Portland Fence & Gate Company

Yes, when it is detailed for shade. We set posts rated for soil contact over drain rock, hold the boards a couple inches above grade, and cap the tops so water sheds instead of soaking into end grain. Surface moss is cosmetic and rinses off. What kills a shaded fence is trapped moisture where wood meets dirt, and that is a construction problem we solve before the first panel goes up.

Length, material, terrain, and access. Ornamental iron costs more than cedar, and cedar more than chain link. Slopes add labor because each post gets set to its own elevation. A narrow side yard where lumber comes in by wheelbarrow takes longer than an open yard a truck can back into. We measure, put the number in writing, and the estimate itself is free.

A backyard wood fence at 7 feet or below needs no building permit, which covers most replacements. Street-facing sections are the exception, where zoning limits height to roughly 3.5 feet in most cases. Corner properties and overlay zones can complicate the picture, so we check the rules that apply to your exact address before writing the quote.

On a lot this compact there is little room for error. We locate property pins where they exist, recommend a survey where they do not, and walk you through setting the fence on the line versus a few inches inside it. A good-neighbor layout, panels alternating side to side, gives both households a finished face, which keeps the project friendly.

That grade is what stepped and racked construction exists for. Stepping holds a level top line in even increments, racking lets the rails follow the hillside, and we will tell you which fits your yard and whether you have a dog that hunts for openings. Hillside footings also get upsized, because a slope loads posts in ways flat ground never does.

Often, yes. A slide gate needs travel room along the fence line, a swing gate needs clearance and a workable grade, and plenty of older east side driveways rule out one style but not the other. We measure the approach, check the pitch, and pick an operator rated for what the gate weighs. If neither option works safely, we say that instead of installing a problem.

It comes down to the posts. If they broke or rotted at grade while the panels stayed sound, we can set new posts and rehang what you have, which saves most of the material cost. If the rails are punky and screws no longer bite, patching becomes a treadmill and full replacement is the honest call. The answer comes after we put eyes on the posts, not before.

Later than you might expect. Cedar goes in holding moisture and needs to dry all the way through before stain will absorb, usually a month or two, and a fence under mature Portland street trees can take the long end of that range. Pick a dry stretch to apply it. Skipping stain is fine too; unsealed cedar holds up in this climate, it only turns silver-gray over time.

If the fence truly crosses the line, it is an encroachment, and the neighbor can require it moved, so it is worth resolving before we rebuild. We install along lines the owners show us or along survey markers; a contractor cannot legally settle a boundary. On close-set east side lots, having a surveyor find the recorded pins costs a modest amount compared with a full boundary survey, and it ends the argument with facts.

No, we build all winter. Concrete sets through a chemical reaction rather than by drying out, so rain on the pour is rarely an issue. Sustained temperatures under roughly 40 degrees call for precautions, and Portland winters rarely hold there for long. The practical upside: winter scheduling typically runs faster than the spring rush, when half the east side seems to call at once.