Our previous post discussed the consideration a young, growing family should consider when discussing installing a backyard fence. Those options include Security, Privacy, Durability and Price.

In this post we will examine the various fence types available to homeowners and how the compare to the evaluations outlined previously.

When considering a fence for a family looking to keep children safe while they are alone outside there a several fence types:

Chain Link Fences. These fences are good at keeping children contained and unwanted animals out of your yard. However, while residential chain link fences can be of any height, they typically are four or five feet tall and can be traversed with some effort.

Chain link is also the most affordable fence type. Made from galvanized steel wire woven in a recognizable diamond pattern, chain link fences are durable and require little maintenance. They offer little privacy unless plastic slats are used.

They can be covered in black or green vinyl to help it blend into your yard, or can be used with wooden posts and cross beams to provide a distinctive appearance. Because the chain link is galvanized it is durable and has a longer lifespan than wood. Continue reading →

If your family includes children who are starting to play outside on their own and/or a dog you’d prefer not to have on a chain, you may have been thinking about fence options for your property.

What a growing family needs to consider when evaluating a fence for their yard:

Security. This includes keeping your children and dogs from wandering away when you aren’t watching them, but also keeping unwanted people and animals from entering your yard.

Privacy. This includes keeping passers by, neighbors and others from easily seeing what is going on in your yard. It could also include ensuring your children or dogs can’t be distracted by events outside of your yard, limiting the risk they will leave.

Durability. When building a fence, particularly one designed for a family, ensuring it is constructed soundly for both stability and durability is important. This makes sure your family fence remains sturdy and dependable for the years it is growing. Continue reading →

In the early 1980s, fence manufacturers introduced PVC — or vinyl — for fencing, targeting farmers, ranchers and horse farm owners seeking a low maintenance, durable fencing material.

In addition to that durability, PVC fencing allowed manufacturers to offer lengthy warranties, prefabricated styles and a lightweight fencing material that is easy to install. As the fences increased in popularity, manufacturers improved performance of PVC as fence material.

Those improvements led to PVC being introduced as a material for residential fences and as homeowners consider various fence materials they likely examine the pros and cons of vinyl fencing. Continue reading →

As discussed in our previous post there are a variety of woods used in fencing from the more affordable pressure-treated pine and spruce to the more expensive durable and attractive white oak and exotic woods.

In between those options are two popular options for wood fencing, Cedar and Redwood.

These two woods do make attractive fences that are more durable and stronger than pine and spruce but less expensive that oak or exotic woods.

Because of those features, Cedar and Redwood are also popular for other uses.

Redwoods are popular for outdoor uses including furniture, siding, decks and railing given it contains resins that naturally repel mold, termites and other damage-causing insects. The most well-known redwood is California redwood, which’s heartwood will last for 25 years or longer without treatment. Continue reading →

In a previous post we have discussed the various style of wood fences. In this post we will examine the types of wood used for fences.

The most common wood is pine, typically pressure treated to protect it from termites. The pine wood used in fences is also usually treated with a water repellant to extend the wood’s life.

While pine is among the least expensive among the various wood options for a fence, which has long made it the most popular wood used in fencing, the necessary treatments do increase the price.

While pressure treatments do increase the cost, the energy and chemicals used in the treatments to resist rot and insects has raised questions among eco-focused consumers and contractors.

Even with the cost and environmental questions, the practicality of pine — a fast-growing wood that can be farmed — for fencing can’t be overlooked when deciding on wood for a fence. Continue reading →