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CGI Fence Installation: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
CGI fence installation in Los Angeles typically runs $4,130 to $10,620 for a standard residential perimeter, with full replacement parts and labor included. We stock CGI-compatible posts, rails, pickets, and gate hardware on our trucks, so most jobs are measured, quoted, and completed without waiting on a specialty supplier. The usual call starts the same way: a gate won’t latch after the ground shifted, a windstorm snapped a post at the base, or rust finally ate through a bottom rail that’s been sitting in sprinkler overspray for a decade.
We’re an independent Los Angeles contractor that works on CGI fence systems regularly, and we carry the replacement components that big-box stores don’t. That means you get a match for your existing panel profile instead of a patchwork repair that shows its stitches.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI fence products fall into a few main series lines: the Standard 600 Series, the Heavy Industrial 800 Series, and the Commercial 900 Series. Most Los Angeles homes have the 600 Series, which uses 2-1/4″ square posts with 1-5/8″ top and bottom rails. The 800 and 900 lines step up to 2-1/2″ posts and thicker gauge panels, usually found around apartment buildings or commercial lots.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha that trips up a lot of owners: CGI posts from the 600 Series will not accept rails from the 800 or 900 Series without shims or field modification. The rail brackets are punched to different dimensions, and forcing them is how you end up with a wobbly fence that fails in the first Santa Ana wind event. If you’re not sure which series you have, check the post cap. CGI stamps a two-letter series code on the underside of the cap on most lines made after 2015. For older fences, we measure the post interior and rail depth on site to confirm the match.
On the OEM versus aftermarket question: for high-load points like gate posts and corner posts, we recommend genuine CGI or a US-made equivalent with the same gauge spec. For straight runs of pickets and rails, a quality aftermarket part with matching dimensions holds up fine and often costs 20 to 30 percent less. We carry both and tell you the price difference before we order.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CGI Fence Installation Is Failing
- Gate drags or won’t latch. This usually means the hinge post has leaned out of plumb, often because the original installer set it in a thin concrete collar that cracked. In Los Angeles clay soil that expands and contracts with the rain, this is the number one failure we see.
- Bottom rail rust-through near sprinkler heads. Galvanized coating fails fastest where water sits. If your irrigation sprays directly onto the fence line, the bottom rail on a CGI fence can lose structural integrity in six to eight years instead of fifteen.
- Pickets pulling loose at the top rail. The factory crimp or screw point is the weakest mechanical connection on the panel. Wind loading over time works those fasteners back out, and once a few go, the rest follow in a chain reaction.
- Post leans after a rainstorm. CGI posts set in concrete that was poured too shallow or without proper drainage will heave when wet soil expands. A leaning post is fixable, but only if you reset the footing at the right depth for Los Angeles ground conditions, which means going 24 to 30 inches minimum.
- Rust streaks bleeding from panel seams. This is a cosmetic warning that the underlying galvanization is compromised at the seam. Left alone, the rust works inward and the panel loses its shear strength. Southern California’s coastal moisture and inland sprinkler minerals accelerate this, so it’s worth addressing when the streaking first appears.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For Los Angeles, a full CGI fence replacement on a standard 50-foot lot line runs $4,130 to $10,620 installed. Shorter runs under 30 feet can land closer to $3,000, while a full perimeter with multiple gates and a corner at a slope can push past $11,000.
| Scope | Los Angeles Installed Range |
|---|---|
| Partial repair: replace 2-3 posts, re-hang gate | $590 to $1,500 |
| Single gate replacement (6 ft walk gate, hardware included) | $700 to $1,800 |
| 50 ft straight run, new posts and panels | $4,130 to $7,080 |
| Full perimeter with gates, corners, haul-away | $7,080 to $10,620 |
Every quote we write includes parts, labor, concrete for footings, hardware, and removal of the old fence. The number on your written estimate is the number you pay. We don’t come back at the end with a change order for “unexpected ground conditions” because we walk the line, check the soil, and confirm post depth before the quote is ever written. All work carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise, and if a repair fails within that year, we return and fix it at no charge.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check a few things yourself: whether the gate hinges are tight, whether sprinkler heads are spraying the fence directly, and whether the posts still feel solid when you push on them. Those checks cost you ten minutes and help you describe the problem accurately when you call.
Where DIY goes wrong on CGI fences is post replacement and gate re-hanging. These panels are heavier than they look. A full 6-foot CGI panel section can weigh 80 to 120 pounds depending on the gauge, and if a corner post gives way while you’re mid-swap, that’s a trip to urgent care. Digging out an old footing in Los Angeles hardpan with a hand post-hole digger is a miserable afternoon, and getting the new post perfectly plumb, set at the right depth, and square with the existing line is the difference between a fence that lasts 15 years and one that leans after the first rain. We do this work weekly, with the right tools and a crew that knows how to match CGI specs. If you’d rather spend the weekend doing something else, call (254) 272-5876 and we’ll bring the saw, the concrete, and the parts.
FAQs
How long does a CGI fence last in Los Angeles? A properly installed CGI fence with galvanized steel components lasts 15 to 25 years in Los Angeles, with the biggest variables being sprinkler exposure, coastal salt air near the beaches, and whether the original footings were poured deep enough for our expansive clay soil.
Can my damaged CGI fence be repaired or does it need full replacement? Most damage can be repaired, not replaced outright. Loose pickets, rusted rails, and leaning posts are all repairable on a section-by-section basis, and replacement only makes sense when the majority of panels show structural rust or the post spacing doesn’t match current code. We’ll tell you honestly which one applies to your fence, with a line-item quote either way.
How long does a CGI fence replacement take? A standard 50-foot run with two gate posts and full panel replacement takes our crew one to two days in Los Angeles, including concrete cure time before gates are re-hung. Full perimeters with multiple corners and gate systems can run three to four days.
Do you stock CGI parts on the truck? We carry the most common CGI 600 Series components on our trucks: posts, top and bottom rails, picket packs, post caps, and gate hardware. For 800 or 900 Series matches, we order from our supplier with a two-to-three-day turnaround in Los Angeles. Call (254) 272-5876 and we’ll confirm what we have before we schedule the visit.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner, Sawyer Remodeling at Sawyer Remodeling, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
