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Legendary Fence Company Tacoma builds durable, attractive wood fences in Tacoma, WA using quality materials and proven installation methods. Whether you want a classic picket fence, full privacy, or a decorative shadowbox style, we can tailor the design to your property. Our crews focus on straight lines, solid posts, and clean finishes so your wood fence looks great for years.
Legendary Fence Company Tacoma provides professional wood fence throughout Tacoma, WA, Washington and the surrounding area. Our licensed, insured crew delivers safe, clean, on-time work with a free estimate before anything begins. Call 253-893-6502 or request your free quote.
Wood fences built for Tacoma properties, not a catalog
A good wood fence in Tacoma has to do more than look nice. It needs to stand up to wet winters, moss, shifting soils, and the occasional windstorm off the Sound. At Legendary Fence Company Tacoma, we design and install wood fences specifically for these conditions, not just what is cheapest from a supplier catalog.
When you call us about a wood fence, we start by walking the property with you. We look at how the land slopes, where water collects, what your neighbors have done, and how close we can legally build to property lines. We also ask direct questions about how you plan to use the fence. Privacy from a busy street, containing dogs that like to dig, securing a side yard, or matching an existing fence in the alley each leads to a different design and material choice.
From there, we talk through practical tradeoffs. For example, a 6 foot cedar privacy fence with thicker posts may cost more up front but can reduce repairs after a few wet seasons. A lower, open style fence along the front yard might be better if you care about curb appeal and do not want to block light into your living room. The goal is a fence that fits how you live and how Tacoma weather behaves, not just a generic lineal-foot price.
Cedar, pressure treated, and hardware options that matter long term
Wood type affects both cost and longevity. In Tacoma, we primarily recommend Western Red Cedar for fence pickets and rails, paired with pressure treated posts. Cedar naturally resists rot and insects, handles moisture better than many softwoods, and takes stain well. This matters in our climate, where boards stay damp for days after a storm and shaded sections can grow moss.
Pressure treated posts go into the ground because untreated posts tend to rot quickly in saturated Tacoma soils, especially in areas like North End and near Fircrest where drainage can be slow. We typically use 4x4 or 4x6 posts, depending on fence height, wind exposure, and whether you plan to hang a heavy gate. For customers closer to the waterfront or in areas with more wind, we may recommend 4x6 posts and deeper footings to reduce movement.
Hardware choices are more than cosmetic. We use hot dipped galvanized or stainless fasteners so they do not corrode in our damp environment. For gates, we choose heavy duty hinges and latches that can be adjusted as wood naturally expands and contracts through wet and dry seasons. If you are comparing bids, ask specifically what type of fasteners, hinges, and post bases each contractor plans to use. Cheaper hardware often shows its flaws within a couple of winters here.
Our wood fence installation process on Tacoma sites
Wood fence installation starts with confirming property lines. In Tacoma, many older homes have fences that are not actually on the boundary. Legendary Fence Company Tacoma encourages customers to review their survey if they have one. If the line is unclear, we suggest hiring a surveyor rather than guessing, which can help you avoid disputes later.
Once the layout is set, we mark post locations, call 811 to have utilities flagged, and schedule around expected weather whenever possible. Digging post holes in saturated, heavy soil is different from working in dry ground east of the mountains. We use proper augers and, when needed, widen the base of the hole slightly to create a bell shape that helps resist frost heave and movement.
We typically set posts in concrete, brought slightly above grade and sloped away from the post to shed water. In particularly wet parts of a yard, we may recommend gravel at the base of the hole beneath the concrete for drainage. After posts are set and aligned, we allow proper cure time before adding rails and pickets, especially for taller privacy fences that catch more wind.
Rails are installed level or stepped to follow slopes, depending on your preference and how steep your yard is. For steeper Tacoma lots, such as near the Narrows or some Eastside areas, stepping usually looks cleaner and keeps picket gaps consistent. Pickets are then installed with even spacing, and we discuss whether you want a tight privacy layout or small gaps for airflow. We finish by installing and adjusting gates so they swing freely and latch correctly without dragging.
Design styles that work well in Tacoma neighborhoods
Wood fences do not have to be plain privacy walls. In Tacoma, certain styles tend to age better and blend with neighborhood character. Legendary Fence Company Tacoma commonly installs standard side by side privacy fences, board on board for full visual coverage, and good neighbor styles where the framing alternates to keep both sides looking finished.
For front yards and corner lots, many homeowners choose shorter picket or horizontal slat fences. Horizontal designs, when built with the right spacing and reinforcement, can look modern and clean without feeling like a fortress. We make sure spans are short enough and boards thick enough that they do not sag after a few wet seasons.
We also consider local sightline rules and city guidelines. On corners and near driveways, fence height and opacity can affect driver visibility. We can adjust fence height, step down near sidewalks, or use more open patterns so you stay safer and avoid problems with city inspectors or neighbors.
If you are replacing only part of a fence that you share with neighbors, we can match existing styles as closely as possible. We pay attention to rail placement, cap styles, and picket width so the new section does not look patched in, which is common in older Tacoma blocks where fences have been added to over decades.
What drives wood fence cost and how to control it
Wood fence cost in Tacoma depends on several specific factors: total footage, height, type of wood, post size, hardware grade, terrain, and how many gates you need. A long, straight run across level ground is more efficient to build than a fence that has multiple turns, elevation changes, or tree roots and rocks in every post hole.
Cedar pricing can fluctuate, especially when demand spikes, so we are transparent about current material costs and how they affect your quote. If you are budget conscious, we can talk about using cedar where it shows the most and other treated lumber in less visible areas, or simplifying decorative elements like caps and trim.
Complex access can also change pricing. Narrow side yards, tight alleys, and steep driveways can slow work and may limit equipment we can bring in. Legendary Fence Company Tacoma looks at these details during the site visit so your quote reflects real conditions, not a generic per foot number that will be revised later.
To control cost without sacrificing durability, we focus on getting the structure right. That means not cutting corners on post spacing, depth, or hardware, since those are the parts that fail first in our climate if they are undersized. If we need to simplify something, we usually suggest adjusting fence height in non critical areas or reducing decorative add ons before touching the core structure.
Maintenance, lifespan, and realistic expectations in Tacoma weather
No wood fence is completely maintenance free, especially in Tacoma where you can have weeks of steady moisture followed by a few hot, dry spells. A realistic plan will extend the life of your fence and keep it looking acceptable for years.
Once your fence is installed, we typically recommend waiting a short period for the wood to dry to the right moisture level, then applying a quality stain or sealant. Transparent stains show more grain but need more frequent reapplication. Semi transparent or solid stains provide better UV protection and help resist mildew but change the appearance more. We can share product options that have performed well on local jobs and tell you roughly how often you will need to recoat based on your yard exposure.
At least once a year, walk your fence line. Look for loose pickets, soil piled against the bottom of boards, standing water around posts, and vegetation growing through or against the fence. In some Tacoma neighborhoods, ivy and blackberries can overtake a fence quickly if not cut back. Early attention to these details keeps minor issues from turning into sections that lean or rot.
Legendary Fence Company Tacoma builds fences with the expectation that, with proper care, a cedar wood fence can serve you well for many years. We are upfront that wood will weather, change color, and develop some checking and small cracks over time. The goal is to build it so those normal changes do not turn into structural problems, and to give you clear guidance on how to maintain what you are investing in today.
