If you’re in the market for a new fence at your home, you might be considering a question or two:
- What style of fence do you want?
- What height fence do you want?
- What material fence do you want?
The first and most important thing, in my humble opinion, is to take a moment to check your attitude about the fence project. Do you really “get” the opportunity a new fence provides? Or are you stuck in a “let’s just get this overwith” mentality?
It’s pretty common for a fence to be considered in terms of utility only. We think of what we want to keep in the yard, what we want to keep out of the yard, and maybe what lines of sight we want to block for privacy or to hide something we don’t want to see.
Those are all important, but it’s also important to remember that a fence is a huge design opportunity. A fence is essentially a wall out in the yard and therefore an important and very visible surface. Even mostly see-through fences, such as you might see around a pool area, are still very much a part of the landscape design. (hence the term “hardscape”) Keep the design implications in mind when thinking of fence options. The exciting opportunity to create a beautiful outdoor space is awesome.
What Material is Best for Fencing?
The last question above… what material should the new fence be made of?… can be a little bit complicated because the options are many. Let’s try and sort through it together.
To get a first-hand look at the latest and greatest options in fencing, I rode around the corner to The Home Depot to see what they had to offer. I’m pretty much a Home Depot native so not much surprises me, but the fencing options available were more numerous than even I expected. Thankfully, Kenny, the department manager in charge of the fencing section was immediately at my side offering assistance. Being all “Remodeling Guy” I didn’t think I needed any help, but Kenny was actually a wealth of information and pointed out some products I wasn’t aware of and pointed me toward the helpful fencing and deck section of HomeDepot.com which is a great resource.
I looked at wood fencing, metal fencing, pvc fencing, and even some really cool composite fence panels and I can’t really say any one is “the best”. The truth is that it depends on the job you’re trying to do and the priorities of your particular project. So I’ll run through the list of the most popular options and point out what type of project it’s best for.
Wood Fencing
Available in time-saving pre-assembled panels or by selecting the parts and building the entire fence from scratch, wood fencing has a number of great advantages over the other options.
- Wood is easier to work with
- Wood is generally less expensive than other options
- Wood can be painted or stained for more color options
- Wood can be shaped and easily cut for creative design reasons or to fit odd conditions such as slope
On the downside, wood has some drawbacks as well, most notably that wood is prone to rot and insect damage. To minimize the chance of these types of damage, almost all wood fences are made out of weather and insect resistant woods, such as:
- Pressure Treated Lumber – Usually pine (sometimes referred to as SYP or Southern Yellow Pine), pressure treated lumber has been treated with chemicals which soak into the wood and make it more resistant to rot and bugs. Pressure treated lumber comes in various grades and the grade used for most fencing is durable, but not totally impervious to constant exposure to the outdoors.
- Naturally Resistant Lumber – Some species of wood are naturally resistant to the perils of outdoor life. These woods are generally somewhat regional, meaning you might see one species common in one part of the country and hardly available in other parts. Here are a few of the most common species of wood used in fencing:
- Cypress – Common in my neck of the woods (Florida and the South), cypress is relatively durable but generally not ok for direct ground contact.
- Cedar – Usually available in most areas, cedar has excellent insect resistance and is a very beautiful wood, however it’s quite costly and not as structurally strong as many other woods.
- Redwood – Redwood is a great material for fences in areas that aren’t constantly wet, but redwood is also expensive and usually a special order everywhere except the west coast.
- Tropical Hardwoods – Some tropical woods such as Ipe’ are used in high-end fencing project. Ipe is totally impervious to pretty much any damage from bugs or water because it is very hard. So hard, in fact, that it’s hard or impossible to work with standard tools.
Environmentally speaking, pressure treated lumber is the most renewable resource since it’s sourced from fast growing pine lumber plantations. To my knowledge, all of the other wood options are from old-growth lumber which means logging can have some negative environmental impact.
The Home Depot had a huge selection of pressure treated fence materials. Various styles of panels, parts, and straight lumber were available and the kind of fence you could make with them ranges from entry level privacy fence all the way to a top-end custom creation. Overall pressure treated is best for you if you:
- Like to work with wood, are comfortable with woodworking tools, etc.
- Want some ability to add custom elements to your fence
- Live in an area with termites, wet conditions, and heavy exposure to the elements
- Want to paint your fence (aka don’t need the clear finished wood look) or are happy with the natural color of pressure treated lumber
- Prefer to stay away from old-growth lumber
- Are on a tight budget (the least expensive options are PT)
Naturally Resistant Softwood and Hardwood Fencing is Best for you if:
- You Like to work with wood, are comfortable with woodworking tools, etc.
- Want some ability to add custom elements to your fence
- Are building a fence without direct ground contact (on concrete piers, on a wood deck, etc.)
- Want the deep beautiful wood tones of natural lumber
- Can afford to pay the extra cost associated with this type of material
Vinyl Fencing
Vinyl fencing has been steadily gaining in popularity for about twenty years and is now one of the most frequently chosen residential fence options. Generally sold in panels along with essential parts such as posts, post caps, gates, and hardware, Vinyl fencing is offered in a wide range of pre-assembled styles. My favorite is the solid panels with about one foot of open lattice on top (also Vinyl).
Most of the Vinyl fencing you’ll see is solid white in color, which goes all the way through the material helping it survive dings and scrapes, but is also available in other colors.
Vinyl fencing is best for you if you:
- Prefer the clean white look of Vinyl
- Don’t want to worry about painting or other maintenance
- Don’t want to worry about bug damage or rot (Vinyl is impervious to both)
- Are comfortable with a tape measure and setting posts in concrete (post placement is important)
- Have a little bit of extra money to spend
Composite Fencing
As has happened in the world of wood decking, special man made materials, aka ‘composites’, are a growing option in the fencing world. Unlike vinyl which is generally limited to smooth surfaces, composites can be formed into unique shapes and patterns such as the one shown in the picture below, available as a special order from The Home Depot.
Composite fencing is best for you if you:
- Are comfortable with a higher-end budget
- Want a unique look that blends a better with the landscape as compared to PVC (Vinyl)
- Require a totally maintenance free and long-term type finished product
- Will have professional installers or are a relatively skilled DIYer (the posts in a fence like shown above must be exactly spaced, plumb, and square)
Metal Fencing
Last but not least is the vast range of metal fencing options available.
- Chain Link Fence
- Wire Fence (chicken wire, farm wire, barbed wire, etc)
- Aluminum Fence
- Wrought Iron
Metal fencing, especially aluminum, can be a great residential option in areas where durability and weather resistance is key. Often seen around pools and outdoor living areas such as courtyards, aluminum is generally only available as a professionally installed option.
Other types of metal fencing, on the other hand, such as chain-link and wire fencing options are great DIY projects which shouldn’t be counted out without consideration. If you’re creative, a combination of wood and metal wire can result in a great looking fence that’s unique, durable, functional, and inexpensive.
It All Depends on You!
If nothing else, I hope this article opens up your mind a little bit to the possibilities available to you when building a fence. The options are vast and the potential to create a beautiful and inspiring outdoor space is very real. I’d suggest you do like I did… head out to The Home Depot and take a look at what they have. Keep an open mind and think creatively. You’re bound to come up with something awesome!
Thorough as always! franki
This has to be one of the most informative fencing articles I’ve ever read. Not many mention that fences work both as yard art as well as a a device to block the sight of whatever. That’s very important to take into consideration because even if at first a fence is put up to block something, that becomes something you’ll see everyday from then on so loving your fence for its abilities as well as looks is important too. Thanks for posting this!
Thanks for the information on fencing materials. My wife and I really want to put a fence in, but we haven’t been able to decide what kind. I like that you mentioned that wood can be painted and stained for more colors. That kind of flexibility could be great for us, so we will look into it.
I never knew that cedar fences are easier to work with and less expensive than other materials. My sister just bought a new home that has an unfinished backyard. This type of fence seems like something that could help her keep her huskies from running away.
My wife and I have been wanting to get some new fencing for our yard, and I think that getting some sort of custom design could be good for us. I’m glad that you talked about a lot of different fencing materials that we could choose between, and I think that being able to consider all the options would be smart. I’ve always really liked the look of vinyl fences, so maybe being able to choose a custom color for ours would be a good way to have it look good and still be individual! Thanks for the information!
It’s nice to learn more about different fencing materials. We want to put one around our yard, and choosing the material has been the hardest part! Vinyl sounds great, if it doesn’t need maintenance to stay sharp and nice.
Thanks for the information on the different materials that can be used for fencing and how the right one depends on the priorities of your project and what you’re trying to do. Since this is the case, it would probably be a good idea to figure out these things before you begin shopping for supplies. Once you’ve determined the fencing supplies and materials you need, you’d probably want to look online in order to find a store that has the best options for the best prices so that you can start working on your project.
It’s great to see these fence materials compared like this. I like the idea of using vinyl because it doesn’t have any sort of maintenance. I’m all about maintenance-free stuff, so when we put in our fence, I’ll seriously consider vinyl.
It’s awesome that this article talked about fencing materials. I like how you mentioned that wood fencing has a number of great advantages over the other options. And that there might be a downside, yet, you have provided the options on how to fix it.
My family and I are thinking of getting a dog. If we get a dog, we should probably put a fence up around our yard so the dog will have a place to run around. I never realized how many types of fencing materials there are, I really like the look of wood and the fact that it’s easier to work with.
It sure was lovely when you said that vinyl fencing is the best for me if I prefer something that is impervious to rotting and insect damages. Considering how the last fence that we used was broken by angry termites, I think I am done with that kind of material for now. And if you do think that vinyl fence is the best option to prevent this, then I will consider using this one for the replacement project next month.
I appreciate it when you said that the metal, especially aluminum fencing, is best for residential use because they are durable and resistant to weather. That is especially advisable to be used in my location since we receive a lot of rain here. I have a feeling that if we use wood, it will only rot quickly. We need something that can face the rain and moisture head on.
It got me when you said that vinyl fencing is bug and rot resistant. With that in mind, I will be choosing this material to ensure that we won’t have issues such as that. We just need to have fences installed around the property because we will be having a dog soon. It will give him an outdoor area to play safely.
I liked that you mentioned vinyl can give you that clean white look without much maintenance. My husband and I have been looking at putting up a fence so that we can let our dog out without worrying about her getting into the neighbor’s yard. It would be nice to not have to worry about doing any extra maintenance to take care of it.
Thanks for letting us know what fence is best for us when we want some ability to add custom elements to our fence. Since my mother wants to add a fence to our farmhouse to shield the place from the animals and other strangers passing by, I now know that a naturally resistant softwood or hardwood fence might be her choice as she wants to put a message in some parts of the fence and that is without direct ground contact. I will tell her about that and look for those that can provide and put up that fence.
My husband and I just moved into a new home that in a rather shady neighborhood, so we wan to install a fence to give us peace of mind. Your article had some great tips for choosing a fence that would fit our needs, and I liked how you said that vinyl is a good option is we want a clean look that require little maintenance and won’t rot or get infested like wood. Thanks; we’ll keep this in mind when choosing our new fence.
Thanks for helping me understand that aluminum is great since it can resist weather, and it is strong. But thanks also for stating that it must only be installed by professionals. I will share this information with my husband to see if he would also like this since I have decided on this one. This is because of the weather in our area where it can get really sunny and rain the next second. Just like yesterday, I went out wearing sleeveless, then the rain poured when I reached my office.
I decided that I want to adopt a dog but before I do I need to add a fence around my backyard so that she will have a safe place to play. I have never installed a fence before and I appreciate the information about different types of fencing material. You make a great point that vinyl fencing is easy to maintain and I won’t have to worry about it rotting or getting damage from bugs. This seems like it could be a great option for me because I won’t have to worry about spending the time to repair or maintain the fence and it will last for a long time.
I really appreciate your tip on how wood is usually the cheapest material when it comes to fixing a fence. My wife and I have been thinking of getting a new fence so we can let our dogs outside without having to tie them to a leash. I will be sure to tell my wife that we should try and get a wooden fence so we can save money!
Thanks for pointing out that aluminum is a good choice for residential fences since it’s durable and also resistant to weather. My husband and I are trying to choose a material so we can have a fence installed. It sounds like aluminum offers a lot of great benefits, so thanks for explaining those here!
I think pointing out that budget is definitely a topic that should be considered when making this decision. For example wood fence and pvc fence provide very similar amounts of privacy, but in terms of pricing, down here in Boca, PVC fencing can be as much as double! It was cool to point out the low cost of being able to repair wood fence compared to other types of privacy fencing. Wood fences can also be painted and desired color!
I didn’t know that some fences were made of wrought iron. This is interesting considering that iron is considerably stronger than aluminum. I’ll have to consider your tips so that I can get the right type of fencing for my family.