Wood Privacy Fence Builder in Greenville
The modern wood privacy fence can be a lot more than just boards nailed to a support. There are more or less six different styles of wood privacy fences that we build. And while we do build 5 or 6 wood privacy fences in Greenville each week, we actually do even more vinyl privacy fences. Ask us about pricing and the benefits of each.
Call or Text: 864-553-2865
Email: Sales@GreenvilleFencing.com
If you are about to spend several thousand dollars or more on a wood privacy fence, take five minutes and read all the info on our guide here.
How Much Does A Wood Privacy Fence in Greenville Cost?
This pricing info is accurate as of this update, August 3rd, 2023.
Most fencing is traditionally priced by the linear foot. So our very first question when you call for a quote or to set up an estimate is going to be how many feet of fencing do you need? After that, we are going to want to know about the layout. Is it flat, are there roots and trees, is the soil rocky, how is access to the yard, etc. The length and layout are two of the three most important factors that determine the price of any fence. The third factor in wood fence pricing is the style. We have more about styles listed below. As a point of reference, when lumber prices are reasonable like they are right now, we can do very large jobs (400’+), on flat layouts, in a dog ear picket style, for as low as $20 a foot. Custom jobs, on bad layouts for short runs, could cost more. In today’s market, most common residential wood jobs are going to have a price per foot in the low twenties to low thirties per foot, plus the cost of gates. Geography isn’t too important to us. We frequently work in Greer, Simpsonville, Lyman, Piedmont, Taylors, Easley, Travelers Rest, etc. You don’t have to be in Greenville proper. We don’t add a premium just because the drive is longer.
A Word About Wood Fences
Our company builds about 300 wood fences a year, but they are becoming less favorable in new construction neighborhoods. There are two reasons why wood fences aren’t the HOA’s first choice:
- Wood fences require maintenance (like staining)
- Most wood fences leave a “pretty” side, aka the flat side, and another side showing the rails
So what happens is that some people don’t care for their fence and they make the neighborhood look bad as the fence slowly falls apart. And you also end up with a mishmash of styles and flat and rail sides all over the place. For that reason, vinyl fence is becoming more popular. However, a well-built and maintained wood privacy fence can still be extremely attractive and add value to a home.
Dog Ear Picket Wood Privacy Fence
Dog Ear Privacy Fence We Built Near Lake Robinson in Greer (September 2020)
This is the most basic and least expensive full privacy fence that we install. These fences are built on 4×4 posts, with three 2×4 rails, and then filled in with pickets. These are traditionally done in 6 or 8 foot heights. Custom heights are available, but require extra work to build, so they are more expensive. Most every common wood privacy fence uses a combination of posts, rails, and pickets. The dog ear privacy fence is the least expensive because it requires the least amount of lumber and is the quickest to build.
Charleston Style Wood Privacy Fence
Charleston Style Wood Fence We Built Off Highway 14 in Greer (October 2020)
This is the most popular style of wood fence that we build. It is just like the dog ear privacy, but it has a cap at the top and an extra rail. This style is popular because it allows a slightly sloped fence to appear perfectly flat (if you know how to build this fence correctly, and we do). It also hides the top of the pickets to help the fence look cleaner with less movement. The extra rail and cap also slow down warping. Our picture shows a common Charleston privacy. You can upgrade to 6×6 posts, add caps, add a stain, add a kickboard and you can turn this Toyota into a Lexus. Please notice how a little bit of light is coming through the pickets. This is because the edge of a picket is never perfectly straight. The two sides coming together leaves a tiny gap (and the gap does get larger as the wood slowly dries). If you want no light to come through, then you need to upgrade to board on board Charleston.
Shadowbox Style Wood Privacy Fence
Shadowbox Style Wood Privacy Fence We Built Near Greenville Country Club (October 2020)
This is sometimes called the good neighbor fence because the fence looks the same on both sides. This is priced the same as a Charleston style fence. We do a lot of these around Greenville, but some people do feel that these are a little bit dated. This was the most popular privacy fence in the 1980s and 1990s, and this style is associated with those older neighborhoods. A shadowbox fence is built on 4×4 posts, 3 inset 2×4 rails, and pickets on each side of the rail.
Board on Board Charleston Style Wood Privacy Fence
Board on Board Charleston Privacy Fence Built Near Harts Ln Simpsonville (June 2020)
If you want full privacy and a decorative wood fence, but don’t want to spend a fortune, then consider the board on board Charleston privacy fence. The construction is the same as the standard Charleston style, but the pickets are overlapping. If you scroll up two photos, notice the small gaps between the pickets. As a fence ages, those gaps will widen more. However, if you do overlapping pickets then you don’t ever have to worry about that sunlight gap getting through.
Combo Charleston and Shadowbox Privacy Fence
Custom Wood Fence on 6x6s We Built In Five Forks (October 2019)
This is a fun custom fence that we have done a few times. Recent installs are on Snipes Rd and Sunset Dr, both in Greenville. We have always built this on 6×6 posts, and usually with a top rail and kickboard. This is another high material cost fence, so the price can add up, especially over a long stretch. This also isn’t a one day type build. There are a ton of cuts needed to get this fence right, so it is a slower install.
Horizontal Wood Privacy Fence
Rendering of the Increasingly Popular Horizontal Wood Privacy Fence
We have several of these installed in Greenville right now. They are in Gower, Overbrook, Alta Vista, and near Donaldson. This is a fairly pricey fence, so you mostly see them on shorter runs. This really isn’t the kind of fence that looks good on an acre lot. These fences are usually on 4×4 posts with inch thick decking boards as the horizontal “picket”. We will update our photo with our actual fence once some of them have been stained.
Wood Fence Frequently Asked Questions
Do You Use Nails or Screws?
We use nails. That is the industry standard and common practice by 99% of installers in the country. The only time we use screws is by request and it is an upcharge. If someone has a section of fence they know will be removed at some point, like for equipment to come through, then we will happily use screws for a section or two at no additional cost.
Do We Demo Existing Wood Fences?
Absolutely, in fact probably 50% of our wood fence installations (that aren’t for new construction homes) usually involve tearing out the old fence. Our dump truck can carry about 80’ of fencing. Anything bigger than that will require renting an onsite dumpster. Most 30 yard dumpsters can hold up to 200’ of old wood privacy fence. The dumpster cost is around $500 and the labor is traditionally $500 per dumpster. Be ready to spend roughly $1,000 for the first 200’ of fence you need taken to the dump, and about $5 a foot after that for extra loads and labor.
Do You Stain or Paint Fences?
We don’t stain or paint fences for one simple reason. Everyone on our crew is a fairly paid and experienced fence builder. We build fences full time. You don’t want to pay us hourly to stain or paint a fence when someone who does that professionally is going to do it quicker and probably for less money.
What Is Your Warranty or Guarantee on Wood Fences?
We have a one year warranty on our labor. That means that if your gate doesn’t close right after a few months, or a board pops off, we will fix any detail issues like that that can and will arise as a fence sits in the weather. It is important to stain a wood fence to extend its life. We don’t offer any type of other warranty just because the life and look of a wood fence is totally up to the homeowner once we have completed the installation. Fortunately temperatures in Greenville aren’t too extreme, but any fence in the direct summer sun is going to age quickly, no matter what you do for it.
Are You The Cheapest Wood Fence Installer?
Anyone with a truck, trailer and credit card can go to Home Depot and buy lumber, concrete, nails, and build you a wood privacy fence. There are dozens of one man operations that pop up, build a couple fences, then disappear. That will be your cheapest builder. The same operation probably hung some drywall yesterday and is cutting grass tomorrow. If you got five quotes, we won’t be the lowest price and we won’t be the highest price. With us you are going to get an attractive and correctly built wood fence for maybe 10% more than a dirt cheap price and probably 50% less than a carpentry/craftsman price. We think that is reasonable and that is why many people around Greenville choose to work with us.
Please don’t read the above and think that we aren’t interested in building wood fences. That is far from accurate. We have four crews that exclusively build wood privacy fence; and they are all very talented with dozens of years of experience. You always get what you pay for with us.
What Type of Wood Do You Use?
We use pressure treated pine as our standard wood. We have also done cedar fences, though rarely due to the extra cost. We even have a custom teak fence in the ground.
Do You Stick Build or Use Panels?
Stick building means that you set posts, frame, add pickets, then hang gates. That is the industry standard. We don’t know any legitimate fencing installer in South Carolina using prebuilt panels. The layouts here just don’t allow it because of elevation changes in most yards. But there other tricks that the “budget bidders” use to cut corners. We use 6×6 posts on all the gates. We use prime 2x4x8 rails. We use true 5.5″ x 5/8″ thick pickets. We could easily cut our prices 10% if we did all 4x4s, limited concrete, limited nails, rough 2x4x8s, and 4″ pickets.
What Are Fence Codes and Do I Need a Permit to Build a Fence?
Generally speaking, you don’t need a permit to build a wood privacy fence. There are some exceptions though. Builds within the city limits of Greer, Clemson, Lyman, Wellford, Duncan and Easley will require a permit and installation by a licensed contractor (which we obviously are).
The Uniform Building Code (UBC) states that any fence over 7′ tall needs a permit, regardless of city or county guidelines. Pickets are sold in 6 and 8 foot heights. So most people do a traditional six foot fence, or buy eight foot pickets and cut the height down to seven feet, to avoid the required height permit.
Don’t make any firm decisions based strictly on the information provided here because things are always changing. If you are in city limits, check with your city. However, we are very lucky in Greenville County and the surrounding counties, that there aren’t a lot of fence regulations. Needless to say though, confirm that you are building a fence compliant with your HOA guidelines and within your property lines. If you are building a wood fence around a pool, please read our pool fence info.
