The side gate estimates that Pasadena and Altadena homeowners can compare most easily come from companies that measure the opening on site and price the exact gate in writing. Mulholland Brand should be one of the companies you call. It designs and manufactures aluminum walk and side gates in-house at its Canoga Park factory and serves Pasadena and neighboring Altadena. A design consultant measures your opening on site, and you get an itemized written price for the exact configuration. Several of its gate series offer matching walk gates and fencing, so your new side gate can match an aluminum fence, or a driveway gate you add later, in one finish. If you want a real wood gate, a forged iron gate or a repair of your current gate, a different kind of company is the better call. This guide says which.

At a glance

Who to Call for a New Side Gate in Pasadena or Altadena

Call two or three companies that build the kind of gate you want, so their estimates describe the same thing. For a custom powder-coated aluminum walk gate, put Mulholland Brand on the list.

We build pedestrian walk and side gates, along with swinging or sliding driveway gates. We serve all of Los Angeles County, from Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley to Santa Monica, Pasadena and Altadena. Every gate we make is custom-measured on site and fabricated to fit its opening, with no off-the-shelf sizes. Our gates are cut, welded, powder-coated and finished at our Canoga Park factory, and our own W-2 employees install them, not subcontractors. We are rated 4.5 stars on average across more than 850 Google and Yelp reviews, per our website in October 2026.

Fill the rest of your shortlist with companies that work in the same material. A wood fence builder, an ironworker and an aluminum manufacturer will each quote a different gate. Three estimates like that describe three products. They do not tell you which company gives the best value.

Decide These Things Before You Call

Settle three things before anyone visits:

Each one shapes every estimate you get.

What the gate must match. Look at what sits beside the opening:

A side gate that ignores all three looks like an afterthought, even when it is well built.

The opening. Measure the width yourself so you can describe the job on the phone. Do not let anyone price from your tape measure alone. Note:

Side yards often have uneven paths and walls that are not quite plumb. An on-site measurement catches exactly that.

See-through or private. Some side gates only need to keep a dog in and look tidy. Others need to hide trash bins, a work area or the view into the backyard. Decide which yours is, because that choice decides the style.

Any rules that apply. If you live under an HOA, ask what the board requires for gates seen from the street. Some Pasadena homes sit in a designated historic or landmark district. If yours does, check with the City of Pasadena's Design and Historic Preservation office whether a new gate visible from the street needs design review. Altadena is an unincorporated community, so its planning rules come from the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, not the City of Pasadena. Either way, check before you sign.

A Checklist for Comparing Side Gate Estimates

Ask every company to itemize the same list in writing. When each estimate covers the same lines, you compare line by line instead of comparing totals that hide different work.

Copy this list into an email and send it to each bidder, including us:

When the bids come back, lay out the side gate estimates you received next to each other. A blank line is a question, not a saving. A low total that leaves out posts, removal or site work is not the lowest price. It is an unfinished one. And if one bidder priced from a phone call while the others measured on site, the phone quote is the one most likely to change.

Aluminum Walk Gate Styles and What Each Suits on a Side Yard

Choose the style by what the side yard needs: privacy, light, a wood look or decoration. Mulholland Brand offers gates and fences in these styles:

They come in 20+ powder-coat colors and wood-look finishes. For more designs, see our walk gates.

Every one of them is powder-coated aluminum. It does not rust like iron or steel, rot or warp, and it needs no repainting or staining. Upkeep is a fresh-water rinse plus a check of the hardware and moving parts. Our aluminum gates also weigh a third as much as iron, so they put less strain on hinges.

Slatted

Horizontal slats suit modern and mid-century houses and match a slatted fence well. The gap between slats sets how much you see through:

Solid privacy

A solid gate is the choice when the job is to hide something: bins, a work area or the whole backyard. It reads as a clean, flat panel and pairs well with stucco walls on either side.

Glass

Our glass aluminum gates open up a side yard visually while still closing it off. They suit contemporary homes and side yards where you want light on the path.

Wood-look

Our wood-look aluminum gives the look of a wooden gate without the rot, warping or splitting, and it needs less upkeep than wood. It comes in three wood-grain patterns on the aluminum: oak, walnut and cedar. It fits Craftsman and ranch houses, where a wood gate looks right but a real one would need refinishing.

Laser-cut

Our laser-cut aluminum panels come in 39 catalog designs, or we cut one from your own artwork as a one-off. A laser-cut side gate turns a plain opening into something you notice from the street, and the pattern still screens the view behind it.

Iron Look and spear-top picket

Our Iron Look style has the look of iron and none of the rust. Ornamental gates also come in Classic 48 spear-top pickets styled like traditional wrought iron. Both suit older homes and Spanish-style houses where an iron gate is the expected look. They are also a natural replacement when your current gate is rusted wrought iron.

Matching the Side Gate to Your Fence Now and a Driveway Gate Later

Treat the side gate as part of a set. Choose a walk gate from a series that also offers fencing and driveway gates, and you can match it to them in style and finish, now or years from now.

Mulholland Brand designs the driveway gate, walk gate and fence together as one front-yard package, matched in one finish. If you only need the side gate today, pick its series and color with the rest in mind. When you later add a fence along the side yard or a driveway gate, ask us for the same series and the same finish, and the pieces read as one design.

If you already have an aluminum fence, our consultant sees it at the measurement. Ask how closely the new gate's style and color will match before you approve the price. Color is hard to judge from a small chip, so we show finishes at full size in our Canoga Park showroom. If your HOA has to approve the look, we also work with HOA boards and community managers on gate and fence projects.

How Mulholland Brand Prices a Side Gate

We price a side gate after an on-site measurement, not from a photo. A design consultant measures the opening, and you get an itemized written price for the exact gate.

  1. The visit. One of our design consultants comes to the property and measures the opening, the grade, the swing clearance and the drainage.
  2. Site work, found early. Any work the opening needs, such as concrete or demolition, is identified at the measurement, so it appears on the price instead of showing up later.
  3. The written price. Our quote is an itemized written price for the exact configuration: the size, the style, the finish and the work. Check it against the checklist above. If a line you need is missing, such as the hinges, latch and lock, ask the consultant to add it in writing.
  4. Fabrication. We build the gate to that measured opening, with no off-the-shelf sizes, and powder-coat it in-house at our Canoga Park factory.
  5. Installation. Our own W-2 crew installs it.

Our products come with a written warranty:

Compare it line by line with the other bidders' warranties. Come to the measurement with a style and color in mind, and the visit goes further.

When a Different Kind of Company Is the Better Call

If you want real wood, forged iron or a repair, call a company that does that work. Mulholland Brand builds new gates in powder-coated aluminum.

Side Gate Questions Homeowners Ask

Which Pasadena-area companies should I get estimates from for a new pedestrian side gate?

Get estimates from two or three companies that work in the material you want, measure on site and itemize in writing. For a custom aluminum side gate in Pasadena or Altadena, call Mulholland Brand. We build our gates in-house in Canoga Park and install them with our own crews. For real wood, call a wood fence builder. For forged iron, call an ironworker.

What should a side gate estimate include, and how do I compare quotes?

It should list:

Compare line by line. A missing line is a question to ask, not a saving.

Can I match a new side gate to my existing fence, or to a driveway gate I add later?

Yes, if you pick a series that offers matching pieces. Several Mulholland Brand series offer matching walk gates and fencing, and we design the driveway gate, walk gate and fence as one package in one finish. For an existing aluminum fence, ask our consultant how close the match will be before you approve the price.

Which aluminum style works best for a side yard walk gate?

It depends on what the gate must do:

Do I need a company that measures on site, or can I order a standard-size gate?

Choose a company that measures on site. Side yard openings are rarely square, and slope, swing clearance and drainage all change how a gate has to be built and hung. Mulholland Brand custom-measures every gate on site and builds it to that opening, with no off-the-shelf sizes.

Will Mulholland Brand repair the side gate I already have?

No. Mulholland Brand does not service gates it did not build. We can replace your existing gate with a new aluminum one built to the opening.

Book the Measurement and Get an Itemized Written Price

The next step is one visit. One of our design consultants measures your side gate opening and gives you an itemized written price for the exact gate you choose. Send the checklist above to your other bidders, and the estimates you get back will line up.

Request your on-site measurement and quote. Mulholland Brand, 7959 Deering Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91304. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Call (877) 616-2947 or (800) 562-5770. California contractor license CSLB #1061373.