There is no single winner — cedar for the classic look with periodic upkeep, vinyl or composite for near-zero maintenance, masonry for maximum privacy at a premium. The best choice depends on your budget, upkeep tolerance, and how the fence needs to look.

With correct installation and upkeep, quality cedar fencing commonly lasts many years, vinyl and composite fencing longer still, and masonry longest of all. The material you choose sets the ceiling on how long a fence lasts, but how it’s built sets the floor — poor post-setting is the most common reason fences fail early in our clay soil.

That’s why our crews set post depth, spacing, and bracing to the fence height and soil conditions on your property rather than a one-size-fits-all minimum, and why we walk the finished fence with you and back the workmanship with our own warranty — so a shortened lifespan from a rushed installation isn’t something you’re left to discover on your own.

It depends on your city/county and HOA. Verify locally before building — we will guide you, but confirming the rules is on you.

A privacy fence does not have to look plain. A lattice-top section above the solid privacy boards adds visual interest and some airflow without creating gaps at eye level, and board-on-board or shadow-box construction gives a more finished look from both sides of the fence, useful when neighbors share the view. Decorative post caps and a matching gate design are common finishing touches on an otherwise purely functional privacy fence.

There is no single Texas law that requires neighbors to split the cost of a shared or boundary fence — it generally comes down to who owns the fence, who wants it built or replaced, and whatever mutual agreement (verbal or written) the property owners work out between themselves, not a statewide mandate. Many neighbors do agree informally to split the cost of a fence that sits on or near the shared property line, and if you’re in an HOA, its own covenants may add requirements for boundary fencing. Because every situation is different, we recommend talking with your neighbor first, checking your HOA’s rules if you have one, and consulting a local real estate attorney for anything involving a survey or a real dispute — we’re glad to help design and build the fence itself, but the cost-sharing agreement is between the property owners.