CGI Fence Installation: The Fort Myers Owner’s Guide
If you own a CGI aluminum fence in Southwest Florida and a section is down, a post is leaning, or gate hardware has seized up, we can usually have the replacement parts installed within a few days. A full CGI fence installation in Fort Myers typically runs between $3,500 and $9,000, depending on linear footage, gate count, and whether we’re working with existing concrete or fresh footers. Most homeowners first notice the problem after a summer storm rolls through - a gate that won’t latch, a post that’s suddenly out of plumb, or a bottom rail that’s corroded right at the salt line.
CGI fences are everywhere in Lee County for good reason. They hold up better against humidity and salt spray than steel, and the powder coat gives you years before the Florida sun starts to break it down. But when a component fails - especially a hinge, a post cap that let water in, or a section that took a hit from debris - you need a crew that knows the product line well enough to match the part and get the install right the first time. Derek Hollenbeck has been working with CGI products across Fort Myers long enough to know which generation of hardware a fence has just by looking at the post profile and the gate bracket spacing.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI produces several aluminum fence lines, and compatibility matters more than most homeowners realize. The most common series we install across Fort Myers are the CGI Signature (residential-grade, 5/8″ square pickets), CGI Estate (heavier pickets, taller panel options), and CGI Commercial (wider post dimensions, reinforced rails). Each series uses different bracket spacing, post-wall thicknesses, and gate hinge pin diameters. Mixing a Signature gate hinge with an Estate post, for example, leaves slop in the swing that only gets worse over time.
If you’re trying to identify your existing CGI fence model, start with the post cap. Signature-series caps are a low-profile pyramid shape; Estate caps are taller and more domed. Commercial posts usually have a flat cap with visible set screws. You can also measure the distance between horizontal rails - Signature models run 3-3/4″ rail spacing center-to-center, while Estate spans closer to 4-1/2″. We keep OEM-spec components on hand for all three lines. Aftermarket parts exist, but we don’t use them on CGI jobs. Florida’s wet-dry-wet cycle exposes the difference in powder coat adhesion inside of two years, and we’re not going to warranty something that we know will chalk and peel before the next hurricane season.
Signs Your CGI Fence Installation Is Failing
- Gate drag or won’t latch. The most common call we get. In sandy Fort Myers soil, concrete footers can shift just enough over a few seasons to throw the gate frame out of square. The latch bolt no longer lines up with the strike, or the gate scrapes the ground on the swing. That’s a post-reset, not just a hardware swap.
- Visible rust at post base or rail ends. CGI aluminum doesn’t rust, but the steel fasteners and gate hardware can - especially within a mile of the Caloosahatchee. If you see orange staining at a post-to-rail bracket or around a hinge pin, water has been sitting there. The fastener is compromised and the surrounding aluminum is probably starting to pit.
- Wobbly posts you can rock by hand. A properly set CGI post in our soil needs a minimum 24-inch footer depth and a good concrete collar. Posts that wiggle had a shallow set, a cracked footer, or the original crew tried to cheat with dry-pack. Once a post moves, the attached panels transfer stress to the neighboring posts, and you get a cascade failure.
- Powder coat blistering or peeling in sheets. This usually shows up first on the sun-exposed west-facing panels. Once the coating fails, the bare aluminum oxidizes into a chalky white film. Structurally it’s fine for a while, but it’s the early warning that the fence will need full refinishing or replacement within 3-5 years.
- Section bowing between posts. Aluminum panels expand noticeably in Fort Myers heat. If the original installer butted the panels tight instead of leaving expansion room in the bracket channels, you’ll see a visible bow or wave along the top rail by August. That stress can eventually crack the bracket tabs.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
For a standard Fort Myers residential install using CGI Signature panels, expect to land between $3,500 and $9,000. At the low end, that’s roughly 80 to 100 linear feet with one walk gate on flat ground and no demolition. At the upper end, we’re talking 200-plus linear feet, a double-drive gate, concrete demo and haul-away of an old fence, and possibly some root work if live oaks or palms are crowding the line. Every quote we give is a line-item price, not a ballpark - you’ll see the per-foot panel cost, the gate hardware broken out, the footer depth spec, and the labor charge.
What’s always included: removal and disposal of the old fence if one exists, 24-inch minimum concrete footers on every post, stainless steel fasteners throughout, gate adjustment and latch alignment, and a final walkaround to catch any rattle or rub. The work is backed by our 730-Day Done Right Promise. If a post settles, a gate drifts, or anything isn’t right, we come back and fix it - no chasing, no fine print.
Upfront pricing is how we operate. The number on the estimate is the number you pay. And if your project qualifies for it, we offer 0% financing for 18 months to spread the cost out. Call (844) 638-7249 and we’ll schedule a free estimate - someone answers live, any time of day.
DIY or Call Us?
You can handle the diagnostic walkaround yourself. Check each post for plumb with a level, swing every gate and watch the latch alignment, and look for rust at every bracket and hinge. If one post is leaning and the panels are still true, mark it with tape - that’s the specific information we need.
Where we’d recommend stepping back: anything involving a post footer in Florida soil. Digging a 24-inch hole near a property line without hitting irrigation lines or cable drops takes a locate and some experience. More importantly, an improperly set post that drifts in six months means resetting not just that post but tensioning the adjacent panels, too - it’s the sort of thing that looks simple and turns into a weekend headache. Gate tensioning is another one. A heavy double-drive gate under spring load can bite hard if the tension pin lets go. We don’t give DIY instructions for that - we’d rather you call (844) 638-7249 and let our uniformed, background-checked crew handle it safely.
Groundwork Construction Co. of Fort Myers is an independent contractor, not a CGI affiliate. We stock the parts because we install and repair these fences every month across Lee County, and we know what fails here.
FAQs
A properly installed CGI aluminum fence in our climate lasts 20 to 30 years on the frame, with the powder coat typically needing attention around the 12- to 15-year mark depending on sun exposure and salt proximity. Hardware - hinges, latches, gate springs - tends to go first, usually in the 7- to 10-year range. If you’re within a few blocks of the Gulf or the river, trim a few years off those numbers; the salt spray accelerates everything. Call (844) 638-7249 and we’ll assess exactly where your fence sits in that life cycle.
Almost always, yes. If the damage is isolated - one panel that took a branch strike, a single post that’s shifted - we can cut out and replace just that section, match the existing CGI series, and shim the adjacent panels back into alignment. The challenge comes when the existing fence is a discontinued color or a powder coat batch that’s 10 years faded. We’ll be upfront about how close the match will be before we start. Call (844) 638-7249 with the approximate age of the fence; that helps us know what we’re working with.
Most residential CGI fence installations in Fort Myers are complete in 1 to 2 days. The heavy time is in the footers - digging, setting posts in concrete, and letting them cure enough to hang panels and gates. If we’re removing an old fence and the footers are intact and reusable, we can often finish in a single day. We’ll give you a firm timeline at the estimate.
Our Fort Myers trucks carry the most common CGI components: Signature and Estate gate hinges, latch assemblies, tension springs, post caps, and rail brackets. For less common parts - specific Commercial-series hardware or non-standard gate sizes - we can typically source them from our local supply house within 48 hours. If you can send us a photo of the failed part before we dispatch, we’ll confirm whether it’s on the truck.
Written by Derek Hollenbeck, Owner & General Contractor, Groundwork Construction Co. of Fort Myers, serving Fort Myers and nearby areas.