Poet Robert Frost once said that before putting up a fence, he’d first want to know what he was walling in and walling out. Jim Levin, president of Tru-Link, has plenty of answers.
“The reasons for fences stem from everything including beauty and privacy to security reasons and village codes,” Levin said. “And you’d be surprised how many of them today are what we call `grudge’ or `spite’ fences between neighbors who don’t get along.”
The three most common types of fences used today, both for commercial and private use, are chain link, wood and wrought iron. In the last decade, a fourth option called PVC (polyvinyl chloride) fencing has been introduced. According to Levin, it is growing in popularity because of its appearance and because it’s maintenance free.
Levin estimates that chain-link sales make up from 40 to 50 percent of industry sales. Wood fences account for about 40 percent, with the remainder a combination of wrought-iron, PVC and aluminum fences.
A four-foot-high chain-link fence represents a starting point, both in size and price. Expect it to sell for around $6 per linear foot. Each foot in height adds about an extra $1 to the price.
“Four-foot chain link is very economical and recommended for people that are price conscious,” Levin said. “It’s used for people with a large yard who don’t want to make a huge investment in their fence. The fence is there to keep the kids or the dog inside, and will serve that purpose.”
“Chain link is made of galvanized steel and has a mandatory amount of zinc in it,” said Mike Finan, formerly an estimator for Illian Fence Inc. in Gary. “It may show some signs of rust in 15 to 20 years, but it should last indefinitely.”
Finan adds there is another configuration of chain-link fence with a PVC coating that is also available.
“The coated chain link will run you $8 to $11 per linear foot for a five-foot-high fence, but will be even more durable,” he adds.
Wood fences are most commonly made from Michigan white cedar or custom-made Western red cedar. There’s also pine fences made of pressurized treated wood.
Levin says the treated pine isn’t particularly popular in the Chicago market.
“Redwood is by far the most popular,” he says. “The pine doesn’t produce that graying effect we call `weathering’ and people don’t think it’s as pretty.”
Finan says cedar is a more desirable material and looks better than treated wood.
“It’s a couple of notches above a chain-link fence, and you can get it in various designs,” Finan said.
A straight stockade or picket fence, six feet high, will cost around $10 to $12 per linear foot.
You can also buy a shadowbox design, which features one-by-six-inch staggered boards nailed on opposite sides of the fence posts, or a board-on-board design, with planks butted up against one another.
Expect to pay about $12 to $14 per linear foot for a six-foot-high cedar fence using either of these styles.
“You can have the fence built either way, and it should cost the same,” Finan said. “I can’t say there’s any special use for one style over the other. It’s just personal preference.”
Both Levin and Finan argue that a wood fence can last just as long as a metal chain link.
“The national average for a Western cedar is 15 years, but that’s an average because of so many variations in climate,” Levin said. “You don’t have to do a thing to the wood, except replace any boards that break. But with stain or paint every three to five years, you can get more than 20 years of service from wood.”
Some people choose pressurized pine because the standard four-by-four-inch fence posts are said to last from 35 to 40 years. A lot of the labor costs in putting up a fence come from installing posts, which must be buried around three feet deep and sunk in concrete. Replacing a few pressurized boards along the way is certainly cheaper than replacing posts.
There is virtually no cost difference between cedar and pressurized wood.
PVC fences represent the next highest price point in the market. They are used largely the same as both chain-link and wood fences, but will show less signs of wear over time.
“There’s no rust (as the chain link will eventually develop), or the staining or painting that some people choose to do with wood,” Levin said.
But Finan said that people should not use a PVC fence around a swimming pool.
“The chlorine from the pool can alter the color of the fence,” he warns. “But you can use it for any other purpose.”
A four-foot PVC fence is considered the standard height, Levin says, and will cost around $20 per linear foot.
Wrought-iron fences are typically found around homes where the owner has a definite decorative design in mind, or it is used to surround dwellings located in historic districts.
“Privacy and security are not as much the issue as having a certain look,” Finan says. “Clearly, not every house can use a wrought-iron fence.”
Wrought iron is extremely durable and is available as a galvanized steel product covered with a red oxide primer and a standard black epoxy finish or coating.
“You can also buy a galvanized steel with actual galvanized paint over it,” Finan says.
Expect to pay around $35 per linear foot for a wrought-iron fence five- to six-feet high.
Still another option and price point are new aluminum fences that offer more variety in terms of color and effect.
“These aluminum fences come with a powder-coat baked-on finish, which increases your color choices,” Finan says. “They’re also maintenance-free and are light and easy to assemble.”
Expect to pay at least $45 per linear foot if you’re looking into this option.
