A fence is the kind of project that's "small" until you start pricing it out and realize it costs as much as a used car. The difference between a five-year fence and a thirty-year fence is mostly the choices you make in the first hour. Here's how to make the right ones for an Austin backyard.
Cedar vs. pressure-treated pine: the real comparison
The two materials we install most often, and the two you'll be choosing between for any standard wood privacy fence:
| Western Red Cedar | Pressure-Treated Pine | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost (per linear foot, 6ft tall, installed) | $45 to $75 | $28 to $48 |
| Lifespan in Austin | 20 to 30 years | 15 to 20 years |
| Rot & insect resistance | Naturally resistant, no chemicals | Chemically treated to resist |
| Look, year one | Warm reddish-brown | Slight green tint, fades fast |
| Look, year five | Silver-grey if untreated; warm if sealed | Grey-brown if untreated; any stain color if sealed |
| Maintenance | Optional sealing every 3 to 5 years | Stain or seal every 2 to 3 years for longevity |
Our short take: cedar is worth it if you can swing it. The look is better, the lifespan is longer, and you can leave it untreated and it still doesn't rot. Pressure-treated is the right move if you need to fence a lot of footage, or if you plan to stain it anyway and don't want to pay the cedar premium.
Want pricing for your yard? Use our Design Builder to pick a style, height, and stain. We'll come measure for free and give you a real, line-itemed quote. Same-day callback when you reach out.
Design my fence →Horizontal or vertical?
Horizontal slat fences (modern look)
The runaway favorite in Austin right now. Boards run sideways for a clean, contemporary feel. Looks fantastic with modern homes, hill country builds, and just about anything in East Austin or South Congress. Two things to know:
- It needs a level yard. If your yard slopes, the fence has to step down in panels, which is fine, but it changes the look.
- It costs about 10 to 20 percent more than a standard vertical fence due to the labor and the spacing between boards.
Vertical privacy (board on board, classic)
The standard American privacy fence. Pickets run vertically, often overlapped (board on board) for total privacy without gaps as the wood shrinks. Cheaper, faster to install, and very forgiving on sloped yards. Ages well, especially in cedar.
Shadowbox
Boards alternate sides of the rail, which means the fence looks the same from your yard and your neighbor's. Semi-private with airflow, a great compromise if you want some breeze and don't need 100 percent visual privacy.
How tall should it be?
6 feet is the Austin default for backyard privacy fences. Most neighborhoods and HOAs allow it without issue, and it's the right height for blocking street views and creating real separation between yards.
- 4 feet: Decorative, picket, front yard. Defines a space without blocking the view.
- 6 feet: Standard backyard privacy. The most common and most affordable.
- 8 feet: Maximum privacy. Some HOAs and city codes don't allow it, so we always check before we build.
Stain it, seal it, or leave it?
Cedar will weather to a soft silver-grey within 1 to 2 years if you do nothing. A lot of Austin homeowners actually love this look. Pressure-treated, on the other hand, looks better stained and lasts longer when sealed.
If you do stain, plan on:
- First coat: 6 to 12 months after installation, once the wood has dried.
- Refresh: Every 2 to 3 years for pressure-treated, every 3 to 5 years for cedar.
- Stain colors that age well in Austin: Honey, walnut, natural cedar, driftwood grey, and modern black.
HOA rules and city setbacks
Before we build any fence in greater Austin, we check:
- Whether your HOA has approved styles, heights, or materials.
- Whether you're in a historic district with stricter rules.
- Setbacks from the property line, especially on corner lots.
- Whether there's a shared property-line agreement with neighbors (most don't, but it can save grief).
This is the kind of thing you really want a local contractor for. We've built fences in most of the major neighborhoods and we know the quirks.
Real-world pricing for an Austin backyard
To put a real number on it, here are typical full-job ranges for a backyard fence project in greater Austin:
- Average backyard, 100 to 150 linear feet, 6ft pressure-treated: $3,500 to $7,200
- Average backyard, 100 to 150 linear feet, 6ft cedar: $5,500 to $11,500
- Full property line, 200 to 300 linear feet, 6ft cedar: $11,000 to $22,000
- Horizontal cedar with stain and a single gate: add 15 to 25 percent on top of standard cedar pricing.
How long does a fence build take?
Most residential fence builds take 2 to 5 working days from start to finish, depending on how much footage there is and whether we're tearing out an old fence first. Demo of an existing fence usually adds half a day to a full day.
One opinion to leave you with
If you only ever build one fence at this house, build the cedar one. The price difference up front is real, but the look, the longevity, and the way it ages mean you'll be looking at the same fence in twenty years and still liking it. The pressure-treated fence we built six houses ago is also still standing, and that's a perfectly respectable choice. Just make a real decision instead of defaulting to whatever was cheapest in the quote pile.
Pick a style, send it our way, get a real quote. The Design Builder takes about 90 seconds. Same-day callback, every time.
Design my fence →
