Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
CGI Fence Installation: The Jacksonville Owner’s Guide
If you have a CGI fence and a section, panel, or post has given out, we can match it and install the replacement. A complete CGI fence installation in Jacksonville typically runs between $3,500 and $9,000 depending on linear footage, gate hardware, and the condition of the existing concrete footings. Most owners discover the problem the same way: a storm comes through, a gate starts dragging, or a post leans after months of soft soil behind it. The fix is usually straightforward once the right CGI profile is identified, and we walk you through that before any work begins.
Here’s what we know about CGI product in Florida weather and how we approach a Jacksonville install. This page is written for the homeowner holding a failed part and wanting an honest answer about cost, compatibility, and timing.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI is best known in Florida for impact-rated windows and doors, and their fencing division follows the same model: aluminum panels cut to specific heights and widths, with a baked-on finish designed to hold up against salt air and afternoon sun. The compatibility step matters because CGI fence components are not universal. Panels are ordered by height (typically 4, 5, or 6 feet), width between posts (usually 6 or 8 feet), and color code. The color code stamp is often on the inside face of the bottom rail or on a small tag near the gate hinge. If the tag is gone, we measure the rail profile and match the color against a CGI swatch set before quoting anything.
One checkable gotcha: CGI aluminum fence posts use a thicker wall than the box-store aluminum you’ll find at big-box retailers around Jacksonville. A 2-inch-by-2-inch post from a generic line will not carry the same wind load as a CGI post, and mixing them voids the manufacturer’s intent on the run. When a storm pushes through, that difference shows up as a bent post line. We specify CGI-compatible posts and brackets on every panel, and we tell you upfront if a generic aftermarket part is an honest substitute or a poor one. In most cases, for fence installation where wind rating matters, we recommend staying with CGI-compatible material.
Elmstead Remodeling Jacksonville is an independent service provider and we are not affiliated with CGI. We work with their product because it’s common in Jacksonville homes, especially in newer communities east of the St. Johns and in the master-planned developments south of the city.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CGI Fence Installation Is Failing
Most CGI fence problems announce themselves quietly before the panel drops. Here are the five we see most often in Jacksonville:
- Post lean at the base, especially near a gate. Jacksonville’s sandy soil drains fast, but it also shifts. When a post starts leaning weeks after a heavy rain, the footing was likely poured too shallow or without a proper concrete collar for the load.
- Gate drags on the latch side or scrapes concrete. The gate leaf is heavy, and the hinge post works loose over time. If the post flexes when you open the gate even an inch, the top hinge is carrying more load than the post was set to hold, and it will worsen each month.
- Finish is bubbling or flaking in a line along the bottom rail. Overspray from lawn sprinklers is a common cause here: Jacksonville water is often reclaimed, and repeated irrigation water on powder-coated aluminum accelerates finish failure along the lowest points.
- Panel rattles or moves inside the bracket in wind. The bracket screws have wallowed out, or the panel was cut slightly short. If the panel moves, the whole run is flexing, which shortens the life of every bracket and post on that line.
- Rust staining from the screws or brackets. Not every stainless fastener used in fence installation is equal. Cheaper screws rust, streak the panel, and then loose their bite. We pull them and replace with proper coated fasteners on any repair job.
None of these are cosmetic if left. A moving panel grows into a broken panel, and a broken panel in a Jacksonville afternoon thunderstorm becomes a hazard against your home or your neighbors.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For most Jacksonville homes, full CGI fence installation runs between $3,500 and $9,000 installed. That range covers linear footage from a small side yard up to a full perimeter around a typical lot, including gate posts and hardware. A repair job, such as replacing one section and two posts, typically comes in well under that range, usually $900 to $2,200 depending on whether the footing needs to be re-poured. We will not know the exact number until we measure and check the existing line, and we will not leave you guessing after the first visit.
Every quote we give is written, before any work starts. It lists materials by name, labor by stage, and the exact scope of footing work. No allowance line items, no rough estimate that grows after the crew arrives. The work includes removal and disposal of the old section, setting new posts with proper concrete depth for Jacksonville soil, hanging the new CGI panels, and squaring the gate so it swings true. If any part of our installation is not done right within 365 days, we make it right. That is the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it is stamped on every project.
We also hold to the Cedarwell Care Promise on every fencing job: drop cloths through the house when we pass through, shoe covers at the door, and a photo of the clean-up before the crew leaves. If your kids or pets are in the yard during the day, we schedule the noisy demolition around their rest hours where we can, and we ask before moving anything.
DIY or Call Us?
Fence panel replacement is not a high-risk DIY job the way a garage spring or an electrical panel is, but it is also not as simple as sliding a new panel into place. The hard part is the footing. In Jacksonville, the freeze-thaw cycle that northern states deal with is not the issue. The issue is sandy, shifting soil and occasional floodwater in low-lying neighborhoods like San Marco and parts of Riverside. A post set too shallow will lean within a season. Digging and setting a 2-foot-deep concrete footing in Florida heat, with the right mix and cure time, is harder than most homeowners expect, and if the gate is involved you are also fighting geometry: the hinge posts need to be perfectly plumb or the gate will never close right.
If your section is rattling but the posts are solid, you can inspect the bracket screws yourself. A quick tightening is fine. If the post leans, the concrete is cracked, or the gate is involved, that is when we recommend a trained eye. We will quote the real fix, not a patch.
Call (904) 643-6243 and we will schedule a time to look at the run, match the CGI profile, and put a written price in your hand.
FAQs
In Jacksonville’s salt air and sun, a properly installed CGI aluminum fence with a factory finish typically lasts 20 to 30 years before the finish begins to show real wear. Hardware, especially gate hinges and latches, will wear faster: plan on replacing gate hardware every 10 to 15 years. Call (904) 643-6243 if your gate hardware is worn; we can replace it without touching the panel run.
Most CGI fence problems are repairable: a single panel, a single post, a gate hinge, or a bent top rail can be replaced without pulling the entire line. Full replacement only makes sense when multiple posts have failed, the finish is compromised across most of the run, or you are changing the fence footprint. We will tell you which situation you are in before quoting, not after opening things up. For an exact assessment, call (904) 643-6243 and we will come out.
A single panel and post swap is usually a half-day job once the parts are on hand. A full perimeter install in Jacksonville with new footings takes 2 to 4 days, depending on access, gate count, and the size of the old concrete we are removing. Concrete cure time is built into that range, not skipped. We give you the day the crew arrives in writing before any work begins.
We carry common CGI-compatible brackets, coated fasteners, hinge sets, and post caps on our trucks because most of our Jacksonville work involves this product. Panels and posts are ordered by size and color code, so we place that order when the match is confirmed. We also carry cabinet hardware brands like KraftMaid and surface brands like Cambria and Silestone for our remodel work, so we are used to matching product lines by name.
Name the material, name the day, name the price, then there is nothing left to wonder about.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling Jacksonville at Elmstead Remodeling Jacksonville, serving Jacksonville and nearby areas.
