The Three Materials at a Glance
| Factor | Wood privacy | Vinyl privacy | Chain link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed cost/ft | $25–$45 | $30–$60 | $15–$30 |
| DIY materials/ft | $12–$22 | $18–$35 | $7–$15 |
| Lifespan | 15–20 yrs (maintained) | 20–30 yrs | 20+ yrs |
| Maintenance | Stain/seal every 2–3 yrs | Hose-down only | Essentially none |
| Privacy | Full | Full | None (slats help partially) |
| DIY difficulty | Moderate — many pieces | Moderate — precise post spacing | Harder than it looks — fabric stretching |
| Curb appeal / resale | High (classic) | High (clean, uniform) | Low–neutral |
Choose Wood If…
You want the classic look, the lowest upfront cost for full privacy, and the ability to repair sections piece by piece. Pressure-treated pine is the budget default; cedar costs 30–50% more but resists rot and insects naturally and weathers to an attractive gray. The trade-off is maintenance: an unstained wood fence in a wet climate can look tired in five years and rot at the posts in ten. If you go wood, spend extra on post quality — posts fail first, and replacing a rotted post under an otherwise good fence is miserable work. Get your exact board count from the wood fence calculator.
Choose Vinyl If…
You plan to stay in the house 10+ years and never want to hold a stain brush. Vinyl's higher upfront cost amortizes quickly against wood's recurring staining ($1–3 per foot every 2–3 years). Modern vinyl is UV-stabilized and won't yellow like older product, but it does get brittle in extreme cold and a weed-whacker can scar it. Buy from a single production run to guarantee color match, and count materials with the vinyl fence calculator.
Choose Chain Link If…
The job is containment — dogs, kids, pool code — not privacy or looks. It is the cheapest to buy, fastest to install, and the most durable per dollar of any fence. Galvanized is the default; black vinyl-coated fabric and frames cost about 20% more and disappear visually into landscaping far better. Privacy slats can be woven in later (about 75–85% blockage) if needs change. Parts list is in the chain link calculator.
Lumber-Aisle Cheat Sheet (Wood Fences)
Nominal lumber sizes are not actual sizes — the difference ruins DIY estimates. This is what you're really buying:
| You ask for | Actual size | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 4×4 × 8 ft | 3.5 × 3.5 in | Posts (6 ft fence, set 2 ft deep) |
| 2×4 × 8 ft | 1.5 × 3.5 in | Rails (2–3 per section) |
| "6-inch" picket | 5.5 in wide | Privacy pickets, butted edge to edge |
| "4-inch" picket | 3.5 in wide | Narrow picket styles, shadowbox |
| 2×6 × 8 ft | 1.5 × 5.5 in | Rot board along grade (optional) |
Always buy pickets from the same bunk (unit) when possible — moisture content and width vary between batches, and mixed batches show as uneven lines in the finished fence.
Rules That Apply to Every Fence
Call 811 before digging — it's free and legally required in most states. Check property lines with your plat or a survey; building even inches over the line invites expensive disputes. Check local codes and HOA rules for height limits (commonly 6 ft in back yards, 3–4 ft in front), pool-fence requirements, and whether the "good side" must face the neighbor. And set every post below the local frost line — frost heave is the number-one killer of fences in cold climates. When you're ready, price the project with the cost estimator.