Fence Installation in Houston, TX
Crews of two to four install your fence in one to five days. Beaumont Formation clay swells and shrinks hard here, so posts go at least 24 inches deep in concrete. Call 512-290-5153 and we start measuring.
- Most yards finished in 1-5 days
- Posts set 24 inches deep
- No permit under 8 feet
Get Instant Quote
Professional Quotes for Houston & Central Texas
What can we help you with?
Pick one or more. No contact details needed yet.
Quick Overview
Fence Facts for Space City
- Installed cost: $30-$50 per linear foot
- Typical yard total: $4,500-$7,500 for a full perimeter
- Permit: None for non-masonry fences up to 8 feet
- Timeline: 1-5 days, crew of 2-4 installers
- Post depth: 24 inches minimum, set in concrete
- Wood options: Cedar or pressure-treated pine
Direct Answers
Straight Answers for Houston Homeowners
Installed fence work runs $30 to $50 per linear foot in Houston, which puts a typical residential yard between $4,500 and $7,500.
No permit applies to a non-masonry fence up to eight feet, while anything taller or partly masonry triggers a $33.56 admin fee and city review.
Posts drop at least 24 inches into concrete, below the active layer of Beaumont Formation clay that swells and contracts with every wet-dry swing.
Why Houston Is Different
Why Houston Fences Fail Early
Clay moves. Humidity never quits. Those two forces decide whether a fence stands plumb in five years or leans by next summer.
Beaumont Formation Clay Moves
Beaumont Formation clay sits under most of this metro, and it is smectitic, meaning it expands dramatically when saturated and contracts hard in drought. That cycle works posts loose. You see it first at the gate, when the latch stops lining up, then along the run as pickets fan out of square. Memorial and Meyerland get named locally for exactly this movement. The answer is depth: posts at least 24 inches into concrete, below the active layer where soil does most of its shifting. Shallow footings follow the clay. Deep ones hold.
Gulf Humidity Attacks the Base
Humidity here never lets up, and wood pays for it. Ground contact is where fences rot first, because pickets wick moisture out of damp soil and break down at the bottom rail. Two moves blunt that. Pickets get held one to two inches off grade so nothing sits in standing water, and a rot board takes the ground contact instead, at $4 to $8 per linear foot. Gulf Coast wood lives under constant pressure from damp and from the insects that come with it, so the base of a fence is where the build lasts or fails.
Water Sheets, It Does Not Soak In
Flat ground rules this city, with downtown sitting near 50 feet of elevation, and the clay underneath barely absorbs anything. Rain sheets across the surface instead of infiltrating, so whatever path water takes along your property line, it takes every storm. Drainage gets planned before the first hole is augered, moving water past the posts rather than letting it pool against them. More than 300 active surface growth faults also cross the metro, and where a fence line crosses a trace, posts shift along that line, so those runs get laid out in shorter sections.
Houston: 77002 · 77006 · 77007 · 77008 · 77036 · 77084
Typical Fence Installation Scopes in Houston
Expect $30-$50 per linear foot installed in Houston; most full yards land at $4,500-$7,500. Pressure-treated pine sits at $15-$30 per foot, cedar at $36-$50. Project minimum is $500. Gates, rot board and old fence removal are priced separately.
Cedar Privacy Fence
Full backyard perimeter, six feet tall
Six-foot cedar ran the full backyard perimeter over pressure-treated posts on a corner lot with a long alley run. Rot board carried the ground contact so the pickets stayed clear of the grade.
| Run length | About 180 linear feet |
| Duration | 3 days |
| Lead time | Scheduled within a week |
| Products | Cedar pickets, pressure-treated 4x4 posts and 2x4 rails, galvanized fasteners |
Pressure-Treated Pine Fence with Double Gate
Budget build, drive-through access
Pine kept the per-foot number down while a double gate opened the side yard to a trailer. Gate posts were oversized and set deeper to fight clay movement at the hinge side.
| Run length | About 160 linear feet plus a double gate |
| Duration | 2 days |
| Lead time | Next available crew slot |
| Products | Simpson Strong-Tie post bases, pressure-treated pine pickets and 4x4 posts, gate hardware |
Tear-Out and Full Replacement
Old leaning fence removed, new line reset
A failing fence came out, footings and all, before the new line was shot with a rotary laser. Drainage along the back run got regraded so water quit standing against the posts.
| Run length | About 210 linear feet, removal included |
| Duration | 4 days |
| Lead time | Removal and install booked together |
| Products | Cedar pickets, ready-mix concrete, pressure-treated posts and rails, galvanized screws |
Site Conditions
Ground Conditions That Set the Build
Houston soil decides the footing plan long before anybody picks a picket. Here is what gets checked before layout.
| Condition | Where you see it in Houston | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| High shrink-swell smectitic clay | Meyerland, Westbury | Posts 24 inches deep in concrete, below the active layer |
| Clay heave that unlatches gates | Memorial, Spring Branch | Oversized gate posts set deeper, hardware adjusted at hang |
| Water standing along the fence line | Alief, Sharpstown | Drainage planned nearby so nothing pools against footings |
| Ground-contact rot from humidity | The Heights, Montrose | Rot board plus pickets held 1-2 inches off grade |
| Surface growth fault traces | Clear Lake City, Copperfield | Line walked first, then broken into shorter panel runs |
| Masonry or concrete sections | Bellaire, West University | City permit pulled at any height, $33.56 admin fee |
Materials
Materials We Install in Houston
Most Houston builds run cedar pickets on pressure-treated 4×4 posts with pressure-treated 2×4 rails, set in ready-mix concrete and tied together with galvanized fasteners, gate hardware and Simpson Strong-Tie post bases. Layout runs off a Bosch rotary laser level, holes off a gas post-hole auger, screws off Milwaukee M18 drivers.
| Product | Brand | Why it earns the spot |
|---|---|---|
| Bosch rotary laser level | Bosch | Keeps fence lines and post heights consistent. |
| Cedar fence pickets | Cedar | Common privacy fence material. |
| Gas-powered post-hole auger | Earthquake / STIHL | Used for post-hole excavation. |
| Milwaukee M18 drill/driver | Milwaukee | General drilling and fastening. |
| Pressure-treated 2x4 rails | PT lumber | Horizontal support members. |
| Pressure-treated 4x4 fence posts | Treater-grade lumber | Primary structural fence posts. |
| Ready-mix concrete | Quikrete / local batch mix | Used for post footings. |
| Simpson Strong-Tie post base / brackets | Simpson Strong-Tie | Used where code or design calls for extra reinforcement. |
Material grades are specified per substrate after the on-site walkthrough. Material prices are carried in the project scope.
Pricing
Houston Fence Pricing
Linear footage sets the baseline number. Material grade, gate count and tear-out move it from there.
| Scope | Typical Houston range | What drives the spread |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated pine fence | $15-$30 per linear foot | Height, picket grade and how much of the run needs new posts |
| Cedar fence | $36-$50 per linear foot | Picket width, rail count and cap detail at the top |
| Premium hardwood fence | $50-$80 per linear foot | Species availability and milling on the pickets |
| Gates | $150-$400 single, $300-$900 double | Opening width, frame weight and hardware selection |
| Old fence removal | $200-$700 | Run length, footing size and haul-off volume |
Minimum project size is $500. Every figure is confirmed on site before work starts.
Process
Six Steps, Start to Finish
- 1Call and set the scope. One call to 512-290-5153 pins down footage, height, material and gate count. Projects start at $500.
- 2Walk the line. We measure the run on site, flag the property line, and mark where water collects and where grade falls away.
- 3Settle the permit question. Wood under eight feet needs nothing. Masonry sections or extra height mean a city permit, a $33.56 admin fee and roughly ten days of processing.
- 4Auger and set posts. A gas post-hole auger cuts holes 24 inches or deeper, then pressure-treated 4x4 posts go into ready-mix concrete and get plumbed off the laser.
- 5Frame and face. Rails go on next, tying the posts together. Pickets then face them on galvanized fasteners, held one to two inches off grade.
- 6Hang gates, clear the site. Gate hardware gets hung and adjusted until the latch closes clean. Scrap and old fence material leave with the crew.
Coverage
Houston Areas We Cover
Crews run the inner loop and push out to the suburbs the same week. Same build standard at every address.
Our Services
Specialized Services in Houston
Fence work is one line on the list. The same crew clears the rest of it, inside and out.
Handyman Services
Doors that stick, shelves that need anchors, hardware nobody ever finished mounting. It all goes on one ticket and gets knocked out in one visit.
Drywall Installation
New board hung, taped and floated to match the texture already on your walls. Patch lines from plumbing or electrical work disappear into the finish.
Painting Services
Interior and exterior repaints, prepped tight and cut in clean. Houston sun and damp punish exterior coatings, so surface prep gets the hours it needs.
Tile Installation
Floors, showers and backsplashes set flat over proper underlayment. Layout is planned so cuts land where nobody looks.
Flooring Installation
LVP, laminate and hardwood installed over a leveled subfloor. Transitions and trim get finished and the old flooring leaves with us.
Common Questions
Houston Fence Installation FAQs
Is a permit required for an 8-foot fence?
No. Non-masonry fences up to eight feet are exempt. Above eight feet, or any fence partly or wholly masonry or concrete, needs a permit: $33.56 admin fee, roughly ten-day processing, valid six months.
Does a replacement fence skip the permit?
Not automatically. Replacement fences lose that exemption the moment they pass eight feet or include masonry or concrete. Stay under eight feet in wood and nothing has to be pulled.
How long does a fence install take?
One to five days for most Houston yards. Two to four installers handle tear-out, post setting, pickets and gates. On longer runs the concrete cures between post day and picket day.
Cedar or pressure-treated pine for Houston?
Both work, and they are the two realistic woods here. Pine runs $15-$30 per linear foot and stretches a budget. Cedar runs $36-$50 and holds its shape better against the damp.
Why do my gates stop latching?
Clay. Beaumont Formation soil swells when saturated and contracts in drought, pushing posts out of plumb, and Memorial and Meyerland are known for it. Deep concrete footings and drainage slow that movement.
Do you reset leaning posts or stain an existing fence?
Not under fence installation, which covers new runs and full replacements. Removing an old fence runs $200-$700 inside an install. Smaller fence repairs belong on a handyman visit instead.
Should I add a rot board in Houston?
Yes. Year-round humidity chews wood at ground contact, and a rot board takes that hit instead of your pickets. Budget $4-$8 per linear foot for it.
What is the smallest fence job you take?
There is a $500 project minimum. A short run, a single gate section or one side-yard stretch all qualify once they clear it. Call 512-290-5153 with footage.
How We Work
Depth First
Every post drops at least 24 inches into concrete, below the layer of clay doing the moving. That single decision is why gates still latch three summers later.
Laser Layout
Lines get shot with a Bosch rotary laser level before any hole is augered. Posts land on spacing and on grade instead of by eye.
Hardware Built for Damp
Galvanized fasteners and Simpson Strong-Tie post bases hold the frame together. The wood weathers long before the connections do, which is the right order.
One Crew, One Window
A team of two to four runs tear-out through gate hang with no handoffs and no open runs sitting overnight. The site gets swept before anyone leaves.
Get Your Houston Fence on the Schedule
Call 512-290-5153 and we measure this week. Most yards go up in one to five days, fast enough that your Saturday still belongs to the Memorial Park loop and the Urban Harvest market on Richmond.
Our Houston Homeowner Resources
Drywall Installation · Flooring Installation · Handyman Services · Painting Services · Tile Installation