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Therma-Tru Fence Installation: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
Therma-Tru fence installation in Los Angeles typically runs $4,130 to $10,620, depending on fence height, total linear footage, gate hardware, and whether existing posts can be reused. We stock Therma-Tru-compatible fence panels, post caps, and gate kits on our trucks for same-week installation across most LA neighborhoods. Most Los Angeles homeowners discover they need us when a windstorm off the foothills snaps a post at ground level, a gate starts dragging against the concrete patio, or a panel warps enough that the neighbor’s dog can see through the gap.
This page is written for the homeowner standing in the yard with a tape measure and a failing fence. Therma-Tru is better known for entry doors, but their exterior fence and gate systems are built around the same fiberglass-reinforced composite technology. And in Los Angeles, where heat hits 100 degrees in the Valley and salt air eats at metal in the beach cities, that composite matters more than most folks realize.
Which Therma-Tru Models This Applies To
Therma-Tru’s fence line breaks into two product families: the Classic Composite series, which uses a solid-core fiberglass panel with a paintable textured face, and the SmoothStar series, which has a smoother finish and tighter corner radius. The posts, rails, and hardware between the two are not interchangeable. A SmoothStar panel will not seat cleanly into a Classic Composite post without a visible gap along the channel. We see this mix-up regularly when a well-meaning homeowner grabs a discounted panel online and calls us after the install fights back.
To identify what you have, look at the inner lip of the post cap or the bottom rail. Therma-Tru stamps a four-digit manufacturing code there, along with a series letter: C for Classic Composite and S for SmoothStar. If the stamp has faded, measure the panel thickness. Classic Composite measures a true 1-1/4 inch. SmoothStar comes in at 1 inch exactly. We can also match by profile photo if you text one to us before we dispatch.
OEM versus aftermarket: Genuine Therma-Tru fence panels cost 20 to 30 percent more than third-party composite equivalents, but they carry the original manufacturer’s 10-year limited warranty, and the color match across batches is tighter. Quality aftermarket panels can work fine if they are sized to the same channel profile, but we tell Los Angeles customers that the color will age differently in direct sun. That matters on a run facing southwest in Sherman Oaks more than on a shaded line in Los Feliz.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Therma-Tru Fence Installation Is Failing
- Post lean of more than 10 degrees after a rain. This is almost always a footing problem, not a post problem. In Los Angeles, many original fence installers set posts in 18 to 24 inches of concrete because the frost depth is shallow, but they do not add gravel drainage at the base. Water pools, the surrounding clay soil expands, and the post gets pushed over in the first serious wet season.
- Gate drags or will not latch. The hinge-side post has shifted or the composite gate frame has absorbed moisture along an exposed cut edge. We check the bottom rail cut first. A raw, unsealed cut edge wicks moisture into the composite and swells just enough to throw the latch geometry out.
- Visible cracks running along the panel face. Composite panels do not rot like wood, but they do fatigue. In neighborhoods like Encino and Tarzana where afternoon heat exceeds 100 degrees repeatedly, the surface resin can micro-crack, and those cracks widen seasonally. Once a crack reaches the panel edge, replacement is the right call, not caulk.
- Fastener heads pulling through the panel or rail. This means the original installer used standard wood screws instead of composite-rated fasteners. Composite expands and contracts more than wood across a Los Angeles summer, and standard screws strip out over time.
- White chalky residue running down the panel below the post cap. That is oxidized surface resin, common on fences that were never sealed and face direct sun on the east or south exposure. It is cosmetic on Therma-Tru panels but if caught early, the right sealer stops it from deepening.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
Installed Therma-Tru fence work in Los Angeles runs $4,130 to $10,620 for most jobs we quote. The spread is driven by four things: how many posts need to be re-set versus reused, the linear footage, whether you need a gate kit with new hinges and latch, and whether the old fence has a concrete footing that has to be jackhammered out. A short 40-foot run with reusable posts lands near the bottom of the range. A full replacement of 120 feet with two gates and all new footings lands at the top.
Every quote we write includes the panels, posts, hardware, concrete work, haul-away of the old material, and a written line-item breakdown. The number on the written quote is the number on the invoice. If we find a hidden footing problem after we start, we stop, call you, and put the change in writing before we touch anything else. Every fence install carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If a post shifts or a gate binds within the first year, we come back and fix it at no charge.
See the difference
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
A homeowner can safely inspect a fence: check for lean, look at the post caps, measure panel thickness, and take photos. What we would not recommend anyone do themselves is pull a post out of a Los Angeles yard with a rented jackhammer and rerun a footing without checking for irrigation lines and shallow electrical conduit. That work has broken more sprinkler systems and cut more low-voltage landscape wire in this city than any single trade. We have also seen a homeowner drop a composite panel onto the gas meter while dragging it from the side yard, and that turned a weekend project into a call to the utility company.
If the damage is one panel and the posts are solid, a careful homeowner can handle a panel swap with basic tools, and we are happy to talk you through it over the phone. If a post moved, the gate is binding, or the run is longer than 40 feet, call (213) 277-6578 and we will give you a written price before any work starts. That is how we do it: give you a number first, then pick up the tools.
FAQs
A properly installed Therma-Tru composite fence in Los Angeles lasts 20 to 25 years on average, with the posts being the first component to need attention, usually between years 8 and 12 in clay-heavy soil. Panels in direct inland sun may need resealing every 3 to 5 years to prevent surface oxidation. Call (213) 277-6578 and we can tell you over the phone whether what you are seeing is normal aging or a warranty issue.
A panel with a hairline surface crack or light oxidation can often be repaired with the right composite filler and sealer, but any crack that reaches the panel edge or any panel with stripped fastener holes should be replaced. We will tell you straight which route makes sense before writing any quote. Call (213) 277-6578 and send a photo, and we will give you an honest read.
A single post re-set or panel swap is usually a half-day job once we are on site. A full fence replacement of 100 to 120 feet with two gates typically takes 2 to 3 days, including haul-away and cleanup. We schedule a defined arrival window and stick to it.
Yes. We carry Classic Composite and SmoothStar panels in the common widths, post caps, bottom rails, gate hinges, and composite-rated fasteners on our trucks, so most repairs in Los Angeles are completed in the first visit. For unusual panel heights or older discontinued colors, we order from our distributor and can usually install within a week. A live person answers the phone 24/7 at (213) 277-6578 if you want to check stock before booking.
Contact Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles
If your Therma-Tru fence is leaning, dragging, or starting to show cracks from the Los Angeles sun, call us at (213) 277-6578 for a free estimate. We will send a background-checked, uniformed technician to measure the run, identify the series, and hand you a written price before any work starts. That price includes labor, parts, haul-away, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise. Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles is an independent service provider and is not affiliated with Therma-Tru, but we have been installing and repairing their fence systems across this city long enough to know exactly which parts fit, which ones fight back, and what the job should cost.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles at Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
