Before and after: a gray, sagging wood fence replaced with a new cedar shadowbox fence — Before and after: new cedar shadowbox in place of a tired old fence Photo: 76 Fence

Upkeep: Stain or seal every few years
Privacy: Full or partial
Front yards: Picket styles
Installed cost: $40–$65/ft, $45–$70/ft

Cedar or pressure-treated pine?

Both work well here. Pressure-treated pine is the budget-friendly choice: strong, widely available, and it takes stain well once it has dried out. Cedar costs more but is naturally rot-resistant, moves less as the seasons change, and weathers to a soft silver if you leave it unfinished.

	Pressure-treated pine	Cedar
Look	Green-tan at first, stains well after drying	Warm reddish tone, silvers if left natural
Upkeep	Stain or seal every 2–3 years	Optional seal; natural rot resistance
Best for	Large runs, budget privacy	Showpiece privacy, horizontal and shadowbox styles

How we build a wood fence

Posts set in concrete below your township’s frost depth (commonly 36 in around here). Gate posts go deeper.
Hot-dip galvanized or stainless fasteners. Modern copper-based lumber treatments corrode plain steel and leave rust streaks.
Boards held a couple of inches above grade so they don’t wick water and rot.
Finished side facing out, which many local townships require anyway.
Gates framed to resist sag, with hardware sized for the leaf weight.

Popular wood styles

Solid board privacy, shadowbox (good-neighbor boards alternating on both sides), board-on-board, horizontal slat, picket, and privacy with a lattice top. See fence styles for what each is best at.

Local notes for Lansdale & eastern Montgomery County

In Lansdale Borough and Montgomery Township, solid wood privacy belongs behind the front of the house. Front yards are limited to low, open fences.
Abington Township asks for about 3 in of ground clearance under solid board fences, and wants the finished side toward the neighbor.