Wood fence installation in Houston — built for gumbo clay
Cedar and pressure-treated pine, on galvanized steel posts with footings sized for soil that moves. The reason Houston fences lean is underground, so that is where we spend the money.
Why Houston is hard on a wood fence
Houston sits on gumbo clay, and gumbo clay does not sit still. It swells when it rains and shrinks hard through a dry August, and every cycle works a fence post a fraction looser. A wood post makes it worse: it stays wet at the ground line, rots from the outside in, and by year six there is enough play for the wind to finish the job. That is why so many Houston fences lean in the same direction — it is not bad luck and it is rarely bad pickets.
Almost everything that decides how long your fence lasts happens below ground, before a single picket goes on. So that is where we spend: galvanized steel posts instead of wood, footings sized to the soil and the exposure rather than to a standard hole, and a concrete bell or over-pour where the site calls for it. Then a rot board at the base so the pickets are not sitting in the splash zone, and cap and trim so water sheds off the end grain instead of soaking into it.
Cedar or pressure-treated pine?
Both work in Houston. The honest version of the trade-off:
| Cedar | Pressure-treated pine | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | $28–$45 / ft | $20–$35 / ft |
| Rot & insect resistance | Natural | Chemical treatment |
| Takes stain | Very well | Adequately |
| Tendency to warp | Low | Higher — seal it on a schedule |
| Best for | Long life, best appearance | Budget, long runs, acreage |
The wood matters less than what holds it up. A cedar fence on wood posts will lean before a pine fence on steel posts does. If the budget only stretches to one upgrade, make it the posts.
Houston height limits, HOAs and permits
- Back yard: generally up to 8 ft where the fence is not adjacent to a street.
- Front yard: roughly 3.5–4 ft.
- Corner lots carry visibility rules, and floodplain addresses attract extra review — both common across the Houston area.
- HOA rules are usually stricter than the city's, and in much of Houston's suburbs an HOA is the binding constraint on height, color and style. Get the approval before material is ordered, not after.
- Permits: usually not required for a standard-height residential wood fence. Taller builds, masonry sections and floodplain addresses commonly are. We check your address as part of the quote.
The full permit and cost picture, including add-ons and three worked budgets, is in our Houston fence cost guide. If you are still choosing a style, the privacy fence page covers board-on-board versus shadowbox, which is the choice that decides whether it stays private as the wood dries.
Wood fence styles we build in Houston
- Board-on-board — overlapping pickets, so shrinkage never opens a gap. The most private, and the most common request.
- Shadowbox — alternating pickets, finished on both sides, and it lets wind through so there is less load on the posts.
- Horizontal — modern lines, built on a stiffer post schedule because horizontal boards show any sag.
- Picket — front yards and boundary marking, within the front-yard height limit.
- Replacement — demo, haul-off and rebuild in one visit, typically one to three days.
Get a Houston wood fence quote
We measure, check the HOA and the height rule for your address, and price it line by line — posts and hardware itemized, so you can compare bids properly.
Common Questions
Houston Wood Fence Questions
What Houston homeowners ask us before they commit to a wood fence.
How much does a wood fence cost in Houston?
How tall can a wood fence be in Houston?
Cedar or pressure-treated pine?
Why do Houston fences lean so much?
Do you need a permit for a wood fence in Houston?
How long does a wood fence take to install?
What They Say AboutOur Work
Neighbors across San Leon, League City and the Bay area — in their own words.
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