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CGI Fence Installation: The San Antonio Owner’s Guide
CGI fence installation in San Antonio typically runs $3,500 to $9,000 installed, depending on footage, gate count, and how much of the old fence has to come out first. We stock CGI-compatible posts, rails, pickets, and gate hardware on our trucks, and we can usually start within a few days of the written estimate. Most San Antonio homeowners discover their CGI fence has failed the same way: a post leans after a hard rain, a gate drags across the driveway, or pickets start pulling loose from the rails where the fasteners gave out.
What makes CGI different from standard wood or vinyl is the gauge of the steel and the coating system. CGI (short for corrugated galvanized iron, though most residential fences are actually a coated steel panel product) handles San Antonio’s heat better than vinyl, but it still fails at the connections and the post bases first. The panels themselves rarely rust through. The hardware does. If you’re reading this because a gate won’t close or a section is leaning, you’re in the right place. We’ll walk you through what fails, what it costs to fix or replace, and what’s worth checking before you call us.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI fence panels come in standard widths and profiles, and most San Antonio installations use either a 2¼” corrugation or a flatter ribbed profile in 26-gauge or 29-gauge steel. The gauge matters more than the brand name on the tag. Heavier 26-gauge panels hold up better against hail and wind, but they weigh more, which means your posts and footings carry a bigger load. If your existing fence is 29-gauge and you’re replacing only a section, we match the gauge so the repaired area doesn’t look or behave differently from the rest of the run.
Identifying your exact part usually comes down to three measurements: panel width (most residential is 36″ or 39″ coverage), rib spacing, and post size. The post is the most common point of failure, and CGI fence posts in San Antonio are typically 2″ or 2½” galvanized square tube set in concrete. One gotcha we see regularly: homeowners buy replacement posts sized for a wood fence and discover the CGI panel brackets don’t fit. Bring us a photo of the bracket and a measurement of the post, and we’ll know what you have before we show up. We install OEM CGI products when the original is still in production, and we use quality aftermarket equivalents when a line has been discontinued, which happens more than most homeowners expect. We’ll always tell you which is which and put it in writing on the estimate.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CGI Fence Installation Is Failing
Most CGI fence failures announce themselves slowly, then all at once after a storm. Here’s what we see across San Antonio, from Alamo Heights to Stone Oak to Helotes:
- Posts leaning at the base. This is almost always a footing problem, not a panel problem. San Antonio’s clay-heavy soil expands and contracts with moisture, and shallow concrete footings shift over time. A post that’s moved an inch this year will move three next year.
- Gate dragging or won’t latch. The hinge side settles, the latch side stays put, and the gate scrapes the ground or the frame. You can shim a hinge once, but the real fix is resetting the post and rehanging the gate with the weight distributed correctly.
- Pickets or panels rattling in the wind. CGI panels are fastened to rails with screws or clips, and those fasteners work loose over years of thermal expansion. San Antonio’s daily heat swings are hard on metal hardware. When you hear the fence chattering on a windy day, the fasteners are already failing.
- Rust bleeding from screw holes or joints. The galvanized coating gets scratched during installation, and the exposed steel starts to oxidize. This is cosmetic at first, but it spreads under the coating. Sealing the fastener holes matters more than most people think.
- Rail brackets pulling away from posts. The bracket is the load point where panel weight transfers to the post. When brackets pull loose, the panel is hanging by fasteners alone, and one good gust of wind can take the whole section down.
See the difference
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a full CGI fence installation in San Antonio, the installed price typically lands between $3,500 and $9,000. A partial repair, like resetting one post or rehanging a gate, usually falls well below that range. Here’s how the numbers break down:
- Post reset or replacement: $250 – $450 per post, including new concrete footing and bracket reattachment.
- Gate rehang or replacement: $350 – $900 depending on gate width and whether the frame needs replacing.
- Section replacement (panel plus rails): $45 – $75 per linear foot, including fasteners and labor.
- Full CGI fence installation: $3,500 – $9,000 for a typical San Antonio backyard, including removal of the old fence, new posts, panels, rails, and gates.
What drives the spread? Fence footage, gate count, whether the old posts come out clean or have to be dug and broken out, and whether your yard slopes. Sloped terrain in parts of San Antonio means stepped or racked panels, which adds labor. Every estimate we write shows parts and labor as separate line items, and the price we hand you before work starts is the price you pay. No change orders after the crew arrives. If we hit something unexpected, we stop, explain it, and get your sign-off before spending a dollar more. That’s the written price promise, and it’s on every job. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the completed installation: if a post shifts, a gate sags, or a fastener loosens within the year, we come back and make it right.
DIY or Call Us?
Here’s an honest split. You can safely diagnose most CGI fence problems yourself. Check whether posts wobble at the base. Look at the brackets where panels meet posts. Push gently on the gate and see where it flexes. Take photos and measurements. All of that costs nothing and helps us give you an accurate phone estimate.
What you should not do is try to reset a set-in-concrete post or rehang a heavy steel gate on your own. A full CGI panel section can weigh over 60 pounds, and a leaning post under tension can shift unexpectedly. People get hurt when a panel comes loose mid-removal or a post falls the wrong way. We use proper bracing and lifting, and our crew has done this long enough to know what a post will do before it does it. Graham Stein writes every scope of work down before a single tool leaves the truck because he wants you to know exactly what the crew will do, what it costs, and how long it takes. Write it down, price it once, do it right. If you want the numbers in hand, call (432) 233-0976 and we’ll put them on paper.
FAQs
A properly installed CGI fence in San Antonio can last 25 to 40 years, but the hardware – brackets, fasteners, and gate hinges – usually needs attention every 8 to 12 years. The San Antonio sun and clay soil are harder on posts and fasteners than on the panels themselves. Call (432) 233-0976 and we’ll tell you what’s fixable now and what can wait.
Yes – most CGI fence problems are repairable, especially leaning posts, loose brackets, and sagging gates. Full replacement usually only makes sense when multiple sections have failed, or the panels have extensive rust or physical damage. We’ll quote the repair and the replacement both ways so you decide with real numbers in front of you.
A typical San Antonio backyard CGI fence installation takes two to four working days, including removal of the old fence and cleanup. A single post reset or gate rehang is usually done in half a day. We’ll give you a schedule in writing before work starts, and we respect quiet hours for kids’ naps and schoolwork where we can.
We stock standard CGI panels, posts, rails, brackets, and gate hardware on our trucks, so most jobs don’t wait on parts. If your fence uses a nonstandard profile or an older panel style that’s been discontinued, we’ll source a matching equivalent and show you the spec difference before ordering. Elmstead Remodeling San Antonio is an independent provider and not affiliated with CGI, but we work with OEM and quality aftermarket suppliers to match what you have. For materials from our other partners like KraftMaid, Cambria, or Silestone, the written estimate shows the brand and model you’re paying for.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling San Antonio at Elmstead Remodeling San Antonio, serving San Antonio and nearby areas.
