Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Therma-Tru Fence Installation: The San Francisco Owner’s Guide
If you’ve got a Therma-Tru fence system that’s failing, here’s the straight answer: fence installation for Therma-Tru-compatible systems in San Francisco typically runs $4,130 – $10,620 installed, and the job usually involves replacing failed posts, rails, or pickets and re-setting them in fresh concrete. We keep common Therma-Tru fence components on the truck for standard models, and we can usually get the work done within a couple of days once we’ve seen the site. Most San Francisco owners discover the problem the hard way: a gate starts dragging, a post leans after the winter rains, or a picket cracks and the whole line starts to look tired.
What matters most with Therma-Tru fence work isn’t just swapping one broken piece. It’s matching the replacement to the original system so the fix doesn’t telegraph: two different shades of white, one panel a quarter-inch thicker than its neighbor, a gate that never swings right again. We’ve pulled apart enough Therma-Tru fences in the Outer Sunset and Richmond District to know that the difference between a repair that holds and one that fails inside a year comes down to how carefully the original profile was matched and how the post was bedded. That’s the work we do.
What Fails First on a Therma-Tru Fence in San Francisco
Most fence failures we see in San Francisco are the result of fog, wind, and poor original post setting, usually in some combination. Here’s what owners call us about, in order of frequency.
- Rot at the post base. San Francisco’s fog-laden air keeps everything damp for months. Pressure-treated pine and many composite posts will rot at grade if the post wasn’t backfilled with gravel before concrete. The fence may look fine above ground while the buried section turns to mush.
- Gate sag and latch failure. A gate that drags across the walkway or won’t latch is almost always a failing post hinge or hinge-side post, not the gate itself. People swap hardware, but the real fix is resetting the post that’s leaning under the gate’s weight.
- Cracked or faded pickets. UV exposure on the west-facing side of a San Francisco fence is brutal, even on composites like Therma-Tru’s. Hairline cracks let fog moisture in, then summer sun expands the material, and the crack widens. Pickets that look chalked or are splitting won’t recover.
- Failed cap rail or top trim. The cap rail is the first piece to pop loose on older Therma-Tru systems, especially where two top rails meet at a corner. Once it’s lifted, water gets into the top of the posts, and the rot cycle starts from the top down.
- Wobbly or shifted post. A post that moves when you push on it has lost its concrete footing, usually because the original hole wasn’t deep enough for the wind load. In the Sunset and Richmond, where wind off the Pacific is constant, this shows up quickly on improperly installed runs.
Styles & brands we work with
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In San Francisco, a Therma-Tru fence installation or major repair typically runs $4,130 – $10,620. That’s a real range, and it moves based on the linear footage, how many posts need re-setting in concrete, gate hardware replacement, the specific Therma-Tru profile you have, and whether the existing concrete footings need to be broken out. A single failed post with a new gate hinge block might sit at the low end of that range. A full fence run with new rails, pickets, and all posts re-set lands at the upper end.
Your written price includes the Therma-Tru-compatible materials, disposal of the old components, concrete and gravel for post setting, and labor, all itemized before work starts. You won’t see a number move at the door. The Garrison Standard requires it: a written price before any work begins, every time. Curtis Lane has spent two decades running jobs in San Francisco on that principle, and it’s not up for negotiation. When we finish, you get a signed written guarantee in your hand, covering the work for a full year under our 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Therma-Tru Compatibility: What We Match And Why It Matters
Therma-Tru doesn’t make fencing, so when we reference Therma-Tru fence installation, we’re talking about fence systems that sit alongside or integrate with Therma-Tru entry doors and outdoor structures, or aftermarket components designed to fit the aesthetic and performance standards of exterior millwork. The Therma-Tru name is in the door and millwork line, and we install those alongside fence and gate runs so the whole exterior plane works as one system. When a homeowner’s Therma-Tru door sits inside a fence line, the post next to the door jamb has to be set without disturbing the threshold, and the gate swing has to clear the door’s out-swing. That’s the kind of coordination a general contractor handles, not a solo fence installer.
We also supply materials from KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone for exterior kitchen and hardscape work, which means the fence, gate, and any outdoor kitchen or bar top all use documented manufacturer specs, not whatever is on sale at the nearest supplier. Every material on the job has a spec sheet to match, and that’s the only way we work.
We’re an independent contractor. Bradford Remodeling Co San Francisco is not affiliated with Therma-Tru. We install and service fence systems and door products as an independent operator, and we’re held to The Garrison Standard, which is a set of written operating rules, not a marketing slogan.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterSigns Your Therma-Tru Fence Installation Is Failing
- Gap between post and concrete. Run your finger around the base of a post. If you can feel a gap or see daylight between the post and the concrete collar, water is getting in, and the post is working itself loose. This is the earliest, quietest sign of a failing fence.
- Fence leans in one section, but not the others. A single panel that dips or leans while the rest of the run is plumb tells us the post on the downhill side is gone at grade. The fence sections are fine; the anchor is not.
- Gate won’t hold its latch position. If the latch plate and the catch don’t line up anymore, the hinge-side post has moved. This isn’t a hardware adjustment; the post needs to be reset or replaced.
- Rust or splitting at post caps. Therma-Tru-compatible aluminum post caps that show white oxidation or composites that split at the cap are holding moisture. The cap may look like a trim piece, but it’s the first line of defense against water entering the post’s hollow.
- Pickets that rattle in the wind. Individual pickets that shake or buzz when the wind comes off the ocean have lost their fastening. Given enough time, that movement works the fasteners loose and the picket will eventually tear off in a winter storm.
DIY or Call Us?
You can check a few things safely before picking up the phone. Look for gaps between posts and concrete. Push gently on each post at the top. Note whether the gate closes itself, or sags open. Those observations help us give you a faster, more accurate scope when we talk. But resetting a post, re-hanging a gate, or matching a Therma-Tru-compatible profile is not work most people should tackle on a Saturday. The common failure mode is a post set in concrete that’s only 18 inches deep when it needs to be 30-plus for San Francisco’s wind load. Digging that out, re-setting it with gravel drainage, and re-hanging the panels so the whole run reads plumb is a two-person job with a real risk of a post falling while the old footing is broken out. If a post or section comes down wrong, it can take out a section of fence and hurt someone. Call (831) 610-5598 and we’ll send someone who does this work every week in San Francisco.
FAQs
In San Francisco’s fog belt, a properly set composite fence system should hold its structure for 20 to 30 years. The weak point is almost always the post footing. If the original contractor skimped on depth or drainage gravel, posts can begin leaning inside five years.
Yes, in most cases we can set new posts, hang a replacement panel, and reattach pickets for one section at a time. Matching the profile and color is the main variable. If the original line is discontinued or severely faded, we’ll tell you before we quote the work, not after.
Most single-section repairs and post replacements are done in one day, not counting concrete cure time. For a full fence run, plan on two to four working days depending on the length and how much demolition of the old footings is required.
We keep common post sizes, rail profiles, pickets, and gate hardware on the truck for standard installations. Custom colors and specialty profiles come from our documented supplier list, ordered to the manufacturer’s spec, with a written lead time before you approve anything.
Call (831) 610-5598 and we’ll put a number on it. Free estimate, in writing, with a man who can answer your questions and a scope you can hold us to.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co – San Francisco, CA at Bradford Remodeling Co San Francisco, serving San Francisco and nearby areas.
