Every neighborhood in Woodstock has at least one — a fence gate that you have to lift by the handle to get it to latch. You will see them in Towne Lake, Eagle Watch, Woodstock Knoll, and all along Trickum Road: beautiful wood privacy fences where the fence itself is fine, but the gate has become a daily wrestling match.
If that is your gate, you are not alone, and you probably do not need a whole new fence. Gates are the only moving part of a fence, they are heavy, and Georgia weather is brutal on them. The good news is that most gate problems in Woodstock can be fixed in a single visit for a lot less than people expect.
Why Gates Sag So Fast in Georgia
A standard 4-foot wood gate weighs 50 to 75 pounds, and all of that weight hangs from two hinges on one post. In Georgia, three things work against it at once.
First, our red clay soil expands when wet and shrinks when dry, so gate posts shift and lean a little more each season. Second, summer storms soak the wood, making the gate even heavier right when the ground is softest. Third, many builder gates were framed without a diagonal brace, or with the brace running the wrong direction, so the frame slowly racks into a parallelogram.
Once the gate drags on the ground, every opening grinds the bottom corner down and loosens the hinges further. Kids swinging on it and dogs hitting it at full speed do not help, either.
What Fence Gate Repair Costs in Atlanta
Here is the real 2026 pricing we quote in Woodstock and Cherokee County:
Hinge and latch adjustment with gate re-leveling: $125 to $225. If the frame is still square and the post is solid, tightening or upgrading hinges, resetting the latch, and adding a proper diagonal brace often fixes the sag completely.
Anti-sag kit and brace rebuild: $175 to $300. We rebuild the frame bracing, add a turnbuckle cable kit if needed, and replace rusted hardware with galvanized or black exterior hardware that will last.
Gate post reset or replacement: $325 to $575 per post. If you can wiggle the hinge post by hand, the gate will never stay level until the post is reset in concrete or replaced. This is the most common “real” fix we do in Towne Lake, where many fences are now 15 to 20 years old.
Full gate rebuild (new frame and pickets to match your fence): $450 to $800 for a single 4- to 5-foot gate, $750 to $1,200 for a double gate wide enough for a mower or trailer. We reuse your existing posts if they are solid and build the new gate with correct bracing and a steel frame option if you want it to never sag again.
Double gates that meet in the middle cost a bit more to align, but the process is the same — get both posts plumb, hang both sides level, and set a drop rod and latch that line up without lifting.
A whole new fence section runs thousands. A gate repair that makes the whole fence feel new again for a few hundred dollars is one of the best-value calls we offer.
How We Fix a Sagging Gate So It Stays Fixed
We start at the post, not the gate. If the post leans, we dig, plumb, and re-concrete it — no shortcut bracket will hold for long in clay soil. Next we check the frame: pickets can stay, but the rails and diagonal brace must push weight down to the bottom hinge, not pull from the top.
We upgrade hinges on almost every repair. The small strap hinges builders use are undersized for a privacy gate. Heavy-duty black hinges with longer screws into the post make a night-and-day difference. We finish by setting the latch at the right height, checking the swing so it does not bind on uneven ground, and trimming the bottom if your yard slope requires it.
If your gate wood is rotted at the bottom rail — common where sprinklers hit it — we will show you and quote the rebuild honestly. We would rather rebuild one gate right than adjust a rotted one that will be back in three months.
While we are there, homeowners in Woodstock often add the other side gate or a loose fence section repair to the same visit. Bundling two gates or a gate plus a few replacement pickets in one trip is cheaper than two separate calls.
Tired of lifting your gate to close it? Just Fix Today repairs and rebuilds fence gates across Woodstock and Cherokee County, with same-day estimates and most repairs done in one visit. Call us at (678) 549-8083 and get your gate swinging and latching like new.
FAQs
Can you fix my gate if the post is leaning?
Yes — that is the most common fix. We reset or replace the leaning post in concrete first, let it set, then re-hang the gate level. Adjusting hinges on a leaning post alone will not last.
Is a steel-frame gate worth it?
For wide or double gates, yes. A welded steel frame with wood pickets attached stays square for years and is lighter than an all-wood frame. For a standard 4-foot gate, a properly braced wood frame with heavy hinges is usually enough.
How long does a gate repair take?
Adjustments and brace work take 1 to 2 hours. A post replacement is a half-day job because the concrete needs set time. A full gate rebuild is typically done in 3 to 4 hours.
Why does my double gate not meet in the middle anymore?
One or both posts have shifted, or one gate has sagged more than the other. We level both posts and gates, then reset the drop rod and center latch so both sides meet cleanly again.
Can you match my existing fence style?
Yes. We match picket width, dog-ear or flat-top style, and wood tone as closely as new lumber allows. New wood will weather to blend in, or we can recommend a stain timing to even it out.
Do you repair metal or vinyl gates too?
We repair hinges, latches, and posts for metal and vinyl gates, and replace damaged vinyl gate panels. If a vinyl frame is cracked through, a rebuild with a steel insert is often the strongest option — we will walk you through it on site.