Everything you need to know before choosing a fence for your Northern New Mexico property — materials, lifespans, costs, climate considerations, and honest tradeoffs from people who install them every week.
Solid board-on-board or dog-ear panels in Western Red Cedar, mounted to pressure-treated posts. The classic residential privacy fence, and the most requested style in Northern NM.
Cedar contains natural oils (thujaplicin) that resist rot, insects, and decay without chemical treatment. In NM's dry climate, a properly installed cedar fence lasts 20-30 years. Pine, by comparison, rots in 7-12 even when pressure-treated — we don't install pine privacy fences because we don't install work that fails early.
Fresh cedar starts golden-red and weathers to a silver-grey over 12-18 months. Both looks are beautiful. If you prefer the golden tone, a penetrating stain applied every 3-5 years maintains it. At 7,000+ feet, NM's UV is intense — oil-based penetrating stains outperform film-forming stains here because they soak into the wood rather than sitting on the surface and peeling.
Backyard privacy, noise reduction, wind protection, pet containment, and adding real property value. The single best ROI fence for residential properties.
Engineered PVC panels and posts — typically privacy, semi-privacy, or picket style. Modern vinyl is UV-stabilized, impact-resistant, and designed to flex in wind rather than crack.
It never needs paint, stain, or sealant. It won't rot, warp, split, or attract termites. In NM's intense UV and freeze-thaw cycles, that matters — wood fences take a beating from the sun at elevation. Vinyl shrugs it off.
Higher upfront cost than cedar (typically 30-50% more), and it doesn't have the natural warmth of real wood. If you love wood grain, vinyl won't satisfy you. But if you want a fence you literally never think about again, this is it.
Homeowners who want permanent, zero-maintenance privacy. Properties where you don't want to re-stain every few years. HOA communities where a consistent, clean appearance matters.
Galvanized steel wire woven into a diamond mesh, mounted to steel posts with tension bands and top rail. Available with or without vinyl privacy slats, in several gauges and coatings.
Chain link has a reputation as "cheap fencing," but a properly installed galvanized chain-link fence is one of the most durable structures you can put on a property. The key is the gauge (we use 11-gauge minimum, not the thin 11.5 from box stores), post depth (3+ feet in concrete, not 18 inches), and terminal post bracing.
Vinyl slats woven through the mesh provide wind screening and visual privacy while maintaining strength and cost advantage. Available in green, brown, black, and tan.
Property boundaries, pet containment, security perimeters, utility areas, and large-acreage runs where wood or vinyl would be cost-prohibitive.
Welded steel or extruded aluminum pickets and rails, powder-coated in black, bronze, or custom colors. The elegant, open fence for estates, front yards, and pool enclosures.
Steel (wrought iron style) is stronger and heavier — better for security and large properties. Aluminum is lighter, never rusts, and costs less — ideal for decorative applications and pool enclosures. Most pool codes require self-closing, self-latching gates, which we install to code.
Powder-coated steel holds up excellently in our dry climate. Rust is far less of a concern here than in coastal regions. Industrial-grade powder coating resists UV fading and chipping for 15-20 years before recoating.
Front yards, estate entries, pool enclosures, and any application where you want security and visibility without blocking your view of the mountains. Pairs beautifully with stone or stucco columns.
Horizontal rails (wood or pipe) mounted between posts, creating an open boundary. The quintessential Western fence — functional, honest, and beautiful against the NM landscape.
Wood ranch rail (cedar or lodge pole pine) gives a traditional, rustic look. Pipe rail (Schedule 40 steel) is practically indestructible and is what working ranches use for livestock and equipment impact.
2-rail is the classic open look (decorative). 3-rail provides more containment for horses. 4-rail is the working ranch standard. Wire mesh can be added behind rails for small animal containment while keeping the aesthetic.
Acreage boundaries, horse property, rural residential, decorative property lines, and anyone who wants to see the Sangre de Cristos through their fence.
Any combination of materials designed to your property. Stone or stucco columns with cedar panels. Metal frames with horizontal wood slats. Iron sections flanking a cedar privacy run. Northern NM architecture is distinctive — adobe, territorial, pueblo revival — and a custom fence can match it perfectly rather than looking like it came from a catalog.
Minimum 36 inches deep in concrete footings, below the frost line for NM elevations. Terminal posts go deeper and wider. Shallow posts heave in the first winter — ours don't.
We clear brush, remove roots, and grade the fence line before a single post goes in. A fence built over roots or through brush fails in year two when roots shift the posts.
NM soil is rocky. We don't stop digging when we hit rock — we core through it, use rock anchors, or adjust spacing. If your last fence company said "the rock stopped us," that's why their posts lean.
Old posts set in concrete are extracted completely — post and footing. We don't cut at grade and build on top. Old footings create weak points and uneven lines.
Heavy-duty adjustable hinges, larger-diameter gate posts set deeper, and self-closing hardware where needed. A gate should swing true and latch clean five years from now.
On slopes, we step or rack the fence properly — consistent height following the grade. This requires more posts and more cuts, which is why some installers avoid slopes. We don't.
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