Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Sakrete Fence Installation: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
We install Sakrete-set fence posts and complete fence runs across Los Angeles at a typical installed price of $4,130 to $10,620, with most jobs completed in one to three days depending on post count and access. The most common reason a homeowner calls us is a post that has loosened in its Sakrete footing, leaving the fence leaning or swaying at the gate line. You’ll usually notice it first at the latch: the gate scrapes, the post shifts when you push it, or a section of fence begins to lean noticeably after a heavy rain.
Before any work starts, you get a written price that names the Sakrete product we’ll mix, the post depth, the concrete volume per post, and the labor. That written scope is the promise – if it is not on the paper, we have not agreed to it yet. Elmstead Remodeling is an independent contractor, not affiliated with Sakrete, but we specify their mixes by name because the bag you buy at the lumberyard should match what the crew actually pours on site.
Which Sakrete Models This Applies To
The term “Sakrete fence installation” really means the specific Sakrete concrete product used to anchor the posts. The two we see most often in Los Angeles yards are Sakrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix and Sakrete High-Strength Concrete Mix. Fast-Setting is the one to use for fence posts because it is designed to be poured dry into the hole around the post, then hydrated in place. High-Strength is mixed first and works better for larger structural pours like gate posts or posts carrying heavy privacy panels in high-wind areas like the canyons above Studio City or the exposed ridges in Porter Ranch.
Check the bag’s set time. Fast-Setting is typically walk-away firm in about 20 to 40 minutes, while standard High-Strength needs 24 hours before you attach rails. That set-time difference matters if you’re replacing a single post in a fence line that still carries weight. One compatibility gotcha we run into regularly: if the original post was set in redi-mix with a high aggregate size and you’re replacing it with a smaller-diameter post, the old hole is rarely reusable. The existing footing has to be broken out completely or you’re anchoring a new post in disturbed ground. We always size the new hole to the post diameter plus three inches on each side for proper Sakrete coverage.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Sakrete Fence Installation Is Failing
- Leaning posts at the gate or corner. Gate posts carry the most dynamic load in any fence run. When the post at the hinge side starts leaning, the footing has fractured or the hole was undersized when it was set. Corner posts fail the same way, especially in Los Angeles clay soil that expands when wet and contracts in a dry summer.
- Crumbing or cracked concrete at the post base. You’ll see hairline cracks running from the post outward or chunks missing from the collar. This is usually water intrusion over several winters followed by heat, a cycle that breaks down the Sakrete mix faster than expected when the post hole wasn’t tamped properly.
- Gaps between the concrete collar and the post. A visible ring of separation means the concrete has shrunk away or the post itself is racking inside the footing. This is a failure waiting to get worse; the post is no longer bearing on the concrete, it’s floating in a sleeve of air.
- Fence section sags between posts that look fine. The rails may be rotting or the fasteners have pulled free, but the posts themselves are often the hidden cause. If a post shifted just an inch, the rail alignment changes and a sag develops that looks like a hardware problem but is really a footing problem.
- Water ponding at the post base after rain. In flat Los Angeles lots, drainage around the post collar matters. If water stands at the base, it works its way into the post bottom and into the concrete over time, accelerating rot in wood posts and rust in steel ones.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Fence installation on a Sakrete concrete base in Los Angeles typically runs $4,130 to $10,620 depending on the linear footage, the number of posts, the fence material, and access. A single-post replacement in an existing fence line usually lands near the lower end of the range, while a full perimeter fence with new rails, pickets, and hardware pushes toward the upper end. The range we quote reflects the Los Angeles market specifically, where older homes often have fence lines sitting on uneven grade or against retaining walls that add time to the demo and footing work.
| Job Scope | Typical Installed Price |
|---|---|
| Single post reset in existing fence (Sakrete Fast-Setting) | $470 – $1,180 |
| Partial fence run, 4 – 6 posts, rails and pickets replaced | $2,950 – $5,900 |
| Full backyard fence on Sakrete footings, standard wood privacy | $4,130 – $10,620 |
| Gate post and gate rebuild with proper footing | $1,180 – $2,360 |
The written price covers the Sakrete product by name and bag count, post removal, new post setting, materials, and clean-up. We include shoe covers and drop cloths on every visit and a photo of the clean-up before the crew leaves. Every completed fence installation carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if something is not done right, we make it right.
DIY or Call Us?
What you can safely check on your own is the condition of the post tops, the fence line from the street side, and whether water is ponding at the base. You can also note whether the gate still latches when the post is dry versus after a rain, which tells us whether the movement is seasonal. What we recommend against doing yourself is pulling and resetting a post in an existing fence line, especially a gate post. The post is under tension from the gate and the rails. If the footing gives way while the rails are still attached, that section of fence comes down fast and can take a person or a pet with it. The post hole also typically requires hand-digging around roots and old concrete, which is hard, slow work that goes much faster with the right tools and a second person.
If you’d rather have the post set, the rails aligned, and the gate closing clean by the time the kids get home from school, call (949) 850-9896 for a free estimate. Graham Stein has been working on homes across Los Angeles for going on two decades, and every job starts with a written price.
FAQs
A properly set Sakrete footing should last 20 to 30 years in Los Angeles soil, but the post itself usually fails first – wood posts rot at the soil line within 10 to 15 years unless they’re pressure-treated and set above grade with proper drainage. The concrete collar itself rarely fails if the hole was sized and tamped correctly. Call (949) 850-9896 for a free estimate if you’re seeing movement or cracking.
In some cases, yes – if the concrete collar is still sound and only the post has rotted, we can pull the post, clean the collar, and set a new post with fresh Sakrete rather than breaking out the whole footing. If the concrete itself is cracked or the hole was undersized, the footing has to come out. Call (949) 850-9896 and we’ll tell you which situation you have.
A single post reset usually takes three to four hours on site, including hole digging, concrete setting, and clean-up. The concrete sets during that same visit; we ask that you keep pets and children off the post for 24 hours while it cures. Call (949) 850-9896 and we’ll schedule it around your family’s routine.
We bring the Sakrete with us, specified by name on the written estimate before any work starts. We also work with other named-brand materials from KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone when the project extends beyond the fence itself. Call (949) 850-9896 for specifics on your fence line.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling at Elmstead Remodeling, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
