You probably don’t need us to tell you the reasons for having a good fence because the benefits are pretty obvious. Security, general privacy, preventing wild animals from strolling into your garden, or stopping your pets from bidding for wild freedom are all excellent reasons for a robust perimeter fence.
But through our many years of installing redwood fences, we have noticed something. Some folks consider decent fencing a low priority in terms of home improvement. And that’s a little odd when you think about it.
Most homeowners are happy to spend small fortunes on a lovely kitchen or floor. Sometimes even a small extension will cost the equivalent of a new family car. If you look around the neighborhood, you might notice that even garage floors have recently become something of a splurge.
But a solid and beautiful-looking fence has long taken a back seat to other improvements and upgrades. Apart from the occasional house here and there, it is not something most homeowners would splurge on too commonly.
A Rise in Popularity
More recently, you might notice excellent quality, beautiful-looking fences have become more popular over the last few years, with many homes now looking greatly improved by the addition of a stunning redwood fence.
And with good reason. A gorgeous new fence looks like less of a practicality and more of an actual home decoration. In the same way, a favorite family photo deserves a lovely frame, your home will be complimented and enhanced by a terrific redwood fence.
Budget Friendly
Using fence contractors might seem like a costly investment, but it is actually quite budget-friendly, especially given the level of detail involved with the installation.
It may look like you have broken the bank to indulge, but the reality is quite different. Our fence installation rates are very reasonable, which is why you might have noticed new redwood fences springing up in the Sacramento area over the last decade or two.
But which type of fence should you choose? Most of the time, we suggest redwood to our customers, not just because of the stunning natural enhancement to your home but for plenty of other reasons.
Let’s look at why redwood is the best choice for you, and the various types of redwood fencing available with Fantastic Fence Construction and Repair Inc.
Why Redwood?
We get it. For a reasonable price, you want a sturdy fence that looks great. At the end of the day, nothing else enters the decision-making process more. However, there are plenty of reasons why redwood fencing might appeal to you, and you might find some of these factors a pleasant surprise! Let’s take a look at what they are.
Redwood Is Tough… Very Tough
Ever been to a redwood forest? If you haven’t, you should – you really get a sense of the beauty and majesty of these ancient giant trees when you are in their presence. They really are a thing of true beauty. You can replicate that beauty in your home by installing a redwood fence around your property.
More importantly, redwood won’t let you down. Known for being incredibly tough, durable, and long-lasting, an investment in a redwood fence will be one of the best home improvements you will ever make.
Redwood can easily stand up to all kinds of weather and has a natural type of resin that makes it termite resistant. Its structure isn’t affected by natural moisture, making it perfect for homeowners who live in wet or humid conditions.
Design Friendly
With beautiful fencing becoming more of a trend, standing out from the crowd is sometimes a factor when selecting a design.
The great thing about redwood is that it has a unique characteristic of being extremely durable, rugged, and hardy in extreme weather, but it is also very soft and pliable wood. This makes it easy to work with, allowing a unique range of designs, styles, and patterns.
Redwood is very easy to cut into various patterns, which can be seen in our unique selection of redwood fencing styles. Sometimes a simple, straightforward, and ‘clean’ design is all you need to show off redwoods striking natural beauty, but if you want to get a little more creative, we have those too!
Environmentally Friendly
Despite common opinion, redwood is a very environmentally friendly construction material, especially compared to many other types of fencing available.
The key aspect of maintaining a ‘green’ factor with your redwood fence is using redwood harvested from trees that are classed as ‘new growth.’ In other words, trees that are 30 to 50 years old and from sustainably maintained and replanted forests.
The California Redwood Association reports that redwood is grown, managed, and harvested in compliance with the highest global environmental standards, drawing on the sun for energy and being saturated by the famous northern California fog.
Lower Carbon Footprint!
For the more green-aware customers amongst you, redwoods are also excellent for lowering carbon emissions. The vast trees absorb carbon dioxide, hold it inside the wood, and release oxygen as a result. On harvesting the trees, the stored carbon remains inside the wood: the average redwood fence stores up to 600 pounds of carbon, in fact.
As a result, not only will a new redwood fence look stunning, but it will also help reduce your carbon footprint! When the trees are milled into fencing, sawdust, bark, and general scraps of wood are gathered and used for biomass fuel.
Redwood is just about the most environmentally friendly product you can choose for a new fence product, especially when compared to plastic. Artificial fencing, such as plastic, uses massive amounts of chemicals to create, which will only increase your carbon footprint.
Regardless of which side of the fence you are on (no pun intended), helping the environment is never a bad thing and probably something we need a little more of in this day and age.
Easy Maintenance
With a low-quality fencing product, maintaining its natural beauty requires a lot of effort, time, and management. Frequent fresh coats of wood stain and various wood protectors must be applied to prevent decay over time. Without the extra effort, fencing can develop a tired, weather-beaten, and generally quite shabby look extremely quickly.
With redwood, that isn’t a concern. Applying paint, wood treatment, or sealers is recommended with redwood fencing but is not essential. The natural composition of redwood ensures a much sturdier fence that will last decades without any treatment whatsoever.
Even in the harshest of weather environments. You can apply sealers and stains if you wish, it might help to bring out the natural stain a little more and could even add an extra few years to the lifespan, but even without any treatment, redwood fencing will last a very long time.
Easy to Clean
Furthermore, redwood fencing is effortless to clean. With redwood, way less so. Just a little regular dish soap and warm water followed by a quick wipe-down will do the trick and is the only maintenance needed.
Redwood Fence Designs & Styles
There are plenty of good reasons why redwood is the best fence for your home. Redwood is strong but easy to maintain and looks great in its natural state without stains or seals – although you can apply those if you want to. Redwood is even green-friendly and has a low carbon footprint. Plus, it is an affordable choice and won’t break your budget.
But which type of fence should you go for? Being such a naturally beautiful-looking wood, a plain-looking fence without any features is a popular choice among homeowners, but there are more interesting redwood fence styles available within our range that also look great.
With so many different styles available, let’s look at the most popular and see which fence would be the best fit for your property. From a redwood horizontal fence to a piano key or privacy, we have every redwood fence type available that you could possibly want.
Dog-Ear or Flat-Top?
The majority of homeowners use one of two main redwood fence designs. These consist of nail-on dog-ear fencing and nail-on flat-top fencing. In both styles, the fence planks are essentially put side by side; the key distinction is the design of the boards’ tops.
Flat Top
The nail-on flat-top fence is one of the most affordable redwood fences currently available. It is straightforward, regarded as relatively cost-effective, and generally built reasonably simply.
The redwood planks or boards will be arranged in one or two layers alternately and set side by side with a highly trimmed and flat appearance on top.
If you’re able to master some pretty basic carpentry skills, you can construct this style yourself, although we do suggest leaving it to the professionals to be safe!
Dog Ear
Basically, the redwood fence boards are positioned parallel to one another. This is considered relatively standard in the fencing industry, and at one stage, it was practically universal, with most homeowners using dog ear.
The dog ear curve distinguishes this design at the top of the boards, hence the name of this fencing style. It looks beautiful, is durable, and if you want a bit of diversity, you can even alternate redwood boards of different grades next to one another.
So, with those two main fitting techniques to work with, there is also a range of designs available depending on your chosen fence style of dog ear, or flat top.
Piano Key Lattice
The piano key lattice evolved from picture frame-styled fences. This fencing style has a personalized appearance and feel, so if you want a fence that sets your yard apart from the rest, this might be the one to choose.
This form of fence consists of vertically oriented, 22-inch-thick redwood slats placed evenly apart (often with extremely small spaces in between).
Piano Key Lattice (Arched)
This particular fencing method has earned the moniker “the Mercedes Benz of fences.” It is pretty similar to the design of the piano key lattice, but it has the additional aesthetic advantage of having the toppers organized in the likeness of an arch. The aesthetic value of this sort of fence is high, and it can significantly contribute to the all-around appeal of your property.
Privacy Lattice
Also referred to as the ‘Triple Lattice,’ this design incorporates three dimensions to the industry standard lattice style fencing and makes a perfect redwood privacy fence.
With three layers of privacy lattice laid next to each other (on the top rails, basically), this design should bring extra privacy to your perimeter. Handy for keeping any curious neighbors at bay!
Jumbo Lattice
In most cases, the most robust lattices are fitted to the top rails, allowing for a strong fence. One of the best features of this type of design is that the sturdy structure gives you extra protection against high winds – this might be a good pick for people living in more extreme weather areas. It looks nice, too.
Redwood Lattice Top Fence Panel
There are quite a few different variations of this style. However, the main feature is quite simple, with a planked surface bottom and a lovely lattice feature enhancing the top of the fence. This type of fencing is often replicated as a redwood stain fence with cheaper wood options.
Square Lattice
This is considered the more modern design of them all. In general terms, the lattice is cut and shaped quite thick and displayed in more of a square pattern (instead of the usual diamond pattern). This is a good pick for those who enjoy the lattice’s traditional look and feel while having a slightly different edge.
Shadow Box
Known for having quite a simple design, but only in a way that gives it quite a classy, understated look. The planks are usually spaced with a five-inch gap (sometimes a little less) between each side.
Each gap is covered (on both sides), giving it a more open look and feel. This is great for more gusty areas, as the design allows the wind to blow through, and the panels have way less chance of blowing over in the event of extremely high winds.
Redwood Pickets
About as classic as it gets, this rather tidy design provides adequate gaps between each panel, usually with a spear-like top, giving it that lovely traditional look and feel.
This is the go-to look for those who want a simple, unfussy, traditional look, giving the property a more open feel while at the same time offering adequate perimeter protection on a very basic level.
Post and Rail
A budget-friendly option, initially used for farms and ranches, but now widely embraced for home properties. Post and rail fencing is an excellent choice for simple boundary markings.
Ranch Rail
Also known as a redwood horizontal fence, the ranch rail fence will serve just about any purpose and lends itself to any property – commercial or home. This is quite a simple, plain look but in a classy, almost quite a clean way. Ranch rails can be easily personalized to tailor the type of property. Another excellent option for those on a budget, ranch rail is usually more affordable in comparison to other designs.
Board on Board
Also referred to as a picture frame, this is a ubiquitous option in many homes owing to its neighbor-friendly aesthetics on both sides of the fence. This is another go-to option for homeowners who want a classic, understated look – a design that slots in nicely with most properties.
Picture Frame
Rounding things up now with the most classic style of them all. The picture frame is similar to the board-on-board design and is another neighbor-friendly pick because it looks equally as lovely, whichever side of the fence you are on. Sometimes also referred to as ‘fan style’ owing to the fanned-out display of the boards.
Other Options
Fancy something a little different? We have covered the main types of fencing here, but don’t forget Fantastic Fence Construction and Repair Inc can provide a range of highly unique, customizable fence designs and styles. Get in touch with us, and let’s talk – we have a reputation for thinking outside of the box with fence designs, and if you need something more unique, we can almost certainly deliver.
Whatever design you go for, you will not be disappointed with your choice of redwood. It is the best wooden panel to go for and should serve your property very well for decades!
