Multi-decision asset · replace · automate · cattle grid

Front gate

Replacement · service · automation · possible cattle grid · multi-decision asset
Sub-decisions in flight
Replace vs service the existing gate Planning
Threshold decision: is the existing gate structurally sound enough to refurbish + automate, or does it need replacement first? Assessment driven by gate-specialist contractor's first site visit. Single-decision contractor candidate gates all downstream work.
Motorise / automate the gate Pending power
Requires bringing 120V (or low-voltage solar + battery) to the gate post — likely a trench from the existing house panel, ~50-100 ft depending on layout. Sub-decisions: trench-and-conduit OR solar-and-battery (lower cost, lower reliability); slide-vs-swing automation; key-fob / keypad / car-tag / phone-app control surface.
Cattle grid installation Optional
Standalone or in addition to the gate. Suitable for the driveway-to-road transition if existing wildlife pressure (deer, livestock from neighbours) warrants the deterrent. Lower-cost alternative to a fully automated gate for "I don't want to get out of the car" use-cases. Specialist contractor list distinct from gate vendors.
The power trench — route & shared mobilisation

Automating the gate needs power at the gate post — a trench-and-conduit run from the house, marked in red below. It leaves near the house and crosses the front lawn out to the gate at the tree line. Route lines are illustrative, not surveyed; the exact path, depth, and tap point are for the electrician to confirm on site.

Colonial house with the AC condenser at the base, a red dashed line leaving the back corner and running down-left across the front lawn, labelled House to gate.
House end The feed leaves near the house's back corner — by the AC condenser — and drops across the front lawn toward the gate.
Open lawn with tall trees, a red dashed line crossing from the lower right to a gate and fence in the tree line, labelled Front Gate.
Gate end The run crosses the open lawn to the front gate in the tree line, where the automation power terminates.

Shared mobilisation with the shed feed. The shed electrical run is the same trade — a trench-and-conduit run leaving the same side of the house. If the timing lines up, both feeds share one mobilisation: one dig, one crew, one lawn-restore, the two runs splitting where their routes diverge. To confirm with the electrician: whether the gate leg (low-voltage or 120 V) and the shed leg (the 40 A subpanel feed) can share a common trench at their respective code depths, or want separate conduits in the same dig.

Contractors

External references — gate decision context