Fencing: A Guide to the Options

There are many reasons to install fencing. You might want to keep the family dog &#; or the kids &#; safely in the back yard. Maybe you&#;re looking to prevent intruders from entering your property, to increase your outdoor privacy, or to block an unpleasant view of your neighbor&#;s rusty collection of muscle cars. Perhaps you&#;re safeguarding your swimming pool or adding a boost to your curb appeal.

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A fence can do any of these things &#; if you choose the right one. There are hundreds of different styles to choose from, plus a handful of different construction materials, each with their own maintenance requirements and prices.

And you&#;ll need to make sure your fence doesn&#;t create animosity in the neighborhood &#; or even violate local laws and regulations. Here&#;s how to avoid those pitfalls and get a beautiful long-lasting fence that fits your home and your budget.

Follow the Rules

Fences are subject to local zoning codes, which dictate the maximum height allowed, how far they must be from property lines, and whether they&#;re even permitted in front yards. So contact your municipality&#;s zoning department first, suggests Janet Arden, of the American Fence Association, a trade group based in Glen Ellyn, Ill. 

Also, if you&#;re in a neighborhood association, a historic district, or a fairly new development, you may face further limitations on fence style, height, and location &#; so check with local officials.

Be a Good Neighbor

As Robert Frost wrote, good fences make good neighbors &#; but they can also make angry ones if the fence appears one day without warning. If possible, consult with any neighbors whose property will abut your new fence to give them a chance to prepare emotionally for the change. (Heck, they might even offer to share the cost if you compromise on some design feature that they prefer.) 

Also, unless you&#;ve had your lot surveyed, ask your neighbors to confirm your understanding of where the property lines are, says Roy Cuzzocreo of Orange Fence & Supply in Orange, Conn. &#;I&#;ve had to come back to relocate an entire fence by an inch and a half because the homeowner was wrong about the property line,&#; he says.

Related: Fence Etiquette: Tips to Avoid Neighbor Disputes

Consider Your Goals

The first thing any fence salesman is going to ask you is why you want a fence&#;because your answer will help narrow your choices. There are four basic categories to choose from:

Privacy fence: If the goal is to block sight lines, you need solid fencing, which generally means it&#;ll have tightly spaced vertical boards, pickets (pointed stakes), or framed panels to prevent you from seeing out and others from seeing in. It should be at least 6 feet tall so most people won&#;t see over it&#;taller if the neighbor&#;s teenagers are on the basketball team.

If a little visibility is okay, then the pickets can have spaces between them, or you can use a lattice or decorative fence pattern.

Security fence: To keep people out, you&#;ll again want a fence that&#;s 6 feet tall or higher to hinder anyone from simply hopping over it. Pickets or other spiky tops help to deter climbers&#;especially if the fence has a smooth outer face, so there&#;s no place to step. For fences with horizontal rails on one side and vertical pickets on the other&#;in other words, for most fences&#;that means facing the pickets out.
 
Decorative fence: If the goal is to establish property lines, add a structural element to the landscape or boost curb appeal, your fence doesn&#;t need to be nearly as large or obtrusive. You can choose one that&#;s just two to four feet high, and with spaced pickets, latticework, or all sorts of ornamental designs that don&#;t block the view, but enhance it. Or you can go totally simple, with a rail fence (just posts and two or three horizontal members) like the ones used on horse farms.

Safety fence: To create a dog run, enclose a pool area, or deter wildlife from trespassing on your property&#;without changing the view&#;the most durable option is a wire fence, such as chain link. At their most economical, these consist of galvanized metal mesh, but adding a black or green vinyl coating helps to make the fence almost disappear from view. Or, for an even lower-cost fence, you can use a metal or plastic mesh hung on metal posts or stakes.

Pick Your Material

Once you&#;ve decided on your fence type, choose the material it&#;s made from. That&#;s what&#;s going to determine its price, the maintenance it needs, and its warranty. (Note: These are ballpark prices. Costs vary wildly around the country&#;and even among fence companies in the same ZIP code.)

Wood: By far the most common fence material, wood provides a traditional look at a moderate price. Depending on the species you choose, from low-cost pine to high-end cedar or redwood, your installer may recommend treating it with a stain or wood preservative to protect it from insects, rot, and ultraviolet light. Expect to repeat the job every three to five years. 

Cost: $7 to $10 per foot, installed, for a simple split-rail fence; $20 to $50 per foot, installed, for a 6-foot high privacy fence. 

Warranty: From 0 to 15 years depending on wood species and the retailer.

Vinyl and composite: These faux-wood fences are made from either solid vinyl or a mix of wood fibers and plastic resins. In either case, the material is formed into rails, pickets, and other fence parts that get assembled piece-by-piece just like wood fences. 

Their color&#;usually white, but available in numerous hues&#;is mixed into the material itself, so they never need painting. The best of these products look exactly like the real thing, so if you want a painted wood fence, this is a way to get it without all of the maintenance that wood requires.

Cost: $40 to $60 per foot per foot, installed, for a 6-foot high privacy fence.

Warranty: From 20 years to lifetime, depending on manufacturer.

Iron and aluminum: The classic wrought-iron fence can be anything from an ornate decorative property-line marker to a tall, spiky enclosure that provides high security. 

These days, though, the fences aren&#;t actually wrought iron. They&#;re made from welded tubes of steel or aluminum. Thanks to factory paint coatings, a good metal fence will need virtually no routine upkeep, though you should touchup any spots where the coating cracks or peels to prevent corrosion.

Cost: $25 to $30 per foot installed (for a 4 foot high fence), plus $5 to $10 per foot to add ornamental finials and rings.

Warranty: From 20 years to lifetime, depending on manufacturer.

Chain link and wire: The most economical of fences, chain link also has the advantage of almost disappearing into the scenery, especially if it has a black or green plastic coating on the mesh. 

If, on the other hand, you prefer not to see through the fence, you can order it with vertical privacy slats woven into the mesh. 

Cost: $12 to $15 per foot installed (for a 4 foot high fence); add $4 to $5 for vinyl coating and another $6 to $10 for privacy slats.

Warranty: From 12 to 15 years, depending on manufacturer.

Related: Fence Designs Reveal Your Personality

Right next to apple pie, a white picket fence is part of the American dream. They keep pets in, unwanted visitors out and can create a sense of privacy for your backyard. But, unfortunately, fencing can be a hefty investment, and not knowing how to go about it might hold you back. So we will equip you with the tools you need to make an informed decision and ensure that your fence is exactly what you need.

What to Consider Before Building a Fence

Before hiring anyone or digging anywhere, there are seven elements of building a fence that you should consider.

Property Rules

There are a few ways that the property you own might affect putting up a fence. First, some Homeowner Associations have specific rules regarding the type of fence you can put up, or if you can even put up a fence at all. Second, property lines are not always clear. To avoid taking down an expensive fence, be sure that where you&#;re thinking of putting one won&#;t cross property lines.

Budget

Sometimes people avoid the subject of budget because they are afraid that salespeople might take advantage of it. However, talking over what you are comfortable investing in a fence with your spouse or partner will ensure that you&#;re both on the same page. In addition, getting clear about your budget will lower the risk of overspending and ease the tension when deciding on the rest of the items on this list.

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It&#;s Purpose

As mentioned above, fencing can serve many purposes, and often they serve more than one purpose at a time. For example, a privacy fence will provide the amount of security you want, but it will also keep the dogs in and the deer out. The purpose of the fence is a critical step to get clear about since it will determine the types of materials used and the height of the fence. If you&#;re looking for a fence to add curb appeal, you can be flexible with your choices and make a selection that best suits your home&#;s aesthetic.

Yard Size

Unlike the unlimited fries at your favorite burger joint, the more fencing you need, the more it&#;s going to cost. And where to put the fence might not be as straightforward as you might think. For example, do you want to fence in the backyard, or do you want to include the front yard? Is there a bit of woods behind your house that you want to fence in, or will that be left to the deer and squirrels? These are all things that will affect the size of your fenced-in space, and you&#;ll want to get clear about those lines.

Gates

Take a walk around your property and bring along anyone who will be involved in the decision- making process. Talk through the ways you&#;ll move through your yard and where gates might be helpful for pushing the mower through or letting the dog in and out. While you can add more gates, later on, it will be more affordable and manageable if they are installed as the fence is being built.

Neighbors

If you have neighbors close to where you&#;re thinking of building the fence, it might be best to have a talk with them about it. Of course, they aren&#;t a deciding factor on whether or not you&#;ll

install it, but you can give them a heads up. Informing them of the upcoming project can clear the air, avoid uncomfortable conversations, and get questions out of the way before the project begins.

Fence Material

It&#;s now time to decide on the type of fence material you&#;d like to use. Which fencing material will be best for your specific needs will depend on all the choices you&#;ve made above. Factors like budget, purpose, size and aesthetic will narrow down or broaden your options. So let&#;s get into some of the most common fencing materials and figure out which will work best for you.

The Best Fencing Materials

There is almost an endless list of options when it comes to fencing materials. Some DIYer&#;s even use old pallets to create fences or old corrugated metal sheets. However, for a more uniform and long-lasting option, we recommend selecting from one of the options below.

Wood

Options like Cedar, Redwood, Pinewood, Oak, and Cyprus make wood fencing a popular choice for its variety and aesthetics. You can use wood to build a picket fence, privacy fence, post and rail, and lattice. All of these options can be treated or untreated, painted, or stained. If you like the look of a post and rail fence but need to keep in a dog, you can add mesh to the backside of the fence to keep in pets while still achieving the aesthetics you want.

Vinyl

Although vinyl has had a bad reputation for looking cheap and falling apart, recent technologies have made this option more durable while still being an affordable choice. Vinyl fencing comes in a wide range of colors and styles, so you&#;re likely to find an option that works for you. It can be an excellent option for keeping in pets and as a privacy fence.

Composite

Composite fencing is made of sawdust and plastic materials to create a durable and long- lasting fencing option. They often come in a range of wood-toned colors. However, this option

will require more investment than wood since it is a longer-lasting fence material and needs almost no maintenance.

Metal

Metal has almost as many options as wood, but they cost more than wood in nearly every situation. While they might cost more upfront, keep in mind that you&#;ll have less maintenance with metal fencing, and they will hold up better over time. Metal fencing options usually come in steel and aluminum. These come in solid or tubular options, which can affect the price, and they come in many different styles that can range widely in price.

Chain Link

Although wood is the most popular fencing material, chain link is a close second. It&#;s also one of the cheapest options and is an excellent choice for those looking to keep pets and kids inside the fence. If you&#;re looking to enclose a large space and you don&#;t mind the looks of chain link fencing, this might be your best option.

When putting up a fence, remember to plan everything out, check your property lines, and determine what purpose you need it to serve. With these tools, you can feel good about your decisions, and soon you&#;ll be enjoying your newly fenced-in yard.

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