Aluminum vs. Wood Fencing costs

Wood Fencing:

For centuries, wood has been a popular material used in fencing, but in recent decades we’ve seen a major uptick in the use of alternative materials such as aluminum. As a construction material, wood is always going to be less costly than aluminum. It’s an easily sourced natural product, and so therefore a wood fence will always cost less upfront than an aluminum fence.

However, because fencing is fully exposed to the elements, when constructed from wood it is subject to fading, warping, rotting, cracking, twisting, mold, mildew, and termites. This means you’ll need to inspect the fence annually to ensure that rotten boards are replaced, loose nails are hammered in, and screws are tightened. You’ll also need to be on the lookout for leaning and wobbly posts. This can be a serious safety concern. A wood fence also needs to be cleaned annually and stained every 3-5 years to keep it looking good.

Another concern in recent years is that due to increased environmental regulations, the effectiveness of the chemicals used when pressure treating wood to protect it from rot has been drastically reduced. This means a pressure treated wood post that used to last 30 years, now will last about 5-10 years. Furthermore, old growth trees are protected, and younger trees are being harvested, which makes for a weaker wider grain susceptible to much faster decay.

We asked a commercial fence contractor what the cost for a hand-built cedar fence would be, and they said that for about 500 Linear feet of 6’ high privacy fencing in a ground level application the cost would be between $35,000 and $42,000 supplied and installed, depending on site conditions, and plus staining.

They said that staining would cost $10,000 - $12,000 every 3 – 5 years. Therefore, staining and re-staining, to keep the fence looking good, would work out to about $50,000 - $60,000 over 20 years, plus the initial cost of the fence to begin with. The total cost of a 500ft wood fence at the end of 20 years could be $85,000 – $102,000 and the fence will need to be replaced.

Aluminum Fencing:

Aluminum as a material is more costly than wood, so therefore any sort of structural product in aluminum is always going to cost more than wood initially. In a ground level application, 500 linear feet of 6’ high solid privacy fence made from aluminum would cost $80,000 - $100,000 supplied and installed, depending on site conditions. However, an aluminum fence requires little to no maintenance other than regular cleaning to protect the finish.

If you’re planning a project and want to make sure the fence system is aligned with your site conditions, layout, and engineering requirements, contact us so our team can help review your plans and provide guidance early in the process.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, be sure to consider the long-term costs of a wood fence when comparing quotes for wood and aluminum fencing.  An aluminum fence with a quality finish will generally last at least 50 years (twice as long as wood) and will keep looking good for that whole duration too.  Over a 50-year period, wood fencing will need to be replaced once at the 20-year mark, and stained many times to keep looking alright, therefore costing about twice as much as aluminum.

If you’re budgeting for a project and want a clearer understanding of system options and cost ranges, we can help walk through the variables and provide guidance based on your specific application.