The Portland & Vancouver Fence Guide

Start Here: How to Use This Guide

A fence is a bigger decision than most homeowners expect. The style is the easy part. The parts that actually decide whether you are happy in five years are the ones nobody shows you at the store: the posts under the ground, the property line the fence sits on, the city rule that caps its height, and how the wood is finished for a climate that rains more than a hundred days a year.

This guide groups our fence articles by the real order a project happens in: budget first, then material, then the rules and the property line, then care once it is up. If you already know you are ready to build, our fence installation page lays out how we work, and you can ask for a free written quote any time. Building on the Washington side? Start with our Vancouver, WA fence page. In East County, see the Gresham fence page.

One thing worth saying up front, because it is the single most common mistake we fix: on an older Portland fence the posts almost always fail before the boards do. Our standard build sets Grade 1 cedar on pressure-treated posts with stainless fasteners, and our top build sets PostMaster steel posts, pre-galvanized G90 steel, then wraps them in cedar so the fence still reads as all wood. That one choice is why a fence lasts fifteen years instead of eight.

What a Fence Costs

Set a realistic budget before you fall in love with a style. These two break down real Portland price ranges by material and by the foot.

• Fence Cost in PortlandPrice ranges by material, what drives the number up, and where the money actually goes.
• Privacy Fence Cost Per FootThe per-foot math for a full-privacy fence, so you can estimate your own run.

Materials & Styles

Cedar, vinyl, chain link, steel and hog wire each suit a different yard and budget. Compare them, then see how we build each one.

• Types of FencesA plain tour of every common fence type and who each one is right for.
• Choosing the Right MaterialHow to match material to your goal: privacy, security, looks or low upkeep.
• Wood Fence vs Chain LinkAn honest side-by-side on cost, privacy, lifespan and curb appeal.
• Good-Neighbor Fence StylesThe styles that look finished from both yards, so the fence keeps the peace.
• Horizontal Fence IdeasThe modern horizontal look, and what it takes to build one that stays straight.
• Fence Design IdeasA gallery of layouts and finishes to borrow for your own yard.

Materials We Install

Ready to pick a material? These pages show exactly how we build each one, including the posts, fasteners and warranty behind it.

• Cedar & Wood FencingGrade 1 cedar on steel or pressure-treated posts, with stainless fasteners.
• Vinyl FencingLow-maintenance vinyl that never needs stain, for the hands-off homeowner.
• Chain Link FencingGalvanized and coated chain link for security and clean property lines.
• Steel & Colorbond FencingColorbond steel panels in Woodland Grey, Jasper and Monument, backed by a materials warranty.
• Hog Wire FencingThe modern welded-wire panel look, framed in cedar or steel.
• Board-on-Board FencingFull-privacy overlapping cedar with no gaps as the wood dries.

Property Lines, Rules & Posts

This is where projects go wrong. Settle the line and the rules before a single post hole is dug, not after.

• Who Owns the FenceHow to tell whose fence it is, and how to split a shared line fairly.
• Fence & the Property LineWhy you confirm the line with a survey, not a guess, before you build.
• How Far Apart Should Posts BeThe spacing that keeps a fence from sagging between posts.
• Wood Fence with Steel PostsWhy steel posts under a cedar fence are the upgrade that outlasts the boards.
• Chain Link with Wood PostsWhen to mix wood posts with chain-link fabric, and when not to.

Care & Longevity in the Rain

A Northwest fence takes months of rain at its base every year. These keep it from rotting or graying before its time.

• How Long a Wood Fence LastsReal lifespans by material and build, and what cuts them short.
• How to Clean a Wood FenceThe right way to strip off the gray before you re-stain.
• How to Stain a FenceStep by step, including how long to wait after a new fence goes up.
• Stain Dry Time Before RainHow many dry hours you need in a climate that rarely gives them.
• Can You Paint a Vinyl FenceThe honest answer, and what happens to the warranty if you do.
• Fence Kickboard / Rot BoardThe board along the bottom that takes the rot so your pickets do not.

Gates, Pets & the Yard Around It

The finishing questions: gates, keeping a dog in, landscaping the line, and the odd one we get asked every spring.

• Fence Gate IdeasSwing and slide gate options, and how we hang one that never sags.
• Dog FenceHeights and gaps that actually keep your dog in the yard.
• Fence Line LandscapingWhat to plant along a fence without trapping moisture against the wood.
• Chain Link PrivacyHow to add real privacy to an existing chain-link run.
• Can Skunks Climb FencesA Portland backyard-wildlife question we get more than you would think.