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ActiveYards Fence Installation: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
ActiveYards fence installation in Fort Lauderdale typically runs $3,500 to $9,000 including materials, labor, and haul-away of the old fence. We stock ActiveYards-compatible posts, rails, pickets, and gate hardware on our trucks, which means most installs start within a few days of your call, not weeks. You’ll usually know a section has failed because a gate starts dragging, a post leans after a hard rain, or the aluminum channels that hold pickets have corroded through near the bottom rail.
Fort Lauderdale’s salt air and afternoon storm cycles punish fencing faster than most manufacturers expect. We see gate posts that have shifted a half-inch because the concrete footing was poured too shallow, and horizontal rails that collect standing water inside the extrusion until the aluminum pinholes from the inside out. If your ActiveYards fence was installed more than eight years ago, you’re likely looking at a post, a rail section, or a full panel replacement rather than a cosmetic fix.
Which ActiveYards Models This Applies To
This page covers the most common ActiveYards residential lines we install and repair across Fort Lauderdale: the Lattice Top, Solid Privacy, Sierra, and Madison series, along with gate frames and hardware that ship with those systems. ActiveYards uses a proprietary snap-fit channel system, which means the pickets seat into a grooved top and bottom rail rather than being screwed or bracketed. That’s good for clean looks, but it means a bent channel or a cracked rail end means the whole run has to be released, not just one board.
To identify your model, look for the small white ActiveYards label on the inside face of an end post, usually near the top cap. The model code and color will be printed there, like “Madison 6×8 White” or “Sierra 5×6 Tan.” If the label is sun-bleached or missing, measure the picket width: ActiveYards residential pickets come in 5-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch widths, and the top rail profile is distinct enough that we can match it from a photo. One compatibility gotcha we run into often: post sizes differ by series. The Sierra line uses a 2-inch-square post, while Madison and Lattice Top use 2½-inch posts. A replacement post that’s slightly undersized will wobble from day one. OEM parts are available but often take two to three weeks to ship from ActiveYards’ regional distributors. For most homeowners, a quality aftermarket equivalent, powder-coated to match, installed the same week, is the better call. We’ll show you both prices before any work starts.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your ActiveYards Fence Installation Is Failing
- Gate drags or won’t latch. The hinge post has shifted out of plumb, usually because the footing is 18 inches deep instead of 30-plus, or because the gate hardware has pulled out of the aluminum post wall. Re-shimming rarely holds; the fix is a re-set post or a post-to-rail bracket upgrade.
- Pickets bow or pop out of the top rail. The snap-fit channel has cracked from thermal expansion. Fort Lauderdale’s daily heat-cool cycle flexes the aluminum, and once the channel lip breaks, pickets come loose one by one. This is a rail replacement, not a picket replacement.
- White or tan powder coat is chalky and pitted, especially within a mile of the water. That’s salt-air oxidation working under the coating. It starts cosmetic but pinholes the aluminum within a couple of years. Replacing before the extrusion corrodes through is cheaper than replacing after.
- Bottom rail holds water after rain. ActiveYards rails have weep holes, but if the fence was installed slightly off-level, water pools at the low end and accelerates corrosion from the inside. You’ll see bubbling paint at the rail seam first.
- Post cap is cracked or missing. Water enters the post from the top, fills the internal cavity during storms, and seeps into the footing. This is the most overlooked failure we see in Fort Lauderdale, and it’s a $20 part that prevents a $400 post reset.
See the difference
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Replacing a failed ActiveYards fence section in Fort Lauderdale runs $3,500 to $9,000 for a typical backyard fence of 80 to 150 linear feet, including new posts, rails, pickets, hardware, and gate. A single gate post reset with a proper footing runs $350 to $600. One rail section replacement runs $200 to $450. A full fence replacement, with disposal of the old aluminum included, sits at the higher end of the range when you’re working with 6-foot privacy panels and multiple gates.
The range is driven by a few things: total linear footage, whether we’re reusing posts that are still solid or setting all new ones, access to the fence line (Fort Lauderdale lots with tight zero-lot-line setbacks take longer), and whether the gate needs a new frame or just new hardware. Every quote is a written line-item price, parts and labor separated, with the footing depth and rail grade called out. The number you approve is the number on the invoice. There’s no charge for the estimate, and the work is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if something’s not right, we make it right, in writing, for a full year.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check a few things yourself: look for cracked post caps, run a hand along the bottom rail for soft spots, and push gently on each post to see if it moves more than a half-inch. That tells you what’s failing without putting you at risk. Where DIY goes wrong for ActiveYards fence installation specifically is in post removal and channel re-seating. Fence posts in Fort Lauderdale are typically set in concrete, and pulling one without the right equipment means a half-day of digging, a broken rail, or a trip to urgent care. The snap-fit channel system also requires a specific release tool; forcing a picket out with a pry bar will crack the channel, and now you’re replacing a rail instead of re-seating a picket. If the post moves at the base, the footing is done, and that’s a job with a concrete saw and a new footing, not a Saturday project. Call (754) 354-7423 and we’ll give you a straight answer about what needs replacing and what doesn’t. No pressure, no four-hour windows.
FAQs
Eight to twelve years near the coast, and ten to fifteen years inland in Fort Lauderdale, with salt air being the biggest factor in early failure. If your fence is over ten years old and showing pitting or rail corrosion, a full replacement is usually more cost-effective than piecemeal repairs.
Most single-section failures can be repaired by replacing the affected post or rail, but once you’re seeing failures in three or more areas, a full replacement is usually the smarter money. We’ll give you both options with the numbers attached. Call (754) 354-7423 for a written breakdown either way.
A standard Fort Lauderdale yard fence replacement takes one to two days, including concrete curing time for the new post footings. Gates and rail replacements are typically done same-day, since we’re not setting new footings.
We stock the most common ActiveYards-compatible pickets, rails, post caps, and gate hardware on our trucks for standard series and colors. For uncommon colors or special-order trim, we’ll place the order and give you a real lead time before you commit. Alongside ActiveYards, we also stock parts for KraftMaid cabinetry, Cambria countertops, and Silestone surfaces for the rest of the home.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner & Lead Contractor, Sawyer Remodel Fort Lauderdale at Sawyer Remodel Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
