Choosing the Fence That's Right for You: Wood Fence

Shadowbox or Good Neighbor Fence 6' Tall Cedar



Arguably one of the most aesthetically pleasing fence styles available, Wooden fence, just like other styles, has it's up and downs. The upsides include that a wooden fence can be built to suit pretty much any need, it gives flexibility by it's availability in several styles and the variation of materials to choose from. The most frequent downside that I hear from our customers is that it requires more maintenance than other styles of fence like vinyl, chain link and ornamental aluminum and steel fences.

Is a wooden fence right for you? Let's explore the upsides first. It can fit any need. Wood fence comes in styles that are good for complete privacy, a little privacy or just a decorative fence to keep the dog and children in the yard. Solid Privacy fence is available in several styles. The styles typically vary by the type of picket used; usually a Dog Eared Picket or French Gothic Style Picket and by the material used typically Treated Pine or Red Cedar. Custom designs are also available. Pickets can be placed next to each other or with a bit of spacing to allow air to flow through the fence. You can also have pickets alternate sides of the back board. This is a semi-privacy style called either Shadowbox or Good Neighbor since the fence looks the same on each side. These styles usually stay right at the 6' height.

4' Tall Cedar Pointed Picket Fence

If you are looking for something shorter, usually between 42" - 60" tall, a Wood Picket fence might be good for you. Again, this style is available in treated or cedar material and really only varies by the style of picket that you choose, the width of the picket and the spacing between them. Picket fences are usually constructed of pickets that are 3 1/2" or 4" wide and spacing usually ranges from 1" to 3 1/2". You can also use a wider picket, but a 4" picket with a 4" spacing will give your fence the traditional look of a picket fence, especially if you paint it white! Again, the pickets can be dog eared, French Gothic, pointed or other styles and can be custom designed.

6' Tall Scalloped Top Shadowbox Fence - Pressure Treated Wood 

Apart from what I have mentioned above, there are several other styles of wood fence to choose from, a quick google search will result in countless styles of wood fence. Since custom designs can also be dreamed up and created, the possibilities are limitless. So, what about the maintenance thing? As a child many folks dream of someday having children, pets and their dream house with a yard surrounded by the white picket fence. Painting, sealing or staining a fence requires maintenance. In order to keep your fence looking great, you should plan on having the fence painted every 2 years. Custom Fence Company offers a maintenance package with every wood fence installation. You should also always pressure wash your fence before staining, sealing or painting. This will get all of the dirt particles out of the wood.

If you love wood fences, go ahead and have one installed. It does take a bit of maintenance, but you can always hire us to handle that for you! If you maintain a wood fence properly it can last you up to 30 years, that is a very long time considering the fact that it is much less expensive than the most common alternative, vinyl or PVC fence. Good luck on your search for your new fence!

6' Treated Dog Ear Solid Privacy Fence w/10' Double Gate

Springtime Fence Repairs

Custom Fence Co. can easily repair damaged fence

and make it look new again!

Despite the awesome winter that we have had this year, winter is still cold, nasty and sometimes even dangerous! Winter can also take a toll on your fence in a few different ways. The freezing and thawing of the ground can cause issues with posts. The frozen, icy roads can cause even greater damage to your fence and possibly the well being of someone driving their vehicle past your fence.

In areas with high water tables the freezing and thawing of the ground can do some funny things to posts. When water freezes it expands into a solid. The opposite happens when the weather warms up and it's molecules contract and turn back into a fluid. Think about what happens to your plumbing pipes when they are full of water and it freezes, they rupture and burst!

The changes that the water molecules go though during freezing and thawing of the ground can cause your fence posts to either sink, raise up or in really bad cases, do both! As I mentioned, this is more likely to happen in areas with a higher water table, usually found in lower ground. But that is not always why it happens. If the company that originally installed your fence did not place enough cement around the posts or did not set the posts deep enough in the ground you may also get the rise or sink effect.

There are a few simple rules that all fence companies should use when setting posts below ground. When the following rules are followed, your fence posts will be much less likely to be affected by freezing and thawing ground. At Custom Fence Company, we set all posts at least 2' below the ground in cement with a diameter at least 3 times the diameter of the post. In our area and climate that should be adequate for the freezes and thaws that come with the changing seasons.

Take a look at your fence real quick. It looks pretty nice, doesn't it? Imagine if some of your posts were rising higher than others and some were sinking lower than others. It would not look as nice as it does now! That calls for a repair.

What is worse than mother nature damaging your fence? When someone hits it with a vehicle or a snow plow! Icy roads can easily cause drivers to lose control and damage your fence. The worst thing that can happen to a fence with regards to damage is when it is hit by a vehicle. Vehicles have the ability to damage large portions of fence, usually leaving virtually none of the material salvageable. Please see an article that I wrote a few months ago regarding how to prepare your fence for winter. There are several great tips in that article on how you can prepare your fence to resist damage during the winter months.

Custom Fence Company can easily repair your fence and keep the cost reasonable for you as well. We make it our responsibility to ensure that your fence looks as good today as it did when it was first installed. Call us today for a free estimate and ensure that your fence looks as nice as it can.

Your 2012 Fence Project!

6' Treated Dog Ear Privacy Fence - Built on Site with Heavy Duty Materials!!

Is 2012 the year that you finally move forward with your new fence project? Custom Fence Co. is here for you whether you are planning on having a new fence installed or would like to have that old fence removed and replaced. Despite the cold weather and the snowy forecasts, now is the time to begin planning for your new fence.

You may be asking yourself, why should I begin planning now? There are a few answers to this question:

1. The sooner you act, the sooner we can get your fence installed - Time is always of the essence!
2. Sometimes the thought process takes a while, so contact us now to answer all of your questions so that we can begin installation asap
3. If you are replacing an existing fence and are on a budget, we can let you know if you actually need to do an entire removal and replacement or may be able to simply have some repairs done to get a bit more life out of your existing fence.

As always, make sure that you contact licensed and insured fence contractors for your fencing needs. Sure you may save a few $$ on hiring your cousins, neighbors, high school friend that worked for a fence company a few years ago. The problem is that they are likely not insured and when problems occur that person may not be there to fix it! We back all of our installations up with the best customer service in the business. Hiring a fence company like Custom Fence Co. will let you rest easier at night.

A few other items of note that will help you determine the style of fence that suits your need best are:

1. Do I want security or privacy?
2. Am I looking for something ornamental or something inexpensive that will serve it's purpose?
3. Do I need something taller than 4' tall?
4. How much maintenance am I willing to put into my fence?

Please call us immediately if you need help answering any of these questions. Our estimates are always FREE!!

We look forward to serving your fencing needs in 2012.