A fence gets judged by how it looks on day one and remembered by how it’s standing in year ten. The difference between the two is almost entirely below the ground, in how deep the posts go, what they’re set in, and whether anyone accounted for the soil before digging. We’ve installed fences across Austin for over 9 years, and the conversation we have at every estimate is about your lot, not a template. Here’s how a professional install actually works, and here’s what we build.
Fence Types We Install
Cedar and wood privacy
Cedar’s the Austin workhorse for good reason. It handles our heat, resists rot without pressure treatment, and greys into something that looks intentional rather than tired. We build board-on-board so no gaps open as the wood dries, which is the complaint that sends people back to a side-by-side fence within two summers. Here’s more on our cedar fencing.
Horizontal fencing
Horizontal cedar suits modern builds and renovated bungalows in a way vertical pickets don’t. It needs tighter post spacing than a standard fence, straighter boards, and a builder who understands how the design carries weight sideways. Done wrong it waves within two summers. Done right it’s the best-looking fence on the block for a very long time.
Ornamental iron and aluminum
Open metal fencing keeps a view while defining a boundary, which makes it the default for front yards, pools, and Hill Country lots where the scenery’s half the point. Iron brings strength and traditional detail; aluminum brings nearly the same look with almost no maintenance. Here’s our ornamental iron fencing.
Chain link
Still the right answer for long utilitarian runs, dog enclosures, and commercial perimeters where appearance isn’t the priority. Galvanized or vinyl-coated, with gates to match. Here’s our chain link fencing.
Vinyl, composite, and pool fencing
Vinyl and composite cost more up front and give the years back in maintenance you never do. Pool fencing is its own discipline, built to barrier code for height, picket spacing, and self-latching gates, because the stakes are higher than appearance.
How Installation Actually Works
We start with a property walk, not a phone call. We measure the run, check the slope, look at the soil, find the gate positions that fit how you’ll actually use the yard, and confirm the property line. Utilities get marked before any digging, because irrigation, low-voltage lighting, and cable drops sit exactly where fence posts go. Then posts are set and left to cure. That step gets rushed more than any other, and it’s the one that decides whether the fence stays plumb. Panels go up once the concrete’s taken, and gates hang last because they’re fitted to the finished opening rather than a measurement.
Most residential installs run one to three days once materials arrive. Long runs, rock drilling, slopes, and automated gates add time, and you’ll know the timeline before we start rather than finding out partway through.
Built for Austin Soil, Not a Standard Depth
This is where most installs quietly fail. Eastern and northern Austin sit on Blackland clay, which swells hard when it rains and shrinks in drought, and that seasonal movement works shallow posts loose one wet spring at a time. Posts need to reach below the zone where the clay actually moves. West of the city it’s a different problem entirely: limestone and caliche, where a standard auger stalls out and posts end up shallower than they should be unless someone drills the rock. We set depth by the lot, not by a single number, and gate posts go in heavier than line posts because they carry swing load the rest of the fence never sees. Here’s more on what Blackland clay does to a fence.
Permits, HOA Rules, and Property Lines
Three things decide whether a fence can go where you want it. City rules on height, corner-lot sight lines, easements, and floodplain placement. HOA covenants on material, color, style, and which side faces out. And the property line itself, because a fence built over it can be ordered moved at your expense. We check all three before we quote. When a project needs a permit, our permit partners handle the filing. When it needs HOA approval, we’ll prepare the spec so it passes review the first time. And when the line’s genuinely unclear, we’ll tell you a survey’s worth it before anyone digs.
What Goes Into Your Quote
Linear footage is the starting point, not the whole number. What actually moves a fence price: the slope of the run, the soil and the post depth it demands, whether an old fence needs removing first, the number and type of gates, access for equipment, and the material and height you choose. We assess all of it on site, which is why we don’t quote over the phone, and every line gets itemized so you can compare our number honestly against anyone else’s. Here’s why fence quotes vary so much.
Installation Across the Austin Metro
We install throughout Austin and the surrounding communities, including Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Buda, Manor, Hutto, and Dripping Springs. The work genuinely changes across that footprint. The soil differs, the HOA density differs, and the permit rules differ at every city line. A crew that only knows one part of the metro learns the rest on your project. We’ve built in all of it.
Choosing the Right Fence for Your Yard
Start with what the fence is for, and the material question mostly answers itself. Privacy from neighbors points to board-on-board cedar or solid vinyl. Keeping a view points to iron or aluminum. Containing a dog depends on the dog: height stops jumpers, a buried barrier or bottom rail stops diggers, and solid panels calm the dogs that react to everything passing. A pool needs a code-compliant barrier before it needs anything else. A long back-acreage line usually points to chain link or bull panel on cost. Most properties need more than one of those, which is why the best-looking yards often use one material at the front and another along the back.
We’ll walk through it on site with the actual sightlines in front of us, and we’ll tell you when the cheaper option is honestly the better one for your yard. We’d rather you build the right fence once than the impressive one twice.
What Happens on Install Day
A prepared yard makes the whole day faster, and the prep is short. Unlock the gates, move vehicles clear of the fence line so the crew can stage materials, and take planters, furniture, and anything stored against the line out of the way. Keep pets inside while the yard’s open, since there’s a stretch where it isn’t enclosed at all. If you know where irrigation lines or low-voltage lighting run, tell us, because locate markers don’t catch everything and sprinkler heads are exactly where posts go.
Once we’re working, you don’t need to be home, though plenty of homeowners like to check the layout before the first post goes in. That’s worth doing: it’s the last easy moment to move a gate or shift a corner. The crew cleans as it goes, and when we leave, the offcuts, fasteners, and spoil are gone with us. It’s a small thing that says a lot about how a crew works, and it’s the part people mention most in reviews.
Repair and Replacement Too
Not every fence problem needs a new fence. If the posts are sound and less than about a third of the run is affected, a repair usually buys years for a fraction of the cost. If the posts have rotted below grade, full replacement is the honest answer. We’ll tell you which one you’re looking at, including when the smaller job is the right one. Gates are their own specialty, and our gate installation covers new builds, repairs, and automation.
Why Homeowners Pick Us
We’re fence-only specialists, which means this is the work we do every day rather than one service on a general contractor’s list. We’re fully insured, and every job carries a 1-year workmanship warranty. When you call, you reach our in-house team, not a call center, and the person who quotes your job knows the crew who’ll build it. We’ve served Austin for over 9 years, and most of our work now comes from homeowners who were referred by someone we built for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does fence installation cost in Austin?
It depends on linear footage, material, slope, soil, gate count, and whether an old fence needs removing. We quote on site and itemize every line so you can see exactly what you’re paying for.
How long does a fence installation take?
Most residential installs take 1 to 3 days once materials are on site. Rock drilling, long runs, and automated gates add time, and we give you the realistic timeline at the estimate.
Do I need a permit to install a fence in Austin?
Sometimes. Height, corner-lot placement, easements, and floodplain status are the usual triggers, and the rules differ in every metro city. Our permit partners handle the filing when a job needs one.
How deep should fence posts be set in Austin?
There’s no single right depth. Blackland clay needs posts below the zone that moves seasonally, and limestone lots need rock drilling. We set depth by lot rather than to one default.
What fence material lasts longest in Austin?
Cedar is the strongest wood option for this climate, and iron or aluminum outlast any wood. The honest answer depends on whether you need privacy, visibility, or a pool barrier.
Are you insured?
Yes. We’re fully insured for every job, and each install carries a 1-year workmanship warranty.
Get Your Free Fence Installation Estimate
Call (512) 566-7567 or request your free estimate. We’ll walk your line, talk through materials, and hand you an itemized quote you can actually read. Fully insured, 1-year workmanship warranty.
