Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
CGI Fence Installation: The San Francisco Owner’s Guide
CGI fence installation in San Francisco typically runs $4,130 to $10,620 installed, depending on panel count, terrain, and whether we’re replacing an existing fence line or starting fresh. We install CGI-compatible fencing throughout the city and can usually match your existing panels within a few days of the first call. Most owners realize something’s wrong when a gate stops latching cleanly, a panel starts rattling in the wind off the bay, or a post leans just enough that the whole line looks tired.
Call (831) 480-4497 and we’ll walk you through what you’re seeing. A written price comes before any work starts, so you’ll know exactly what the job costs before the crew pulls up.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI fencing comes in a few product families, and the installation details change depending on which one you have. The most common in San Francisco is the CGI residential steel panel line, which uses a 2-inch by 2-inch post system and panels that run roughly 6 feet wide. There is also a heavier commercial-grade line with 2.5-inch posts and thicker gauge panels, usually found around apartment buildings and side yards in the Richmond and Sunset districts where wind loads are higher. One compatibility gotcha worth knowing: CGI panels are not universally interchangeable between the residential and commercial post profiles. A panel that slides into a 2-inch post will not fit a 2.5-inch post without modification, and forcing it is how post caps and top rails get bent.
To identify what you have, look at the post cap or the bottom rail. Most CGI panels carry a small stamped code near a corner. If it is worn off, measure the post width and the distance between horizontal rails. When you call, having those two measurements ready saves a second trip and keeps the written price accurate. We source OEM CGI panels where available, and we will tell you honestly when a quality aftermarket equivalent does the same job for less. We also work with KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone on interior projects, but fence hardware is CGI-specific, and we treat it that way.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CGI Fence Installation Is Failing
- Gate post lean or movement at the base. In San Francisco’s sandy and clay-heavy soils, posts set without adequate concrete footing shift over a few wet winters. A post that moves half an inch when you push the gate is telling you the footing is failing, not the panel.
- Rattling panels in wind. Bay wind finds every loose panel clip. If you hear metal chatter from the fence during afternoon gusts, the anti-rattle clips or top rail screws have worked loose. Left alone, the panel wears against the post and the powder coat starts to fail.
- Rust at the post base or weld points. Fog, salt air, and irrigation splash mean San Francisco fence posts corrode faster than inland. Rust at grade level is the earliest warning. Once it blooms through the coating, you are months away from a post that needs replacement rather than treatment.
- Gate latch that won’t stay engaged. The latch and receiver drift out of alignment as the gate post settles. A latch that worked last year and slips now is rarely a latch problem. It is a post problem, and adjusting the latch only hides it.
- Sagging or dropped gate corner. A gate that drags or shows a larger gap at the top hinge means the hinge screws have elongated their holes or the welded frame has twisted. On heavier commercial-grade gates, this also wears the closer and hinge barrels, and the damage compounds.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Most CGI fence installation work in San Francisco lands between $4,130 and $10,620. A short run of 20 to 30 linear feet with a few posts and one gate sits at the lower end. A full property line with 60-plus feet of panels, multiple gates, and difficult soil or slope access runs toward the top. The price includes removal and hauling of old fencing, concrete for footings, panels or repaired sections, hardware, and a photo of the clean-up before the crew leaves. We give the written price before work starts, and if the scope changes, we write the change down before a single tool touches the job. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the finished installation. If something is not done right, we make it right.
We do not bill by the hour on fence work. You get a fixed price for the job as scoped, not a time-and-materials guess that grows after the crew arrives.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check a few things before calling. Look at whether the posts move when the gate swings. Wiggle the bottom rail. Note which panels rattle in wind and whether the rust is surface-level or pitted through. That observation helps us scope the job accurately on the first visit.
What is less safe to do yourself: removing a tensioned commercial gate, digging and setting posts in San Francisco soil without knowing the frost and drainage depth, or trying to straighten a bent post with a vehicle and a strap. A failed post under tension or a gate that lets go can injure someone, and a panel dropped between two buildings in the Sunset does more damage than a professional call ever would. If you are unsure, call (831) 480-4497 and we will look at it.
FAQs
A properly installed CGI fence in San Francisco lasts 15 to 25 years on the panels, with posts potentially needing attention earlier if they are set in poor-draining clay or hit by irrigation splash. The coating is the variable. Salt air near the ocean side of the city and fog moisture inland both wear powder coat faster than a dry climate would, and touch-up painting before rust reaches the steel extends the life meaningfully. Call (831) 480-4497 and we can tell you honestly what condition your fence is in.
Sometimes, yes. If the post is sound and the lean comes from loose or cracked concrete in the footing, we can re-set and re-plumb it without replacing the post or the panel. If the post itself is rusted through at the base or bent, replacement is the only durable fix, and it usually costs less over time than a repair that fails in a year. We write the price either way before work begins.
Most single-property CGI fence installations in San Francisco take one to three working days from start to finish, including old fence removal, footing work, post setting, panel hanging, and gate adjustment. Jobs on steep lots or with access issues take longer, and we tell you that up front in the written price.
We stock common CGI post caps, rail clips, anti-rattle hardware, hinge sets, and latch components on our service trucks, and we can order full panels and posts quickly when the job calls for them. If you have an unusual gate width or a commercial post profile, we’ll verify the exact match before scheduling the work so there are no surprises on the day of installation.
If your CGI fence looks tired, leaning, or loose, call Graham and the team at (831) 480-4497. We’ll give you a written price before any work starts, and we will leave the fence better than we found it.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling San Francisco at Elmstead Remodeling San Francisco, serving San Francisco and nearby areas.
