Round Rock Metal Gates is the Capital Area's trusted expert in code-ready iron gates, specializing in single swing gates on steep grades, emergency-access hardware, and iron balcony rails. We offer operators and entry devices that a fire official can test on the day of handover.
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Our team provides drawings that show the access device, delivering gates that open for first responders for homes and for both residential and commercial projects. Perry's balcony rail and Rudy's single swing on a steep grade are two of over 1,187 projects from our 12 years in business, and each sits under a 2-year workmanship warranty.
From shooting the grade on a hillside drive to testing the key switch at handover, our team handles every detail. Serving The Hills and neighboring Lakeway, West Lake Hills and Barton Creek, we plan each controlled gate around the office that reviews it.
Call us today for a free estimate with our location manager for The Hills, who plans the fire access device before we quote.
Perry, hillside home with a second-floor doorway, The Hills
French doors opened onto nothing but a drop, and the stone front gave few places to anchor.
Rudy, wooded lot on a steep shared drive, The Hills
A steep shared drive needed a leaf that would not rack, and the owner was torn between steel and aluminum.
Investment and duration figures are estimates. Your written quote sets the final price and schedule.
The short version
Perry wanted a safe rail on a balcony that overlooked a drop, so we built an iron balcony rail in the shop and fitted it on site. Perry's rail came to an estimated $1,100 to $1,700 over an estimated 5 to 10 hours, under our 2-year workmanship warranty on our welds and footings.
Rudy has a steep grade at the drive, so the gate had to be one clear leaf that would not hit the slope. We built a 12 ft single swing gate and routed the fire access through the ESD No. 6 fire marshal's office. Rudy's gate was an estimated $3,200 to $4,300 over an estimated 1 to 2 days.
Sec 6.02.001 adopts the 2021 International Fire Code in The Hills. For a gate, that means access is judged against the fire code rather than a village building desk, so we draw the access device onto the plan before a leaf is cut. First responder entry on these hillside gates is a Knox key switch, Opticom receiver or siren sensor, set to whatever the local fire authority calls for.
Sec 6.02.002 names the ESD No. 6 fire marshal's office as the fire code official. A controlled gate in The Hills therefore goes through that office, and Rudy's gate did. We contact the ESD No. 6 fire marshal's office early in the job, ask which device it wants on a controlled entry and install that device, then test it at handover.
We do not guess a height, a setback or a spacing figure for The Hills on the phone. We check the lot's own deed restrictions and the ESD No. 6 requirement, and the written quote names what we confirmed. Picket spacing on a run in The Hills is 3.5 to 3.875 in between pickets, our own spec; 1.5 to 2 in puppy pickets on request.
The Hills drives often fall away from the road, and a swing leaf that works on a flat apron will drag on a slope. We shoot the grade across the full swing or slide path, then set bottom rail clearance from that reading. That is how Rudy's 12 ft single swing cleared its grade, and on a steeper drive we switch to a slide or a cantilever instead.
A gate in The Hills that moves under power has to stop safely. Entrapment safety on a gate like Rudy's comes from monitored photo eyes and edge sensors, with a stop-and-reverse check on each at handover. Operators here are 24V DC brushless motors with battery backup, sized to leaf weight, length and duty cycle, and entry devices can be video intercom, keypad, phone app, remote or vehicle loop, wired or solar with a 10 to 30W panel.
A hillside house in The Hills often has a balcony or deck that looks over a drop, and an iron rail is how that edge gets closed. Perry's rail was fabricated in the shop and fitted in one visit. Expect a typical estimated $65 to $135 per linear foot for a drop-side rail like his, with a run in The Hills usually wrapped up in an estimated 5 to 10 hours on site.
A single swing gate in The Hills is typically estimated at $2,500 to $5,000, and an operator retrofit is typically estimated at $1,800 to $3,800. The Hills' median owner-occupied home value is $846,000 (ACS 2020-2024 5-year).
| The Hills job | Est. investment | Est. time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Single swing gate with operator | Est. $2,500 to $5,000 per system | Est. 1 to 2 days |
| Dual swing gate with operators | Est. $4,000 to $8,000 per system | Est. 2 to 3 days |
| Operator retrofit on an existing gate | Est. $1,800 to $3,800 per operator system | Est. 4 to 8 hours |
| Stair or balcony iron railing | Est. $65 to $135 per linear foot | Est. 5 to 10 hours |
| Custom pedestrian entry gate | Est. $600 to $1,500 per gate | Est. 4 to 8 hours |
Rudy's single swing, an estimated $3,200 to $4,300, sits inside the single swing row. Every figure here is an estimate for The Hills and is subject to change. Grade, opening width and the fire access device can each move them, so the ESD No. 6 answer comes first and the written quote that follows carries your final price and schedule.
The Hills owners usually choose automatic driveway gates for a sloped drive, iron railings for a balcony, and gate access control for a keypad and fire entry.
Our location manager for The Hills also covers Lakeway and West Lake Hills, and reads the fire code paperwork on each lot before a post hole is marked. On a hillside lot the finish follows one order: G90 hot-dip galvanizing or a zinc-phosphate and e-coat base goes on before any color, and the topcoat is TGIC polyester powder coat at 3 to 5 mils, oven cured, picked from physical samples. Frames like Rudy's use 14-gauge tube for standard leaves, 11-gauge to 3/16 in where a long or tall leaf has to hold its line. Post footings on these slopes are 24 to 36 in deep and 10 to 12 in wide, poured in 3,000 to 4,000 PSI concrete, checked against the soil found on site, and hinges are ball-bearing pairs rated from 500 to more than 1,500 lbs, matched to the weight of the finished leaf.
The Hills sits roughly 40 minutes and 26 miles from our shop, well inside our 35 mile service radius. The same location manager also runs Lakeway and West Lake Hills, and our gate service area map names every other town we reach.
The Hills jobs often pull in gate operator installation on a manual gate, solar gate operators where power is far, or electric gate repair when a motor has failed.
The Hills adopts the 2021 International Fire Code under Sec 6.02.001.
The ESD No. 6 fire marshal's office is named as the fire code official under Sec 6.02.002.
It goes through the ESD No. 6 fire marshal's office, and we confirm the device it wants before we install.
We confirm the height from your lot's own restrictions first and name it in the written quote, since we do not guess a number.
Rudy's steep-grade single swing fell inside the typical estimated $2,500 to $5,000, and yours gets its final price in a written quote after we measure the opening.
Most single swing installs take an estimated 1 to 2 days on site, and a balcony rail usually takes an estimated 5 to 10 hours.
Request a free estimate and we will confirm the fire access device, shoot the grade and price the gate and its hardware together.
Your local contact
Names, photos and stories are on our about page.
Location manager covering The Hills
Keeps each The Hills job on schedule, from the first site measure to the final safety test.
Phone the shop or use the form to set a time for a site measure and a written estimate.
Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
