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CWS Fence Installation: The Fort Worth Owner’s Guide
A CWS fence installation in Fort Worth homes typically runs $3,500 – $9,000 installed, depending on linear footage, gate count, and whether we’re pulling rotted posts or starting from fresh ground. We stock CWS-compatible posts, rails, pickets, and gate hardware on the truck for most common configurations, which means we can usually match your existing fence profile without ordering oddball parts from a specialty supplier. Most owners find us the same way: a spring storm knocks a gate out of square, a post starts leaning after heavy rain, or a picket splits clean off during a hailstorm and they realize the fence was the one thing they never thought twice about until it failed.
Which CWS Models This Applies To
CWS fence systems in Texas are most commonly found in two configurations: standard 6-foot privacy with dog-ear or flat-top pickets, and 4-foot semi-privacy or picket-style front fencing. The posts are typically 2-3/8″ or 2-7/8″ galvanized schedule 40 steel set in concrete, with the rails and pickets matched to the original gate and panel spacing. If you have the original paperwork, the CWS part number stamped on the gate frame or post cap is the fastest path to a match. If not, we measure the post OD, the picket width (usually 5-1/2″ or 6″), and the rail channel style on site, because getting those three numbers wrong means the new section will never sit flush with the old one.
One compatibility gotcha we see regularly in Fort Worth: CWS gate frames from the mid-2010s used a slightly taller hinge bracket than the current production run. The aftermarket replacements at the big-box stores sit 3/8″ low, which throws the gate out of level and wears the hinge pins faster. We keep both bracket heights on the truck for exactly this reason. When it comes to OEM versus aftermarket, we’re direct with people: for posts and structural rails, we spec the OEM CWS profile or a heavier-gauge equivalent, because no one wants a fence that starts waving after one Texas wind season. For pickets and cosmetic trim, a name-brand aftermarket board with a matching profile and a factory weather-treatment warranty is usually the better value, and we’ll tell you that before we write the scope.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CWS Fence Installation Is Failing
- Posts leaning more than a few degrees after a hard rain. This usually means the concrete footing was poured too shallow for Fort Worth’s clay soil, which expands and contracts hard through our wet-to-dry cycles. A leaning post will only get worse, and it drags every connected panel with it.
- Gate sagging or dragging on the latch side. The hinge screws have likely pulled out of the CWS post or the gate frame itself has twisted. Tightening screws rarely fixes it once the holes are wallowed out; the steel needs a reinforcement plate or the hinge needs moving to a fresh section of post.
- Pickets cracking at the rail line or splitting from hail impact. When a picket splits along the grain where the rail screw enters, that’s a moisture problem, not just weather. The nail or screw is acting like a wedge as the board swells and shrinks. Replacing one board is cheap; ignoring it means water gets into the rail and rusts it from the inside.
- Rust bleeding down from the post caps or rail ends. This tells you water is pooling inside the steel. In Fort Worth’s humidity and our occasional ice storms, trapped water freezes, expands, and splits welds. If you see orange staining, the inside of that post is further gone than the outside looks.
- The whole fence line “waving” between posts. This is almost always a top rail that has lost its fastener bite at one end. The rail sags and every picket follows it. It’s a two-hour repair if caught early, but a full section rebuild if the rail rots through or the post top kinks.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a CWS fence installation in Fort Worth, we write the price before any work starts, and that price does not move once the crew arrives. A typical 60 – 80 foot side-yard run with one gate lands between $3,500 and $5,500 depending on how many posts need to be reset and whether we’re reusing existing concrete or pouring new footings. A full backyard, something in the 150 – 200 foot range with two gates, usually runs $6,000 – $9,000. What moves the number: linear footage, gate count, the condition of the existing post footings, and whether the old fence needs to be hauled off or can be cut down and bundled for the city’s bulk pickup.
Every CWS fence job includes removal of the failed section, new or re-set posts in concrete, new rails and pickets matched to your existing profile, gate hardware replacement or adjustment, and a full clean-up with a photo of the site before we roll the trailer out. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies, which means if a section settles, a gate drifts, or a picket splits within the year, we come back and fix it. The written price and the final invoice read the same. That’s the way Graham Stein has run every fence and project scope since he first started writing them down years ago.
DIY or Call Us?
There are a few things worth checking yourself before you spend a dime: walk the line after a storm and look for posts leaning at the base versus just tilted at the top, press on each gate corner to see if the frame flexes, and run your hand along the rails to feel for soft spots or rust scale. Those observations help you describe the problem accurately when you call, and they help us bring the right parts the first trip.
What we’d caution against is resetting posts or rebuilding gate frames yourself. A steel post in a concrete footing is heavy, and if the post is under tension from an attached panel, cutting it loose without bracing the line can bring a whole section down on you or a neighbor’s fence. Digging fresh post holes in Fort Worth clay also involves knowing how deep to go, because anything under 24 inches will heave inside two seasons. If you’d rather we handle it from the first measurement to the final photo, call (682) 708-9180 and we’ll walk the fence with you for a free estimate.
FAQs
A properly installed CWS fence with steel posts set in concrete at the correct depth will typically give you 20 – 25 years in Fort Worth’s climate. The pickets may need replacing before the structure does, especially after severe hail seasons, but the posts and rails are rated for decades, not years. If your fence is under ten years old and failing, it’s almost always a footing or fastener problem, not the material. Call (682) 708-9180 and we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s a repair or a replace.
Yes, in most cases a leaning post can be straightened and re-set without pulling down the entire fence line. The fix depends on why it’s leaning: a shallow footing gets dug out and re-poured deeper, while a post that’s failed at the base gets a new post spliced into the existing rail channels. We’ll tell you which one you have before we write the price. Estimates are free.
A typical single-section repair or post reset takes one day, sometimes a half day if the footing is intact and we’re only swapping rails and pickets. A full 150-foot fence with multiple posts takes two to three days including concrete cure time before we hang the gates. We schedule around your family’s routines as much as possible, and we keep our tools as quiet as the job allows during nap and school hours.
We keep the most common CWS post sizes, rail styles, picket profiles, hinge brackets, and gate hardware stocked on our trucks, so most section repairs happen the same visit we diagnose the problem. For unusual profiles or older production runs, we can typically have the exact part within a few days through our suppliers. Call (682) 708-9180 with your original paperwork or just describe what you see, and we’ll tell you what we can bring out.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling Fort Worth at Elmstead Remodeling Fort Worth, serving Fort Worth and nearby areas.
