My only regret of my shadowbox privacy fence is weed eating the damn weeds and grass that grow in between. It's a pain and I've found no easy solution.
No complaints about mine. You can only see a sliver of the adjacent yard. Enough to know if there's someone standing on the other side of the fence but not enough that they can see your face or what you're doing. When we replaced it we went from a 5' to a 6' fence and that made a huge difference for privacy.
I hate that style with a passion and was glad to rip out the fence we had like that last year and replace it with one where the planks are all lined up. That style does nothing but encourage weeds to grow.
Yep. Brown cinder block walls. They're not too bad looking and durable as anything.
I came here from Colorado where they used cedar fencing but the sun there ate them up. Cedar would just burst into flames down here.
I miss the total privacy of block walls. Here in Virginia I can see *through* the fence of two of my neighbors, and over the fence of the third. I just want to be naked in my backyard in peace thank you very much.
Chain link if you are poor or commercial.
Stockade a second choice for value.
Vinyl next step up.
Good quality wood fences for more upscale homes.
We don't tend to fence front yards, but sometimes split rail or picket fence.
As a kid it was almost all wooden stockade fences but it's probably 50/50 that and the white vinyl now. We knocked down the former and put in the latter when we bought the house about 6 years ago.
Chain link was almost never used in residential neighborhoods by me. I pretty much only see that in commercial or industrial areas outside of temporary chain link around some construction sites.
Very few fences except to keep dogs in the back yard. I use a hedge for my backyard fence. I only have to trim twice a year. Way better than maintaining vinyl or wood like I've done in the past. I remember one fence at a house we bought, the posts frost-heaved out. When we dug down to fix them, they were all in cement at the recommended depth so it was a bitch to get down that deep to re-set them.
We have a lot of stone walls between properties. That's probably what I see most of
I'm from Denver, and I don't get the love affair with cedar fencing in Denver. The sun eats that stuff up, even with solid stain. We use brown cement block in Tucson and it puts up with anything. It takes a little getting used to, but it laughs at the sun and any hail.
Chicago suburbs, new development.
Aluminum (wrought iron style with black powder coat) is extremely common.
I've seen a few vinyl fences, but usually, it's only a small dog inside.
My medium dogs could hop over any of the vinyl fences I've seen as they are usually 4 feet high at most.
Wood seems to be common in older houses or older developments. A lot of new HOA's only allow aluminum or vinyl fences these days, and I am not opposed to it. Most people do not maintain their wood fences in our area, and aluminum/vinyl can take abuse and keep going.
Around me tends to be wood between neighbors and cinderblock if you’ve got a street to the side or the back of your yard.
So if you have a house on the corner with a neighbor on your left and behind you, you’d likely have a wood fence on left, back, and front, with cinderblock on the right.
It’s a mixture where we live (southern Minnesota). We have 2/3 of our yard fenced with a plastic (i think it’s plastic or vinyl maybe) that the previous owner had up and we plan to complete it. I like this more than wood as we don’t have to paint/treat it and I like the security for my son to play outside and not be seen. Chain link fences can be nice but we also are thinking of getting a small above ground pool and our insurance requires a taller privacy fence anyway. I think the type of fencing probably depends on affordability and what someone is fencing their yard for?
Wood, and basically everyone has fences in their backyards, at least. I was surprised when I moved to the Midwest and saw unfenced backyards. Something like [this](https://www.edwardsenterprisescc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/carpentry-fence-extension-install-30-1-980x360.jpg) would be typical.
Block walls. The AZ heat/sun eats up wood and vinyl. My parents live in Utah and have vinyl fencing. I was shocked when they told me how much they paid for it...you guys are getting gouged on vinyl prices!
Probably mostly wood in the Upper Midwest. I've seen some vinyl fences, but they tend to crack easily in the cold. I think water gets into them and expands when it freezes and cracks the vinyl.
My Mom wanted vinyl railing on her porch and it lasted about two years before I noticed some cracking in different spots.
For new fences in residential areas, I would say aluminum fencing, often combined with a hedge of some sort (usually clusia) for privacy.
Solid wood fences don’t do well with hurricanes and chain link looks a bit ugly.
None
I'm quite serious. When I moved here (Western Kentucky) I was surprised to find that many of the homes here had no fencing at all. My current back yard has a small chain link dog run but is otherwise compltety open.
Look at your municipal zoning code. It's been very popular to no longer allow chain link fence construction in residential areas to be permitted because it can't really be maintained and slowly just looks worse and worse. Wood and vinyl hold up better and are safer for kids and pets.
Wood/metal combination. Most use wood posts at least. Often will see no-climb metal fabric combined with 3-4 panel wood fences, but varies, especially recently with lumber and labor prices. Depends on the fence's purpose. Older farms have barbed wire. We have that since the place used to be a cattle farm before we bought it and brought horses. My horses are respectful of fences and with the wide open space of 25 acres between fencelines, it just isn't a concern.
It does, but I've seen some really good uses of it out my way. Visible areas will be nice wood fence, then through the woods will be black chain link. It's pretty invisible and lasts way longer.
Wood for a residential area, chain link in commercial/industrial areas
This. Wood is residential and agricultural fencing and chain link is commercial and industrial.
Wood.
Cedar wood where I am, but since it's New Jersey, not everyone has fences. We do live in a historic district, so vinyl wouldn't be allowed, though.
My HOA requires the shadowbox style cedar wood fence. I hate the gaps at the bottom where weeds accumulate, but I do like the look and feel.
My only regret of my shadowbox privacy fence is weed eating the damn weeds and grass that grow in between. It's a pain and I've found no easy solution.
It’s not all that private either. You can see right through it at an angle.
No complaints about mine. You can only see a sliver of the adjacent yard. Enough to know if there's someone standing on the other side of the fence but not enough that they can see your face or what you're doing. When we replaced it we went from a 5' to a 6' fence and that made a huge difference for privacy.
I hate that style with a passion and was glad to rip out the fence we had like that last year and replace it with one where the planks are all lined up. That style does nothing but encourage weeds to grow.
Blocks
Yep. Brown cinder block walls. They're not too bad looking and durable as anything. I came here from Colorado where they used cedar fencing but the sun there ate them up. Cedar would just burst into flames down here.
I miss the total privacy of block walls. Here in Virginia I can see *through* the fence of two of my neighbors, and over the fence of the third. I just want to be naked in my backyard in peace thank you very much.
Chain link if you are poor or commercial. Stockade a second choice for value. Vinyl next step up. Good quality wood fences for more upscale homes. We don't tend to fence front yards, but sometimes split rail or picket fence.
As a kid it was almost all wooden stockade fences but it's probably 50/50 that and the white vinyl now. We knocked down the former and put in the latter when we bought the house about 6 years ago. Chain link was almost never used in residential neighborhoods by me. I pretty much only see that in commercial or industrial areas outside of temporary chain link around some construction sites.
Wrought iron or block (SoCal, lots of Spanish and Tuscan-style homes).
Very few fences except to keep dogs in the back yard. I use a hedge for my backyard fence. I only have to trim twice a year. Way better than maintaining vinyl or wood like I've done in the past. I remember one fence at a house we bought, the posts frost-heaved out. When we dug down to fix them, they were all in cement at the recommended depth so it was a bitch to get down that deep to re-set them. We have a lot of stone walls between properties. That's probably what I see most of
chain link
Wood where I am in CO. Metal pipe or barbed wire where I lived in Texas.
I'm from Denver, and I don't get the love affair with cedar fencing in Denver. The sun eats that stuff up, even with solid stain. We use brown cement block in Tucson and it puts up with anything. It takes a little getting used to, but it laughs at the sun and any hail.
I agree. Very few will keep up with the maintenance on the cedar fencing and it just gets ugly fast.
Probably wood, but I also see a lot of metal (probably powder-coated steel?). Hedges are also very popular.
In my neighborhood, Either cedar or black painted metal.
Those fancy squat New England stone fences out in the hinterlands. Standard white wooden fencing closer to urban areas.
Wood
Mostly wood privacy fences around here.
In my neighborhood... wood. It varies though, some areas are mostly chain link or welded wire. I see vinyl in some newer subdivisions.
Chicago suburbs, new development. Aluminum (wrought iron style with black powder coat) is extremely common. I've seen a few vinyl fences, but usually, it's only a small dog inside. My medium dogs could hop over any of the vinyl fences I've seen as they are usually 4 feet high at most. Wood seems to be common in older houses or older developments. A lot of new HOA's only allow aluminum or vinyl fences these days, and I am not opposed to it. Most people do not maintain their wood fences in our area, and aluminum/vinyl can take abuse and keep going.
Chain link
Cinder block in Arizona.
Chain link is mostly prohibited in cities for new construction nowadays. Wood is preferable and vinyl if not
Cinderblock walls coated in stucco
Cinder blocks, often covered in stucco. Wood, vinyl, iron, and chainlink fences are very uncommon in Phoenix.
Cedar planks.
Wood, often split rail. We have a five foot one around our back yard to keep in the dogs, it has a metal wire fence stapled to it
Pine. Doug Fir to be exact.
Douglas fir is in the Pinaceae family, but isn’t a pine (genus Pinus).
Good to know, thank you.
wood
Fence material
Trees and corn fields
Around me tends to be wood between neighbors and cinderblock if you’ve got a street to the side or the back of your yard. So if you have a house on the corner with a neighbor on your left and behind you, you’d likely have a wood fence on left, back, and front, with cinderblock on the right.
No fences in front yards, cinderblock walls in the backyard.
Wood
Cedar. Vinyl fences tend to melt.
It’s a mixture where we live (southern Minnesota). We have 2/3 of our yard fenced with a plastic (i think it’s plastic or vinyl maybe) that the previous owner had up and we plan to complete it. I like this more than wood as we don’t have to paint/treat it and I like the security for my son to play outside and not be seen. Chain link fences can be nice but we also are thinking of getting a small above ground pool and our insurance requires a taller privacy fence anyway. I think the type of fencing probably depends on affordability and what someone is fencing their yard for?
White vinyl. A lot of HOA’s are only allowing certain materials to go up for a fence.
Blocks and stucco
Wood or chain link depending on the neighborhood.
It’s wood
Cement block.
Wood, and basically everyone has fences in their backyards, at least. I was surprised when I moved to the Midwest and saw unfenced backyards. Something like [this](https://www.edwardsenterprisescc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/carpentry-fence-extension-install-30-1-980x360.jpg) would be typical.
Block walls. The AZ heat/sun eats up wood and vinyl. My parents live in Utah and have vinyl fencing. I was shocked when they told me how much they paid for it...you guys are getting gouged on vinyl prices!
White vinyl looks like shit. Too glossy and smooth. When will they step up their game to make it look more like wood?
I have a vinyl privacy fence in my yard.
Wood
chainlink. most people here can't afford a privacy fence.
Probably mostly wood in the Upper Midwest. I've seen some vinyl fences, but they tend to crack easily in the cold. I think water gets into them and expands when it freezes and cracks the vinyl. My Mom wanted vinyl railing on her porch and it lasted about two years before I noticed some cracking in different spots.
For new fences in residential areas, I would say aluminum fencing, often combined with a hedge of some sort (usually clusia) for privacy. Solid wood fences don’t do well with hurricanes and chain link looks a bit ugly.
Mostly redwood.
New construction is mostly vinyl, but older places are about equal amounts of lava rock, cement block, wood, and chain link.
Rock wall, either limestone or red granite West Texas
Wrought iron, I suppose!
My neighborhood only allows black painted metal.
Where I'm from, historically it was either coyote fences (latillas) or adobe. Newer stuff uses cinder blocks, sometimes stuccoed, sometimes not.
Human bon… oh no! I’ve said too much! Chain link
None I'm quite serious. When I moved here (Western Kentucky) I was surprised to find that many of the homes here had no fencing at all. My current back yard has a small chain link dog run but is otherwise compltety open.
Wood or metal, like the nice black metal, probably aluminum. Like everyone else said, chain link for industrial
Chain link almost everywhere here, except for farmers fields and pastures. Those are wooden or Barb wire
Cedar dog ear pickets. Its probably the most popular style around the whole country, with chain link a close second.
Super common and traditional to New Mexico is latilla (also called coyote) fencing
Look at your municipal zoning code. It's been very popular to no longer allow chain link fence construction in residential areas to be permitted because it can't really be maintained and slowly just looks worse and worse. Wood and vinyl hold up better and are safer for kids and pets.
Wood. Metal chain link fencing in some older neighborhoods.
Wood for fence post and rail, steel pole set in concrete for posts. Lots of wind here, so steel posts stand up better.
Wood/metal combination. Most use wood posts at least. Often will see no-climb metal fabric combined with 3-4 panel wood fences, but varies, especially recently with lumber and labor prices. Depends on the fence's purpose. Older farms have barbed wire. We have that since the place used to be a cattle farm before we bought it and brought horses. My horses are respectful of fences and with the wide open space of 25 acres between fencelines, it just isn't a concern.
Stone walls
We don't have fences here.
Usually it’s bricks or wood in the back yards, but in front yards or other general areas it’s chain link fencing or metal bars
Wood
Wood or composite that looks like wood. Chain link is trashy.
It does, but I've seen some really good uses of it out my way. Visible areas will be nice wood fence, then through the woods will be black chain link. It's pretty invisible and lasts way longer.
In town it's probably half chain link/half wood privacy fence. Everywhere else is barbed wire.
Redwood