Wood Fencing in Metro Detroit — Cedar, Pressure-Treated, Built to Last

A wood fence is still the look most metro Detroit yards want — warm, solid, and tall enough that the neighbor's grill and the alley stay out of your weekend. BH Fencing installs cedar and pressure-treated wood across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties: privacy, shadowbox, and picket, with posts set below frost so a January thaw doesn't heave the line by April.

Wood Styles That Fit Metro Detroit Yards

Most backyard calls we get are for six-foot privacy — solid boards that close the view from the next ranch or the two-story next door. Shadowbox is the middle path: boards staggered on both sides so it looks finished from either yard and still lets a little air through on those sticky August nights. Picket and three-rail stay popular on front yards and along sidewalks where you want a border, not a wall.

Horizontal cedar has taken off in closer-in suburbs — Royal Oak, Ferndale, parts of Birmingham — where a modern slat face fits the house better than a classic vertical dog-ear. We'll walk the line with you and match the style to the lot, the HOA if you have one, and how much privacy you actually need.

• Six-foot cedar or pressure-treated privacy, dog-ear or flat-top
• Board-on-board and shadowbox that look finished from both sides
• Classic picket and ranch-rail for front yards and open lots
• Horizontal cedar and modern slat faces for tighter, design-forward yards
• Matching walk and driveway gates built to the same style
• Stain-ready installs so you can finish the wood on your schedule

Why Posts Matter More Than Pickets Here

Michigan is hard on a wood fence, and most of the failure starts underground. Freeze-thaw works water into the hole, clay soil in Wayne and Macomb holds that moisture, and a post that was set too shallow heaves and leans. Spring wind then slides a whole panel like a sail. A pretty face on a shallow post is a fence you'll be calling about in three winters.

We set posts below the frost line, use the right concrete and gravel for drainage, and keep the first board up off wet grade so the bottom doesn't wick lake moisture and rot. That's the unglamorous part of a wood fence — and it's why one install lasts and another starts walking by the second thaw.

• Posts set below frost, not on a shallow Midwest shortcut
• Holes sized and drained for clay soil that holds water all winter
• Concrete set so water isn't trapped against the post
• Bottom boards held off grade to slow rot from spring melt
• Rails and fasteners sized for wind load on a six-foot privacy face
• Gates hung so they still swing after the ground moves

Cedar vs. Pressure-Treated — Honest Tradeoffs

Cedar is the upgrade most people picture: lighter weight, a cleaner grain, and it takes stain the way you hoped. It also costs more per foot. Pressure-treated pine is the workhorse — tougher on the wallet, heavier, and it will last if you let it dry and then seal it. Neither one is maintenance-free in this climate. Anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't watched a south-facing privacy run through five Michigan summers.

We'll price both on the same layout so you can see the difference in writing. If the backyard is the one you live in every night, cedar usually wins. If you're closing a long side yard or a rental, treated lumber is often the smarter spend. Either way, the post work stays the same.

• Western red cedar for a premium look and easier staining
• Pressure-treated pine when budget and length of run matter most
• Mixed builds — cedar face on treated posts — when it fits the job
• Clear written pricing so you can compare, not guess
• No pressure to step up a material you don't need

What a Wood Install Looks Like on Your Lot

We start with a free on-site measure: property line, grade, existing posts, gates, and anything that will fight a straight run — a sloped Livonia ranch, a tight Royal Oak side yard, a long Shelby lot. You get a written quote before we order a board. On install day we protect plantings, set the line, and build in sections so you're not living in a lumber pile for a week.

When we're done, old panels and leftover concrete leave with us. You get a fence that follows the grade instead of floating over it, gates that latch, and a crew that treats the yard like it's theirs. Financing is available on approved credit if you'd rather spread the cost.

• Free measure and written quote — no obligation
• Line marked with you so the neighbor conversation stays simple
• Landscaping protected; debris hauled, not stacked at the curb
• Gates hung, latched, and checked before we leave
• Workmanship guarantee on the install, not just a handshake

Care, Stain, and How Long Wood Lasts in Michigan

A wood fence in metro Detroit wants a seal or stain after it dries — usually a season for treated lumber, sooner for cedar if you want color to hold. Skip that and the sun and lake moisture will gray it, then the bottom rails will start to go. That's normal weather, not a defect, and we'll tell you the maintenance picture up front so you're not surprised.

Typical installed ranges for a six-foot wood privacy fence run about $28–$48 per linear foot, with a typical backyard landing around $4,000–$9,000 depending on length, gates, grade, and cedar vs. treated. Those are typical ranges, not a quote. Your number comes from a measure on your lot.

• Plan on stain or sealer after the wood dries — we'll tell you when
• Keep soil and mulch off the bottom boards
• Trim vines; they hold moisture against the face
• Call early if a post leans — a single repair beats a whole reset
• Ask about typical cost ranges on the same visit as the measure

What's included

• On-site measure, line layout, and a clear written quote
• Cedar or pressure-treated material as specified in your quote
• Posts set below frost with concrete and drainage suited to clay soil
• Rails, boards, and hardware installed to the agreed style
• Walk gate or driveway gate hanging when part of the job
• Old fence removal and haul-away when included in the quote
• Site cleanup — leftover concrete, scraps, and packaging leave with us
• Workmanship guarantee on the installation