What's up with the wood fences? (Cinco Ranch: insurance, houses, maintenance)

[davidt1]

Since I have been here, I have been curious why people have wood fences in this hot, humid hurricane country instead of brick walls. Woods don't do well in this kind of weather whereas bricks will last practically forever. The hurricane just proved my point, knocking most them down. Is is the cost? City code prohibiting brick fence? I am curious.

[jfre81]

....ahem.

[davidt1]

I would be able to find one too if I drive for miles and look really hard cause I haven't seen any in my zip code. I can show you 100 damaged wood fences for everyone of those. Clever response, but that doesn't answer my question.

[stratfordspartans]

Originally Posted by davidt1

I would be able to find one too if I drive for miles and look really hard cause I haven't seen any in my zip code. I can show you 100 damaged wood fences for everyone of those. Clever response, but that doesn't answer my question.

It's all about cost! When the builders put in the fences their gonna go with the lowest cost option available which would be to use wood versus brick which can be 5x or more costly than wood. Plus wood pickets are readily available at your local hardware store and easily transportable, whereas brick, you have to order from companies such as Acme and have them deliver it to your home via truck.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by davidt1

I would be able to find one too if I drive for miles and look really hard cause I haven't seen any in my zip code. I can show you 100 damaged wood fences for everyone of those. Clever response, but that doesn't answer my question.

FWIW, the wood fence around my porch held up just fine.

Cost factors into it, and I don't really see what you're getting at about the heat. Also, the brick fences will start crumbling over time as the ground under it sinks/shifts. The soils here are bad about that.

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Also, the brick fences will start crumbling over time as the ground under it sinks/shifts. The soils here are bad about that.

Do you also get foundation problems?

[tstone]

It's all about cost, the same way builders don't use 100% brick veneer unless you pay a pretty penny. Most of the fences around me held up ok, but they are about 12-13 years old. DavidT, the Sage/Kirk part of town is significantly older, which may have something to do with it (maintenance). I have about 275 feet of wooden fence, and a total of 35 feet dropped. Considering a line of trees snapped before and after it, it was most likely due to a small tornado. Most people here didn't have any fencing drop.

And yes, we will all get foundation problems someday due to the fault creep.

[potato head8]

this is just pure personal opinion, but wooden fences are far easier to replace over time. also, brick fences seem too "my territory," seem to block out the neighbor, and add a sort of dark quality to the backyard.

in my own childhood home (northwest houston), the wooden fence has been replaced maybe twice (over a 25 year period). it wasn't too big a deal, as i imagine a brick fence would be (it would most likely need to be replaced as the land shifted over time). my personal preference is a wrought iron fence or a landscaped stucco one, but the former lends no privacy & the latter doesn't match the area's style.

[texdav]

Many learned that brick fences don't hold up to high winds in Rita and cost more to replace. Even cider block that is not rebarred and filled with concrete destroys easily.Wood fences are easy to preplace and most of the fencing if in decent shape can be reused. During Rita insurance companies payed to replace wood fences and there were miles of one-two year old fencing section gotten for free all around where I live.

[sbhubbell]

Yep cost. In Cinco Ranch all fences that face main roads are brick, maintained by the community, but anyone whose yard faces other houses or a ditch (like mine) are wood. A LOT of people here had sections of fence fall, especially depending on how the house was situated, what was around, etc. We were lucky and didn't have any damage.