Carlsbad Metal Gates Group is San Diego County's leading specialist in modern horizontal slat gates, specializing in slat driveway gates, matching slat walk gates, and horizontal slat privacy fences. We offer Cor-Ten weathering steel slats and powder-coated aluminum slat panels.
Our team provides galvanized steel framing, delivering clean-lined privacy for homes and contemporary screening for both residential and commercial projects. Behind every slat run sit 14 years in business and our 2-year workmanship warranty on welds and gate sag, and we've completed over 1,326 projects, from a single slat walk gate to full-frontage fences with matching driveway gates.
From laying out slat gaps so every board lines up across gate and fence to the final level check along the grade, our team handles every detail. Serving Carlsbad and neighboring Harmony Grove, Encinitas and Solana Beach, we build slat gates that suit modern homes from the coast to the hills.
Call us today for a free estimate, and we will sketch your gate and fence as one continuous slat line.
What you can hold us to
Megan, 2010s master-planned home, Harmony Grove
A newer home with a bare side yard and a front court that wanted privacy without a solid wall
Investment and duration figures are estimates. Your written quote sets the final price and schedule.
Megan's 2010s master-planned home in Harmony Grove was a newer home with a bare side yard and a front court that wanted privacy without a solid wall. We built 48 linear feet of slat fence and a matching gate in Cor-Ten weathering steel slats, with tight gaps, set level along a gentle grade. The Harmony Grove job, 48 linear feet of slat fence and a matching gate, was an estimated $4,600 to $6,700 and took an estimated 3 to 5 days on site. Megan now has a private side yard and a modern facade that ages to an even rust patina.
Horizontal slats give a contemporary home privacy and texture without the weight of a solid wall, and building them in metal means no warping, rot or termites. The look is long, level lines that carry from the driveway gate across the walk gate and down the fence. It suits the newer homes of Harmony Grove and Bressi Ranch as well as remodeled Encinitas bungalows.
Slat spacing is a trade: tight gaps give near-total privacy, while wider gaps let light and breeze through and put less wind load on the posts. A slat fence with tight gaps acts almost like a sail in a Santa Ana wind, so we size posts and footings for the wind as well as the weight.
On a Poway or Lake San Marcos lot with afternoon wind, we often open the gaps slightly rather than upsizing every post.
The infill material, not the frame, decides the upkeep of a slat gate. Cor-Ten weathering steel forms its own rust patina and needs no paint, powder-coated aluminum never rusts, and galvanized steel with powder coat gives the most strength per dollar.
| Slat material | Upkeep | Where it suits | Est. installed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cor-Ten weathering steel slats | No painting; keep mulch and standing water off the base | Inland lots away from salt air | Est. $85 to $145 per linear foot |
| Powder-coated aluminum | A rinse now and then | Coastal and bluff-top homes | Est. $25 to $75 per linear foot |
| Galvanized steel, powder coated | Inspect and touch up chips | Long runs needing strength | Est. $50 to $85 per linear foot |
Cor-Ten is a poor fit for high-salt marine air along Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, and while its patina forms, runoff can stain the concrete and pavers below it. That is why Megan's inland Harmony Grove fence is Cor-Ten, while for Del Mar and Solana Beach homes we build the same lines in powder-coated aluminum.
A slat project works when the driveway gate, the walk gate and the fence are drawn as one run, so every slat lines up across all three, on every frontage from Fairbanks Ranch to Bonsall. We draw the full elevation first, set the slat heights from one datum, and fabricate the gate frames to carry the same slat profile and gap.
The driveway gate is the heaviest piece, so its frame is steel even when the fence is aluminum, and its hinges are ball-bearing barrel or greaseable weld-on hinges rated for 500 to 1,500 lbs per pair.
Galvanized steel, powder coat, ball-bearing hinges, photo eyes
Sized for the opening and the trailer turn
For slopes, debris and commercial entrances
For flat drives with no swing room
Motor, photo eyes, battery backup, remotes
Added to a new or existing automated gate
4 to 6 ft galvanized and powder coated
5 to 6 ft custom forged pickets and scrolls
The rust-free coastal choice
60 inch barrier, self-closing, self-latching gate
Steel or wrought iron, balusters under 4 inches apart
316 stainless cable on steel posts
Kit or custom, set on its own footing
Steel and glass, floor-mounted pivot
Investment and duration figures are estimates. Your written quote sets the final price and schedule.
| Job | Est. investment | Est. duration on site |
|---|---|---|
| Powder-coated aluminum fence | Est. $25 to $75 per linear foot | Est. 2 to 3 days |
| Cor-Ten slat privacy fence | Est. $85 to $145 per linear foot | Est. 3 to 5 days |
| Custom dual swing driveway gate with operator | Est. $4,000 to $8,000 per complete system | Est. 2 to 3 days |
| Slat walk gate (manual) | Est. $600 to $1,500 per gate | Est. 4 to 8 hours |
A Cor-Ten slat privacy fence in Carlsbad typically runs an estimated $85 to $145 per linear foot, and powder-coated aluminum is typically an estimated $25 to $75, with slat profiles toward the top of that band. The slat material, the gap, the fence height and the number of gates move the price most.
A matching slat driveway gate with an operator is typically an estimated $4,000 to $8,000 per complete system, and a manual slat walk gate roughly $600 to $1,500. Our deposit stays at or under $1,000 or 10% of the contract, whichever is less.
These slat prices are estimates and are subject to change. Your written quote after the measure sets the final price and the build schedule, and it depends on the slat material, the footage and the gates in the run.
We have fabricated slat gates and fence frames in one shop for 14 years, so the lines match, and our owner checks every slat layout before it is welded. The 2-year workmanship warranty on welds, hinge alignment, gate sag and gate travel covers the run, and we work within a 40-mile radius.
Owners from Lake San Marcos to the coast who are comparing slats often look at aluminum gates built for coastal salt air or classic ornamental steel fencing with pickets before settling on the slat look.
We build slat gates and fences across North County, often in newer Harmony Grove homes, Encinitas remodels, Solana Beach and Del Mar, plus the towns on our service area page.
A slat driveway gate is drawn by our custom driveway gate fabrication shop, a short or sloped drive can take it as a heavy-duty trackless cantilever gate from our slide and cantilever gate work, and a walled front court suits a courtyard entry gate in the same slat.
A Cor-Ten slat fence is typically an estimated $85 to $145 per linear foot, and your written quote sets the final price.
Tight gaps give the most privacy; a narrow open gap still blocks most views at an angle while letting light through.
It can while the patina forms, so we keep Cor-Ten off pavers and away from salt air.
Yes, powder-coated aluminum cannot rust, so it is our slat choice for Solana Beach and Del Mar.
Yes, we draw the gate, walk gate and fence as one run, so every slat lines up, whether the home is in Carlsbad or Elfin Forest.
Most Cor-Ten slat runs take an estimated 3 to 5 days on site, and aluminum runs an estimated 2 to 3 days.
Request a free estimate and we will measure the run, sketch the slat line and write an itemized quote for the gate and fence.
Start to finish
We measure the opening, the grade and the swing or slide path before anything is drawn.
You approve a scaled drawing, the metal, the finish and the operator before steel is cut.
The gate is welded in our shop, then galvanized and powder coated for the salt air.
We set the posts, hang the gate, wire the operator and test every photo eye and safety edge with you.
Where we work
Call us or send the form, and we will book a site measure and a written estimate.
Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
