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Ameristar Fence Installation: The Pasadena Owner’s Guide
Ameristar fence installation in Pasadena typically runs between $3,500 and $9,000, depending on the panel count, post style, and whether the old fence needs hauling off. We keep Ameristar-compatible posts, rails, and pickets in stock for older Echelon, Montage, and Classic lines, and most repairs go in the same week we see the job. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably noticed a leaning post, a popping weld, or a panel that’s begun to rattle in the wind and you want to know whether it can be patched or needs a proper re-install. We’ll walk you through exactly how we figure that out.
Which Ameristar Models This Applies To
Ameristar’s steel fence lines share a common post-and-rail system, but the picket dimensions and top rail profiles differ between series, which is where stock parts from a different model line won’t line up. The Echelon series uses a 1-5/8 inch round post with a narrower picket spacing, while Montage runs an identical post but a punched H-channel rail meant for a heavier gauge picket. The Classic and Titan lines use a 2-1/2 inch square post, and that post diameter is the first thing we check when a homeowner says another company “couldn’t find the right part.” If you still have the original paperwork, the series name is printed on it. If not, measure the post width and count the pickets per 6-foot panel: 19 pickets means Echelon, 13 means Montage. Aftermarket parts exist for both, but we prefer OEM Ameristar components when they’re still available because the powder-coat color codes match from batch to batch, and a mismatched fence panel in a Pasadena front yard is a detail you will notice every single day.
The pre-2015 Montage line is the one we see causing the most confusion. Ameristar changed the rail punch configuration that year, so pre-2015 rails won’t accept current Montage pickets. It’s the kind of detail that costs a homeowner a second trip if the parts desk doesn’t know it, which Graham Stein has seen enough times in Bungalow Heaven to check the serial stamp before ordering anything.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Ameristar Fence Installation Is Failing
- Leaning posts, especially after rain. In Pasadena’s clay-heavy soil, water pools around post bases after a heavy winter and loosens the concrete footing. The post itself is usually fine. The install depth, or lack of it, is what failed.
- Popped picket welds at the bottom. Ameristar welds the picket to the bottom rail, and that joint takes the most pressure from kids, dogs, and lawn equipment. Once two or three welds pop on the same panel, the panel starts to sag and the rest follow.
- Rattling or buzzing in the wind. Pickets are supposed to sit tight in the punched rails. If a section sounds like wind chimes every time the Santa Anas come through, the rail tabs are worn and the pickets are floating loose.
- Rust bleeding through the powder coat at the cuts. Ameristar powder coating is tough, but any field-cut post or rail exposes bare steel. In Pasadena’s dry air it moves slowly, but once a rust line forms at the gate hinge or a post cap, it only widens.
- A gate that drags or won’t latch along its swing path. This is rarely the latch. It’s usually a top rail pulling away from the post or a hinge that’s grinding against a bent post. The gate panel is fine. The anchor points aren’t.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For Ameristar-specific fence installation in Pasadena, you’re looking at roughly $3,500 for a smaller repair-and-relevel job on a 30-40 foot run, up to $9,000 for a full 100+ foot replacement with new posts set properly and the old fence removed and hauled. If only a section is going, prices often land in the $1,500-$3,000 range for a handful of pickets, a repaired top rail, and a re-set post or two.
What moves the number: how many posts need new concrete set at 24-28 inches depth for Pasadena’s soil, whether the old fence gets hauled, and whether we’re reusing existing panels or ordering fresh Ameristar stock. Every estimate includes parts and labor in one written line-item price. The price you see on paper is the price you pay at the end – no footnotes. The work is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise, so if a post shifts or a weld pops in the first year, we make it right. We also haul everything away. The gate, the old pickets, the buried concrete chunks that had no business being in your flower bed.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check three things before calling us. First, put a level on the posts and see how far out of plumb they are. Second, eyeball the picket welds and count the popped ones. Third, look at the gate and note which corner drags. That gives you an idea whether it’s a re-level or a rebuild, and it helps us give a faster quote.
Here’s what we’d suggest you not attempt on your own: digging out an old post set in concrete is miserable work in Pasadena’s packed soil, and pulling a post without knowing the gas and irrigation line layout under the fence line is not a risk worth taking. Ameristar steel panels weigh more than they look, too, especially the 8-foot sections. We’ve had a homeowner drop a panel on a sprinkler head and turn a minor repair into a Saturday plumbing project. We bring shoe covers and drop cloths even on fence work because the crew will come through the house to reach the back, and the line-item price means the quote you read on paper is the invoice you see at the end.
Call (626) 714-2992 for a free estimate. Graham’s crew will show up, take measurements, and put the written price in your hand before any work starts.
FAQs
A properly installed Ameristar fence in Pasadena’s dry climate should give you 20-25 years before rust becomes structural, and the powder coat usually looks presentable for 15. Gates wear out faster, typically 10-15 years if they’re used daily. Call (626) 714-2992 if you’d like us to look at your specific fence’s wear points.
Yes, if the posts are still plumb and the rails aren’t rusted at the joints, most Ameristar failures can be fixed panel-by-panel, picket-by-picket. We stock pickets and rail sections in common colors, so a repair rarely means waiting on a full custom order. For a repair quote, call (626) 714-2992 and we’ll schedule a walk-through.
A section repair usually finishes in one day. A full fence replacement with concrete set and gate rehanging takes two to three days, plus a day for the haul-off if you want the old material gone. We keep the noise low during nap and school hours where we can.
We keep common pickets, post caps, rail ends, and gate hardware in stock for Echelon and Montage series. Odd-length rails or specific powder-coat colors may take a few days to order, and we’ll tell you that at the estimate, not after we start. Call (626) 714-2992 and we can check stock while you’re on the phone.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling Pasadena at Elmstead Remodeling Pasadena, serving Pasadena and nearby areas.
