Residential Fencing in Charleston, SC

Start with the job the fence has to do

Every good fence begins with one question: what is it actually for? The answer changes almost everything downstream — height, material, spacing, gate placement, cost.

• Privacy. Solid board or shadowbox, typically six feet, boards butted or overlapped. Shadowbox looks the same from both sides and lets air through — worth considering in a windy yard.
• Containing a dog. Height matters less than gaps at the bottom and a gate that latches every time. Diggers need the fence set to grade or a buried barrier.
• Children and pools. Pool barriers have their own requirements, and self-closing, self-latching gates are usually part of them. We build to the code that applies to your property.
• Marking a boundary. Post-and-rail or picket. Low, open, decorative.
• Curb appeal. Ornamental aluminum or wrought iron, where you want to be seen through rather than hidden.

The four materials, honestly compared

Wood

Still the most-installed fence in the Lowcountry, and the most versatile — privacy, shadowbox, picket, post-and-rail all come from the same lumber. Pressure-treated pine is the value option; cedar costs more, resists rot and insects naturally, and weathers to a silver-grey if you let it. Wood is the one material with an ongoing job for you: staining or sealing every few years, or accepting the grey. It's also the easiest to repair a section of, which matters after a storm.

Vinyl

Higher upfront cost, then essentially nothing. It never needs painting, doesn't rot, and modern vinyl is colourfast against hard sun. It gives the most complete privacy of any option because the panels are solid. The tradeoffs are honest ones: you cannot stain it a different colour later, and a damaged panel is replaced rather than repaired.

Aluminum

Powder-coated aluminum is the coastal favourite for a reason — it does not rust. It gives you the look of wrought iron at a fraction of the weight and maintenance, and its open pickets suit pool enclosures and front yards where you want the view. It offers no privacy at all, which is either the point or a dealbreaker.

Chain link

The most economical way to enclose a large area, and far better than its reputation. Galvanized or vinyl-coated, in black it visually recedes almost to nothing. Ideal for big yards, dog runs, and anywhere function outranks appearance. Privacy slats are available if you want to soften it.

What the salt air does to your fence

This is the part homeowners moving to Charleston learn the hard way. Salt-laden air corrodes metal, and a fence usually fails at its metal parts long before its posts or boards give up. Hinges seize, screws bleed rust stains down a beautiful cedar board, and the gate sags.

So we specify hot-dip galvanized or stainless hardware as a matter of course here. A fence is only as durable as the fasteners holding it together, and the cheapest place to lose ten years of life is a box of the wrong screws.

The gate is the part that fails first

A fence is static. A gate is a moving machine you operate several times a day, in weather, often while carrying something. Gates sag because the hinge post wasn't set deep enough or braced properly for the leverage a swinging gate applies. Anything wider than about four feet wants serious consideration — a double gate, a drop rod, a diagonal brace, or a heavier post. We size the gate post to the gate, not to the fence.

The rules that shape your fence before you choose anything

Three approvals can apply, and they are separate from each other:

• Your HOA. Usually the strictest, and often specifies material, colour and style. Get architectural approval first.
• Your municipality. Permits, front-versus-rear height limits, corner-lot sight lines, and easements you cannot build in. In North Charleston, the finished side of a wood privacy fence must face outward, toward your neighbours — and the contractor, not the homeowner, pulls the permit.
• Historic district review. Inside Charleston's Board of Architectural Review districts, chain link, aluminum, vinyl and PVC will not be approved at all.

We read your plat before we design a fence line, because the most expensive fence is the one built in an easement.

What to expect from us

A free estimate within two to three business days. Most residential projects completed within three to four weeks depending on material lead times. A one-year warranty on labour and materials. Fully licensed and insured, and locally and woman-owned since 1989.