needs to be closed off from view, and mesh gates and pedestrian gates to match an existing fence line. These are made to the opening in the same way as a house gate, in heavier section steel and sized for vans and lorries. If you manage a yard, a unit or a site, send us a photo of the entrance, the clear width you need and what has to get through it.
Do you cover Kildare, Meath and Wicklow as well as Dublin?
Yes. Gates and railings are measured and fitted across Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. Message us your area and we will confirm straight away.
If other work is planned at the house, we also design and fit windows, internal doors, kitchens and made to measure joinery, so one conversation can cover the lot.
Frequently asked questions
Is a wrought iron gate really made of wrought iron?
Almost never today. New wrought iron is no longer produced, so gates sold as wrought iron are made in mild steel in the traditional style. Properly galvanised and coated, steel is the better material for a new gate.
Are metal gates better than timber gates?
A welded steel frame does not warp, sag or rot, which is what ends most timber gates. If you like the look of timber or want privacy, boards can be fitted inside a steel frame so you get both.
Can I get a price from a photo?
You can get a rough guide from a photo and the width of the opening. The firm price is given after our gate maker has measured the entrance, because piers, slopes and posts change the job.
Can you match railings or gates that are already there?
In most cases yes, because everything is made to order. Send a close photo of the existing bars and finials and we will tell you how close the match can be.
