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CGI Fence Installation: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
A full CGI fence installation in Los Angeles typically runs $4,130 to $10,620, and most jobs are done in one to two days once we’re on site. The most common setup we see is a residential perimeter job where the owner bought the CGI product themselves and either the original installer botched the layout or a section has since failed from soil movement. In the San Fernando Valley’s expansive clay, posts shift. In the Hollywood Hills, slopes put real torque on line posts. Most owners call us when a gate stops latching, a panel pulls free at the rail, or the line visibly sags between posts. If that’s you, the fix is usually straightforward: we reset the posts, true the rails, and rehang the fabric. You don’t need a full re-fence unless the posts themselves bent or rotted at grade.
We stock CGI-compatible fence fasteners, tension bands, rail cups, post caps, and gate hardware on our trucks, so most installations go in without a second trip to the supply yard. Call (213) 632-5711 and we’ll tell you over the phone whether we can bring the right hardware for your exact fence the first time.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI’s fence line includes color-bonded steel, aluminum, and a welded wire powder-coated series. The three profile names we run into most often on jobs across Los Angeles are Classic 30, Champion 45, and Kings 70 – the number refers to the mesh height in inches. Check the top rail for a stamped label with the series and color code, usually a two-digit number followed by a letter. If the stamp is gone (which happens more than you’d think, especially on the coast where salt air eats the ink), measure the fabric height from the bottom knuckle to the top knuckle and match the post spacing: Classic 30 runs 3-4 inch diamonds, Champion 45 runs 2-3/4 inch diamonds, and Kings 70 uses a heavier 8-gauge wire that’s obvious once it’s in your hand.
One compatibility gotcha worth knowing: CGI’s older West Coast series used a 1-5/8 inch diameter rail, while their current East Coast and international series use a metric 40mm rail. The difference is less than a ⅛ inch, and it’s enough to make a rail cup rattle or a tension band slide. We bring both rail cup sizes to every CGI job in Los Angeles and measure on-site. If the fabric is sound, we install a quality aftermarket bracket set that matches the rail diameter and the post size. For the mesh itself, we always recommend OEM – CGI’s PVC bonding on their welded wire is more UV-stable than what we see from aftermarket manufacturers, and that matters in Los Angeles sun. Aftermarket posts and caps are fine; aftermarket fabric isn’t worth the risk.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CGI Fence Installation Is Failing
- The fence line leans at one end but not the other. A corner post has started to move. In Los Angeles, this is almost always a concrete footing problem – either the footing was poured too shallow for the wind load, or rain soaked the soil and it shifted. The fix is excavating and resetting that corner, not tightening the mesh.
- The gate drags or won’t latch without lifting it. On a CGI-style fence, the gate frame is usually welded steel, so the frame itself rarely bends. What fails is the hinge post pulling out of plumb, or the hinge bolts wallowing out their holes from years of opening and closing. You can check this with a level in 30 seconds.
- The fabric pulls loose at a rail and sags in the middle. Tension bands slipped or a rail cup broke. This is the most common failure we see on older CGI installations, and it’s the cheapest to fix if you catch it before the fabric twists and permanently kinks.
- You hear a metallic rattle when the wind picks up. Rails have come loose from the post brackets, or the fabric was tensioned too low. Los Angeles gets real wind in the foothills and along the 405 corridor in the winter – a loose rail will wear out the bracket holes and the fabric knuckles over time.
- Rust stains run down from the post caps or at the base of the posts. Capless posts or posts set too low in the footing hold water. On older CGI steel, the powder coat wears first at the ground line from lawn sprinklers and soil contact. Once water gets inside the post, it rusts from the inside out.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a full CGI-style steel or aluminum fence installation in Los Angeles, plan on $4,130 to $10,620 depending on linear footage, post depth, and whether we’re setting into soil or concrete. Here’s what that buys:
- Parts: $1,800 to $4,800 for fabric, rails, posts, caps, tension hardware, and gate frames, depending on the CGI series and color.
- Labor: $1,900 to $4,700 for layout, digging, setting posts in concrete, hanging fabric, trueing rails, and installing the gate.
- Site prep and disposal: $430 to $1,120 to remove the old fence, haul it away, and prep the line.
Every estimate we write in Los Angeles is a written, line-item price before any work starts. You’ll know exactly what you’re paying and what you’re not. Our installation work is covered by a written guarantee for 365 days from the completion date. If a post shifts or a gate stops closing straight within the first year, we come back and fix it at no charge. No forms, no claim process. Call (213) 632-5711 and we’ll give you a real price, not a guess over the phone.
DIY or Call Us?
What you can safely do yourself: check the line with a level, look for rust at the post bases, test the gate hinges, and call us with the measurements. What you shouldn’t do is dig out and reset a fence post yourself if the fence is steel and under tension. The fabric on a CGI-style fence carries hundreds of pounds of pull across the line, and when a post lets go, that wire snaps back hard. We’ve seen it take a finger. It’s also not worth spending two weekends with a post hole digger to find out the reason the post failed is a collapsed drain line or a tree root system – that’s what we’re paid to see on day one.
If you’re in Los Angeles and you want it done right the first time, call (213) 632-5711. We’ll send a named technician, and we’ll tell you who’s coming and what they look like before they knock.
FAQs
A properly installed CGI fence in Los Angeles lasts 25 to 35 years, with the powder-coated aluminum lines on the higher end and the color-bonded steel on the lower end. The fence itself rarely fails first; the posts and footings do, especially where sprinklers keep the base of the post wet year-round. Cap your posts, keep the soil off the post, and the fabric will outlive the wood fence down the street. Call (213) 632-5711 for an inspection and a written price if yours is showing age.
Yes, in most cases we can repair a section, a gate, or a run of posts without replacing the whole fence. If the fabric is still bonded and not kinked, we reuse it and replace only the failed hardware or posts. If the section has been hit by a car or a fallen limb and the mesh is twisted, we’ll cut out the damaged run and splice in new matching CGI fabric. Call (213) 632-5711 and we’ll tell you over the phone which one you’re looking at, based on what you describe and a few measurements.
A full residential CGI fence installation in Los Angeles takes one to two days from first post hole to final gate adjustment. One day is plenty for a typical backyard run under 100 linear feet with flat ground and easy digging. Two days covers sloped lots, concrete demo work, or a long perimeter with multiple gates. We’ll put the schedule in writing in the estimate, and we’ll stick to it. Call (213) 632-5711 to get your start date locked in.
Yes, we stock CGI-compatible tension bands, rail cups in both 1-5/8 inch and 40mm sizes, post caps, tension bars, and gate hardware on our service trucks, so most Los Angeles repair calls finish in one visit. If we need to order a specific CGI color or series of fabric, we’ll tell you the lead time in the written estimate before any work starts. Call (213) 632-5711 and we’ll tell you what we’ve got on the truck today.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner, Mason Remodeling Co at Mason Remodeling Co Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
