Dark Composite Dog Run and Electric Gate in Altamonte Springs
This Altamonte Springs family has multiple dogs, a working schedule, and a yard with defined zones. We built out a dedicated dog run in dark composite with a full electric access gate.
What did this Altamonte Springs family need out of a dog run?
The property sits in one of the residential pockets off Wekiwa Springs Road, not far from Cranes Roost Park. The owners had spent a couple of years trying to make a temporary panel run work for their dogs and it was clear it was not going to hold up. Every big storm shifted the panels. The latch never sat right. The dogs figured out how to push through the joints. What they wanted was a permanent, defined dog run built into the yard, in a color that matched the rest of their outdoor design. Dark composite was the material of choice. It reads almost black against the landscape, it does not warp or rot the way wood does in a run that stays damp from dog traffic and hose water, and it will not fade the way a lighter color would in the direct Central Florida sun.
Why an electric gate on a dog run?
On most dog runs a manual latch gate is fine. On this one it was not. Both owners work full time, come and go with the dogs multiple times a day, and were tired of fighting a stiff manual latch with a leash in one hand. An electric access gate gives them a keypad and remote to open the run without setting anything down. Every gate post on the electric assembly is set 3 feet deep in concrete, oversized for the swing load of a full composite gate leaf. The operator is wired back to a small control box on the interior side of the fence where the owners can adjust cycle timing and add or remove access codes. Composite is heavy compared to aluminum, which means the gate leaf drops if the posts are anything less than dead plumb, so we spent the extra time getting those posts absolutely true before hanging the leaf.
How does the finished dog run work day to day?
The six photos on this project show the run from the backyard side, the exterior of the gate, the interior of the gate, the run heading toward the back corner, and the outside of the fence line facing the drive. From the yard side the run reads as a clean, tall dark line that defines where the dogs live and where the family entertains. From the outside it reads as an intentional architectural piece rather than a temporary kennel panel. The electric gate cycles clean, latches on close, and gives the owners the daily flow they needed. Materials like this are covered on our dog runs page, the gate operator side is covered on the electric gates page, and the neighborhood context is on our Altamonte Springs fence installation page.
A closer look at this project.
Ready to build a real dog run at your Altamonte Springs home?
We plan the layout with you, size the gate for how you actually use it, and set every post 3 feet deep. Call for a free walkthrough.