Vinyl Fence

[MissGotRocks]

I'm looking to hear pros and cons if anyone has any. We have a large fenced backyard with a wooden privacy fence. Unfortunately, the fence is rotting and has to be replaced. This will be our second fence in 27 years and although we get lots of years out of the wood, seriously thinking about vinyl this time. The downside of course is the money - much more expensive but hopefully would never have to be redone. We may only be here another 10 years but I think it would be good for resale as well.

Thoughts or experiences?

 

[lyra]

My only experience is that I see them broken a lot. Some of it was obviously vandalism (repeatedly it seemed), some seemed to be weather related. I don't think they're very strong either. I'd always go for wood, especially if you think you might move. Not worth the extra cost IMO.

 

[Dancing Fire]

My only experience is that I see them broken a lot. Some of it was obviously vandalism (repeatedly it seemed), some seemed to be weather related. I don't think they're very strong either. I'd always go for wood, especially if you think you might move. Not worth the extra cost IMO.

i agree with lyra.
MGR, last yr we paid $23 per ft to replace our 25 yrs old redwood fence with another redwood fence.i'll be very happy if this new fence lasted 25 yrs like the first one. IMO,when the time comes to sell your house i don't think it'll be a deal breaker just b/c of the type of fence you have.

 

[MissGotRocks]

My only experience is that I see them broken a lot. Some of it was obviously vandalism (repeatedly it seemed), some seemed to be weather related. I don't think they're very strong either. I'd always go for wood, especially if you think you might move. Not worth the extra cost IMO.

i agree with lyra.
MGR, last yr we paid $23 per ft to replace our 25 yrs old redwood fence with another redwood fence.i'll be very happy if this new fence lasted 25 yrs like the first one. IMO,when the time comes to sell your house i don't think it'll be a deal breaker just b/c of the type of fence you have.

Most of the fencing we've been offered is pressure treated pine I guess. The last fence wasn't the best quality and it didn't last nearly as long. It also didn't help that the neighbor planted bushes and mulch right up against the fence - rots quickly that way!

I'll check about the redwood though. . .

Thanks for everyone's opinion - it's always good to hear other people's thoughts! Would love to hear from others as well!

 

[kenny]

We just replaced our fence last week.
We went with an upgraded knot-free clear tongue and groove redwood that got a good stain-containing sealing after installation.
It will be resealed annually.

The posts are all round metal, the kind you see holding up chain-link fences.
They are less attractive but longer-lasting, and are set in concrete.
The horizontal 2x4s are pressure-treated wood.
We decided to NOT put nice redwood on both sides, so I agreed to get the less-attractive side and pay only 1\3 the cost.

None of the bottom of the fence touches the ground to reduce rot and termites.

We did not consider vinyl as a couple neighbors have it and report it does not stand up to things like a lawn mower banging into it or a weed whacker cutting the grass next to it.


I suspect there is price gouging in vinyl fencing, kind of like paying to RECEIVE a call on a cellphone.

 

[MissGotRocks]

We just replaced our fence last week.
We went with an upgraded knot-free clear tongue and groove redwood that got a good stain-containing sealing after installation.
It will be resealed annually.

The posts are all round metal, the kind you see holding up chain-link fences.
They are less attractive but longer-lasting, and are set in concrete.
The horizontal 2x4s are pressure-treated wood.
We decided to NOT put nice redwood on both sides, so I agreed to get the less-attractive side and pay only 1\3 the cost.

None of the bottom of the fence touches the ground to reduce rot and termites.

We did not consider vinyl as a couple neighbors have it and report it does not stand up to things like a lawn mower banging into it or a weed whacker cutting the grass next to it.


I suspect there is price gouging in vinyl fencing, kind of like paying to RECEIVE a call on a cellphone.

Redwood fencing on the east coast doesn't seem to be the first offering for some reason. Maybe it is cost - although the vinyl is very expensive. I definitely need to look into this some more.

So you contracted with a company to do the whole job? We had an out of work fence installer that was going to be doing it as a side job but he has since been called back to his company to work and had to sign a contract that he would do no side work. Great for him - bad for us!

 

[kenny]

We just replaced our fence last week.
We went with an upgraded knot-free clear tongue and groove redwood that got a good stain-containing sealing after installation.
It will be resealed annually.

The posts are all round metal, the kind you see holding up chain-link fences.
They are less attractive but longer-lasting, and are set in concrete.
The horizontal 2x4s are pressure-treated wood.
We decided to NOT put nice redwood on both sides, so I agreed to get the less-attractive side and pay only 1\3 the cost.

None of the bottom of the fence touches the ground to reduce rot and termites.

We did not consider vinyl as a couple neighbors have it and report it does not stand up to things like a lawn mower banging into it or a weed whacker cutting the grass next to it.


I suspect there is price gouging in vinyl fencing, kind of like paying to RECEIVE a call on a cellphone.

Redwood fencing on the east coast doesn't seem to be the first offering for some reason. Maybe it is cost - although the vinyl is very expensive. I definitely need to look into this some more.

So you contracted with a company to do the whole job? We had an out of work fence installer that was going to be doing it as a side job but he has since been called back to his company to work and had to sign a contract that he would do no side work. Great for him - bad for us!

We hired a bonded and licensed contractor with insurance in case there was an injury.
I don't care to be sued.

In his presence went online to our state's website to check that all his insurance, bonds, and contractor license are up to date.

It does not freeze where we live.
I have no idea how freezing winters affect which fence to pick.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Yes, licensed and bonded is truly the best route.

I'm sure the winter temps have something to do with fencing materials too. Good to have another option to check into though.

Thanks for the info - give Kizzy and Yaya a good belly rub for me!

 

[DiamondBrokersofFlorida]

We are in the hurricane area. When we got our fence which is wood by the way, they told us the only fence that stood up to it is individual nailed boards not sections of fence and definitely not vinyl. So far so good.

 

[MissGotRocks]

That's good to know DBOF - we do get the remnants of tropical storms and hurricanes - winds not like what you see I guess but still strong.

It's interesting that there is not a lot of support for vinyl fencing from the ones that have responded - and I give their comments a lot of weight because they have fencing - and it is all wood.

If we go with wood, we have to replace a few posts that are broken. If we go with vinyl, we have to replace all posts with vinyl posts. That contributes quite a bit to the price - both product and installation.

I think the vinyl gives a nice clean finish but on the other hand, the wood blends in with the landscape of many trees behind us. I think as of this writing I'm clearly leaning toward wood!

Would love more comments though - this is a big expense as we have a large backyard!

 

[AprilBaby]

I just got a new fence. I had vinyl and wood estimates. Only one contractor was honest with me and showed me problems with the vinyl fences. The posts rise and fall with the temperature and cause the fence to become uneven. If you live where temp stays moderate, should not be a problem. They also blow out easily because they are solid and dont have enough reinforcement. He also didn't like the 8 foot panels for that reason and said stay at 6 foot panels (width). I also didn't like the stark white but the colors cost way more. We went with a gorgeous upgraded cedar fence in the end. By the time it needs replacing, I won't live here. If you are looking for picket, living in moderate temp zone, and have no heavy wind problems, go for vinyl. I think the short picket is gorgeous. Of you are going 6 ft high, go for wood. I will hold up much better over time as far as how it stays put. Of course vinyl stays better as far as no painting. We honestly wanted vinyl, but in the end wood was a better choice.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Thanks for sharing that April. I live in the DC metro area so we get all kinds of temperature extremes - not below freezing very often but still. . . Our fence sections are six foot tall and eight foot wide (there's about 38 of them!) and we'd probably want to replace it with similar size so that's another strike against vinyl.

This is all great info to know that you can't necessarily get from a contractor - many, many thanks!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Just some additional information - in case anyone ever looks at this thread for reference.

We had a contractor here tonight that totally nixed the vinyl for us. He said they do tend to warp and don't deal well with wind. He said because we are surrounded by trees and the fence backs up to lots of trees, we'd have a lot of tree sap and mildew that would both stain vinyl. He said if a tree were to fall, he could almost guarantee that it would break the fence. In this setting, he definitely recommended wood. He also said that vinyl manufacturers come and go frequently making it virtually impossilbe to get a matching piece in 2-3 years down the road.

He'll get back to us in a few days with a price but he wants to construct a fence for us and he seems very knowledgeable. He offered references and addresses to go look at his work. We'll see what he comes up with!

 

[kenny]

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