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CWS Fence Installation: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
CWS fence installation in Los Angeles typically runs $4,130 to $10,620 for a complete install, depending on linear footage, post settings, and whether we’re pulling an old fence or starting fresh. We stock CWS-compatible posts, rails, pickets, and gate hardware on our trucks, and in most cases we can match your existing CWS product line the same week. Most Los Angeles homeowners find out their fence has failed the hard way: a post leaning after winter rain, a gate dragging, or a section that simply won’t stand straight anymore.
Here’s the thing about CWS fencing in our climate. The product itself is well built, but Southern California soil moves. Clay expands when it rains and contracts through dry months, and that cycle slowly works post footings loose. Isaac Pruett has walked more Los Angeles fence lines than he can count, and the failure he sees most often isn’t the CWS material. It’s the installation beneath it.
Which CWS Models This Applies To
CWS manufactures several fence lines, and the parts don’t always cross between series. The most common lines we see in Los Angeles are the CWS aluminum ornamental styles, the vinyl privacy series, and a lighter residential chain-link product. If you have aluminum or vinyl CWS fencing, the fastest way to identify your line is the label on the inside of the gate frame or on the first post at the corner. CWS stamps most aluminum panels with a series code and date. Vinyl rails usually have a small molded code near the end cap.
One compatibility gotcha we run into regularly: CWS aluminum post sizes changed on certain series around 2016. Older panels used 2-inch square posts, newer production moved to 2.25-inch with a thicker wall. If you’re replacing a section, measure the post. Don’t assume the panel style alone tells you the series. We stock both post dimensions plus OEM-style pickets and rails, and we can order anything CWS still produces. For discontinued CWS parts, we use aftermarket equivalents matched to the same profile and gauge. In most Los Angeles homes, the aftermarket match is visually identical and costs 15 to 20 percent less, but we’ll tell you before we quote either way.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CWS Fence Installation Is Failing
- Leaning posts, especially after rain. The footing wasn’t deep enough or the concrete collar is undersized. In Los Angeles clay soil, posts need to sit below the expansion zone or the winter will work them loose.
- Gate that drags or won’t latch. Usually the post hinges are pulling away from the framing, or the post itself is out of plumb. A CWS gate is only as steady as the post holding it.
- Loose or rattling pickets. The rail channels those pickets clip into may be fatigued, or an installer used the wrong clip style for your CWS series. It starts as a noise and ends as a missing picket.
- Rust streaks on aluminum or white vinyl discoloration. Aluminum shouldn’t rust, so the streak usually means a steel screw or bracket was substituted at install. CWS specifies aluminum fasteners for a reason.
- Fence section that flexes when pushed. The rails aren’t seated in the posts deep enough, or the post spacing is too wide for that CWS panel’s rated span. On a windy ridge in the San Fernando Valley, that flex becomes a full panel failure within a season or two.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In Los Angeles, full CWS fence installation runs $4,130 to $10,620 depending on yard size and fence height. A short front-yard run of 30 to 40 linear feet lands near the lower end. A full backyard perimeter with two gates and concrete post-setting near the top. Every quote is a written line-item price before work starts. You’ll see posts, rails, pickets, hardware, fasteners, haul-away of the old fence if needed, and labor as separate numbers. No surprises on the final invoice, ever.
We use CWS factory parts when they’re available, and matched aftermarket only when a series is discontinued. All new posts get set in concrete below the Los Angeles frost-and-expansion depth, which is deeper than what a lot of handyman installs bother with. The work is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if anything is not right within a year of completion, we come back and make it right at no cost to you.
DIY or Call Us?
Fence work isn’t high-voltage dangerous like a garage spring, but it will test your patience and your lower back. You can safely check whether a post is plumb, look for missing picket clips, and note where the gate binds. What you shouldn’t do is start digging out concrete footings or resetting posts without knowing your property line and where the utilities run. Los Angeles County requires a call to DigAlert before any excavation, and the last thing you want is a post hole through a gas line or irrigation main.
We’ve also seen the cheap-bid version of a CWS fence: posts set in 18 inches of concrete dust, panels framed with deck screws. It looks fine for a year. Then the Santa Anas hit and the whole west side of the fence leans like it’s had a long night. If you’d rather skip that chapter, call (803) 680-2547 and we’ll price it properly the first time.
FAQs
A properly installed CWS aluminum or vinyl fence should last 20 to 30 years in Los Angeles, with the post footings and gate hardware being the components that wear first. The CWS material itself holds up well to our UV and dry heat, but clay soil movement shortens the life of bad footings to five years or less. Call (803) 680-2547 if you suspect your footing is the problem before the panel is.
Yes, if the panels and rails are still sound, we can reset leaning posts, replace worn gate hinges, and re-clip loose pickets without replacing the whole fence. When the CWS series is discontinued and matching parts aren’t available, a repair may mean a short section of new fence, which we’ll price and explain before any work starts. Estimates are free.
Most Los Angeles CWS fence installations take two to three working days from digging to final gate adjustment, with concrete curing time built into our schedule. A simple post reset or gate repair is often a same-week job. You’ll have a written timeline on your quote before we start.
We keep common CWS-compatible posts, rails, pickets, and gate hardware on our trucks, plus access to the factory and a network of aftermarket suppliers for discontinued series. Mason Remodeling is an independent service provider and not affiliated with CWS, which means we’re free to recommend the right part for your fence rather than whatever one brand still makes. If you need a specific CWS series matched, call (803) 680-2547 with the measurements from your gate label.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner, Mason Remodeling at Mason Remodeling, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
