The build: 7 ft spike-top steel perimeter fence on a poured concrete footing, wrapping the street corner of a sign manufacturing facility — Whittier, CA.
The project
Fusion Sign & Design builds and installs signage nationally, and their Whittier facility works like most sign shops: an open yard behind the building holding steel, aluminum, cabinets, pallets and containers — all of it valuable, all of it sitting in the open on a corner lot with two street frontages. Stretches of the perimeter were open, and the driveway openings had nothing closing them after hours.
What they asked for was straightforward and what most commercial yards actually need: a fence tall enough to stop a casual climb, anchored well enough to stop a vehicle nudge, with gates that lock. We built a 7 ft ornamental steel fence with spike tops, set on a continuous poured concrete footing, and closed both driveway openings with double swing gates welded on site and fitted with lock boxes.
- Location: Whittier, CA — commercial / industrial corner lot
- Client: Fusion Sign & Design, national sign manufacturer & installer
- Fence: 7 ft ornamental steel, spike-top pickets, welded panels, black finish
- Foundation: saw-cut asphalt, trenched line, continuous rebar, poured concrete footing / mow curb
- Gates: double swing driveway gates, on-site welded frames, fleur-de-lis finials, lock-box hardware
- Schedule: six working days, yard stayed operational throughout
Stage 1 — the concrete footing everyone else skips
The fence line ran across old, cracked, patched asphalt. Dropping individual post holes into that would have given us a fence that looked fine on day one and wandered out of line within a season. Instead we saw-cut the asphalt along the entire fence line, trenched it, laid continuous rebar the length of the run, and poured a high-early-strength concrete footing that doubles as a mow curb.
That single decision is what makes a commercial fence behave. Every post is tied into one reinforced concrete beam, so a shopping cart, a forklift or a delivery truck clipping one picket is resisted by the whole run instead of one post. There is also no gap under the fence — nothing gets slid, rolled or dug underneath, which matters a great deal when the yard is full of material. And the poured curb gave the crew a dead-straight, level line to build the steel to, on a surface that was anything but level.
Stage 2 — 7 ft spike-top steel fence
With the footing cured, posts were set and the 7 ft panels welded up along the line. Seven feet with spike tops is the sweet spot for a commercial yard: it is well past the height anyone climbs casually, the spike tops give nothing to grab or stand on, and unlike a solid wall it keeps the yard visible from the street — which both patrol officers and the client's own cameras care about. Vertical pickets also stay honest over long runs; there are no horizontal rails to use as a ladder.
The fence wraps both street frontages and returns along the building, so the whole yard — containers, pallet racks, finished sign cabinets — sits inside one closed line. Panels were welded on site rather than bolted, and the top line was kept straight across a lot that drops slightly toward the street.
Stage 3 — double swing gates, welded on site
Both driveway openings got double swing gates. The frames were cut, squared and welded on site so each leaf was built to the opening as it actually measured, not to a drawing — on a lot with old asphalt and a slight cross-fall, that difference is what keeps a gate from dragging. Each leaf carries the same 7 ft picket infill as the fence with cast fleur-de-lis finials along the top rail, hung on heavy welded hinges, with a protected lock box so a padlock can't be reached with bolt cutters from outside.
Gates are always the weak point of a commercial perimeter — they are the only part that moves, and the only part staff touch every day. Building them heavy, square, and to the real opening is the whole job.
What a commercial yard should ask for
If you run a yard, a shop, a contractor storage lot or a fleet property in Whittier or anywhere in southeast LA County, the specification that actually holds up looks like this:
- 7–8 ft ornamental steel with spike tops — hard to climb, nothing to grip, still visible for cameras and patrols.
- A continuous concrete footing, not individual post holes — ties the run together and closes the gap underneath.
- Welded panels rather than bolted brackets on the runs that face the street.
- Gates built to the measured opening on heavy hinges, with a shielded lock box.
- A licensed contractor with real insurance — most commercial and property-management clients need a certificate before anyone starts.
Installed ornamental steel fencing in Whittier generally runs about $50–$100 per linear foot, with commercial work toward the upper end once height, heavier sections, a poured footing and welded gates are included. Ballpark it with the online estimate, then confirm with a free on-site measurement.
Built in Whittier
This project was built in Whittier, CA, for the Whittier facility of a national signage contractor. Apexguard Fence is a licensed (CSLB #1148097), bonded and insured fence and gate contractor working across Whittier, La Puente, Santa Fe Springs, City of Industry and the rest of southeast Los Angeles County. We are set up for commercial and contractor work — certificates of insurance, Procore and The Blue Book — and we hold 5.0 stars across 30 Google reviews.
Detail: cast fleur-de-lis finials on the gate top rail, spike-top pickets down the run — Whittier, CA.
Project FAQ
How tall can a commercial security fence be in Whittier?
Industrial and commercial yards in Whittier commonly run 6 to 8 feet of perimeter fencing, and 7 feet with spike tops is a popular middle ground: tall enough to defeat a casual climb, short enough to avoid the extra structural and permitting scrutiny that very tall fencing can trigger. Height limits depend on the zone and how close the fence sits to the street, so we confirm the requirement with the city before fabrication.
Why pour a concrete footing under a commercial fence instead of just setting posts?
A continuous poured footing does three jobs individual post holes cannot. It locks every post into one reinforced beam so a hit on one post is resisted by the whole run, it closes the gap under the fence so nothing can be slid or dug beneath it, and it gives the crew a straight, level datum to build to across cracked and patched asphalt. On this Whittier project we saw-cut the asphalt, trenched the line, ran continuous rebar, and poured high-early-strength concrete.
How much does commercial fencing cost in Whittier, CA?
Installed ornamental steel fencing in Whittier generally runs about $50 to $100 per linear foot, and commercial work sits toward the upper end once you add height, heavier picket and rail sizes, a poured concrete footing, and welded swing gates. Gates are priced per opening by width and hardware. Apexguard Fence provides a firm written quote after a free on-site measurement.
Do you build commercial fences and gates for national contractors?
Yes. This Whittier project was built for Fusion Sign & Design, a national sign manufacturer and installer, at their Whittier, CA facility. Apexguard Fence is licensed (CSLB #1148097), bonded and insured, and is set up for contractor and property-manager work through Procore and The Blue Book, including same-day certificates of insurance.
How long does a commercial perimeter fence take to install?
This Whittier perimeter was built over six working days: saw-cutting and the concrete footing first, then post setting and fence panels, then on-site gate fabrication and hanging. Sequencing the footing ahead of the steel lets the concrete cure while the crew moves to the next stage, and the yard stayed operational throughout.
Need a yard, shop or fleet lot secured? Call Apexguard Fence at (626) 692-3568 for a free on-site measurement and a written quote, or ask us for a certificate of insurance first — we send it same day.