Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
CWS Fence Installation: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
If your CWS fence system needs new installation, replacement panels, or a full rebuild, we can help. Most CWS fence installation jobs we handle in Fort Lauderdale run between $3,500 and $9,000 depending on footage, terrain, and gate work. We’re not affiliated with CWS, but we know their systems well enough to source compatible hardware and match the existing look on your property.
Homeowners usually discover their fence has failed the same way: a post starts leaning after a heavy rain, a gate stops swinging square, or the aluminum pickets start popping out where the salt air has eaten through the fasteners. By the time it’s visible, the underlying issue has usually been at work for a year or more. South Florida is rough on fencing, and CWS products are no exception when the wrong hardware or shallow footings get used on the original install.
Which CWS Models This Applies To
CWS fencing typically comes in a few distinct product lines: aluminum ornamental, vinyl privacy, and light-industrial gate systems. Each uses different rail dimensions, post profiles, and hardware. The compatibility gotcha most homeowners miss: a CWS gate kit from one series will not always accept the hinge assemblies from another, even when the rail profile looks identical at a glance. We measure the rail inside dimension and the post wall thickness before ordering anything.
If you can find the original paperwork, look for a CWS order number. If not, we can identify the series from the picket spacing and post caps. For most CWS replacements, high-quality aftermarket hardware performs just as well as the OEM equivalent, and costs less. That said, if you’re replacing only a section and matching the original finish matters, OEM touch-up coatings and exact-profile pickets are worth the extra money. We also work with KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone brands on our interior remodel side, so matching finishes across a property is a habit, not an afterthought.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CWS Fence Installation Is Failing
- Leaning posts with intact concrete collars. In Fort Lauderdale’s sandy, saturated soil, posts often shift because the footing was poured too shallow, not because the post itself failed.
- Gate sagging at the latch side. The hinge post flexes first. When the post leans even a degree or two, the gate drags, and the latch stops aligning.
- Pickets popping out of the top rail. Salt air corrodes the screws or the rail’s internal clip channel. Once two or three pickets loosen, the rest follow.
- White chalky residue on powder-coated surfaces. That’s oxidation creeping under the coating. It starts as a cosmetic issue, but in coastal Fort Lauderdale it turns into pitting within a year or two.
- Hardware that snaps when you try to tighten it. Aluminum and stainless-fastener interaction creates galvanic corrosion. If the old screws twist off, the whole rail section likely needs replacement, not just new screws.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Full CWS fence installation in Fort Lauderdale runs $3,500 – $9,000. At $3,500, you’re looking at a modest yard with a standard vinyl privacy section, level ground, and no gate. At $9,000, you’re into longer runs of ornamental aluminum, multiple gates, tougher soil access, and possibly removing an old fence first. The line-item breakdown should always include demolition and disposal of the failed section, new posts with concrete to local depth codes (Fort Lauderdale requires deeper footings than inland Florida due to saturated soil and wind load), rails, pickets, hardware, gates, and pitch-pan or post-cap sealing.
We give a written price before we start. That price covers parts, labor, and disposal. It’s backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the fence fails inside that first year, we come back and fix it at no charge. The number on day one is the number on the invoice.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check a few things yourself. Look at the post bases for cracking concrete. Note where the gate drags. Count the loose pickets. If you want to try a fix, a post stabilizer can buy you a month or two. But CWS fence installation is not cabinet hardware. It involves posts set deep enough to hold against hurricane-season wind, concrete that needs to cure before the fence hangs on it, and gate hardware that has to carry real weight without sagging. A fence that’s 1,000 pounds of metal leaning toward a sidewalk is a liability you don’t want. Call us at (754) 551-2922. We’ll match the series, quote you a written number, and set a real arrival window. That’s how we operate.
FAQs
A properly installed CWS aluminum or vinyl fence should last 20 to 30 years in Fort Lauderdale’s climate. The biggest lifespan killer is installation: shallow footings and mismatched hardware shorten that to 8 to 12 years. Call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll inspect what you have before recommending a replacement strategy.
Sometimes. Isolated picket damage and single-post shifts can often be repaired for a few hundred dollars. Once multiple posts move or the rail channels have corroded, a section replacement is less expensive than patching repeatedly. We’ll give you both numbers in writing.
Most residential CWS fence installations in Fort Lauderdale take two to four working days, including removal of the old fence, post setting, concrete cure time, and final hardware adjustment. Gates may add a day if the post layout changes. We’ll confirm the window before we start.
We keep common pickets, rail sections, gate hinges, and latches in matching finishes on hand in our Fort Lauderdale service area for most CWS series. For less common profiles, we order direct and typically have the parts within a week. Call (754) 551-2922 with your fence measurements and we’ll check inventory before you commit.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale at Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
