Privacy Fence Installation in Middle Tennessee

We build solid-panel privacy fence across Maury and Williamson County, from Columbia and Spring Hill up through Franklin, Brentwood, Nolensville, and Thompson's Station. Privacy fence installation in Middle Tennessee has to account for clay that swells and shrinks. It also has to account for limestone sitting closer to the surface than anybody wants, and for summers humid enough to punish a cheap board. We set posts for those conditions.

Who a privacy fence is for

It suits people who want their back yard to feel like a room instead of a stage. Homeowners on a corner lot with traffic on two sides. Anybody with a pool, a hot tub, or a dog that fixates on whatever moves past the property line. New construction in Spring Hill and Thompson's Station tends to put houses close together, and a privacy fence is often the first thing that makes those lots livable. If you've got a long view you like, though, a solid six-foot wall can feel like a fort. We'll say so when we walk the property.

Styles we build

Most of our work falls into a handful of styles, and the right one usually comes down to how the yard sits and how much upkeep you're willing to do.

• Board-on-board. Pickets overlap, so seasonal shrinkage is far less likely to open a gap you can see through. It's what we get asked for most, and it still looks solid years in.
• Side-by-side dog-ear. The traditional look. Cheaper per foot, and boards can pull apart slightly as they dry.
• Shadowbox. Alternating boards on either side of the rail. Finished on both sides, so it's a good neighbor fence, and it breathes in wind.
• Horizontal. Modern lines, popular on newer builds in Franklin and Brentwood. Needs straight posts and tight spacing to stay true.
• Vinyl privacy panels. No staining to keep up with. Consistent color out of the box.

Cedar and pressure-treated pine are what we run most often. Our wood fence page gets into grain, rot resistance, and how each species handles our summers. If staining every few years sounds like a chore you'll skip, look at vinyl privacy fencing instead.

Privacy fence installation in Middle Tennessee conditions

This is where local matters more than material. Our ground is limestone karst, which means bedrock can show up a foot down in one hole and several feet down in the next, sometimes within the same run. Crews who don't expect that either quit shallow or fight it all day. We come with rock equipment, and we plan the layout knowing some holes will need it.

The clay is the other half. It holds water, swells when it's wet, then shrinks and pulls back in an August dry spell. A post set too shallow gets worked loose over a couple of seasons. Proper depth and a concrete footing that sheds water instead of cupping it is what keeps a line straight.

Then there's humidity. Wood that sits in it without airflow stays damp at the base and gives rot a place to start, which is why we keep pickets off the dirt. Ice storms are the once-in-a-while test. Weight builds on a solid panel, and a fence with undersized posts or thin rails is what you find leaning in the yard afterward.

What it costs, roughly

A privacy fence for a typical back yard runs into a few thousand dollars, and a large or complicated property can push well past that. We won't quote a per-foot number on a web page, because it'd be wrong for most people reading it.

Total footage moves the price first, then material, then everything the ground does to you. Slope means stepping or racking panels, which is more labor. Rock means more time per hole. Gates cost more than the same span of fence because hardware and framing carry real money. If you're comparing bids, look at post spacing, post depth, and how the rails are fastened. That's where a low number usually hides.

Maintenance and how long it lasts

A well-built wood privacy fence in this climate lasts a long time, and the posts almost always fail before the pickets do. Seal or stain it in the first year, then repeat every few years depending on how much direct sun that side of the yard takes. West-facing runs weather faster.

Beyond that, it's small stuff. Keep mulch and dirt from piling against the bottom board. Check gate hardware after a hard winter, since hinges sag and latches drift when the ground moves. Catch a leaning post early and it's a single-post repair. Ignore it and the lean spreads down the run.

Common questions

How tall can my privacy fence be?

Six feet is standard for back yards and eight is available in most situations, but height limits and front-yard rules vary by city and sometimes by neighborhood. We check the requirements where you live before we build, and if you're in an HOA you'll want their approval in hand too.

Do I need a survey before you install?

Not always, but it's cheap insurance if the property line isn't obvious. Building over a line is an expensive mistake to undo. If pins are missing or the corners are in question, we'll tell you to get it surveyed rather than guess.

How long does the install take?

A standard residential yard is usually a matter of days rather than weeks. Rock, heavy slope, big gates, or a lot of footage will stretch it. We give you a realistic window when we quote, and we tell you if we hit something that changes it.

Which side of the fence faces my neighbor?

Convention here is that the finished side faces out. If you and your neighbor both want the good side, shadowbox solves it, since it looks the same from either yard.

How we work

We're the crew that builds it. Not a lead service that sells your number to three contractors and lets them fight over you. When you call, you talk to us, we walk your property, and the same outfit that quotes the job is the one setting posts in your yard.

We cover Maury and Williamson County, including Columbia, Spring Hill, Franklin, Brentwood, Nolensville, Thompson's Station, Mt. Pleasant, Fairview, Chapel Hill, Culleoka, Hampshire, and Santa Fe. If you're in the southern half of that territory, our Columbia and Spring Hill privacy fence page covers those lots.

For a real number on your yard, call/text Michael at (629) 230-3689 and we'll come look at it.

Horizontal boards are an option here too. See horizontal slat and modern fence.