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Fence Styles: Privacy, Picket, Decorative, Ranch and Security
How the common fence styles differ, what each one is for, and which pages cover them in detail.
Style Is About What You See Through the Fence
Material is what a fence is made of. Style is how it is put together: solid or open, tall or low, plain or shaped. Two wood fences built from the same lumber can behave very differently depending on whether the pickets touch, overlap, alternate or run sideways.
This guide groups the fences QC Fence Contractors installs around Charlotte into five broad styles. Below them is every wood style page in our fence types index, since wood is where the style choice matters most.
Five Fence Style Categories
Privacy Fence Styles
Dog ear, shadowbox, board on board and horizontal
Security Fence Styles
Chain link, barbed wire and ornamental steel
Decorative Fence Styles
Aluminum, iron, lattice top and scalloped wood
Picket Fence Styles
Wood, vinyl and aluminum picket fences
Ranch Fence Styles
Split rail, board and crossbuck fences for acreage
Individual Fence Style Pages
Wood fence styles
The same posts and rails, with the pickets arranged eight different ways. Each page explains how the style is built, how private it is and where it works best.
- Dog ear fences
Side-by-side pickets with clipped corners. The standard privacy fence.
- Shadowbox fences
Alternating pickets on both sides of the rails.
- Board on board fences
Overlapping pickets that never show a gap.
- Stockade fences
Pointed pickets set tight together.
- Horizontal fences
Boards run flat between posts.
- Semi-privacy fences
Spaced pickets with flat or scalloped tops.
- Lattice top fences
A solid fence with an open lattice band above.
- Wood fences with metal posts
Any of these styles hung on steel posts.
Other styles worth a look
- Split rail fences
Open rails for large lots, with wire for dogs.
- Ornamental steel fences
Welded steel pickets for a formal boundary.
- Garden fences
Low picket and wire fences for beds.
- Black chain link fences
Chain link that blends into the yard.
Fence Style Questions
Which fence style gives the most privacy?
Board on board wood fence and solid vinyl panels, because neither opens gaps over time. A dog ear fence is close behind and costs less.
Which style looks good from both sides?
Shadowbox. Pickets alternate on each side of the rails, so neither neighbor gets the back of the fence. Vinyl, aluminum and steel fences are also the same on both faces.
What style suits a front yard?
Low and open ones: picket, aluminum, ornamental steel or split rail. Front yard fences are commonly limited in height by zoning and HOA rules, so check what your address allows.
What style works on a sloped lot?
Site-built wood styles follow a slope most closely because each picket is cut to the ground. Aluminum panels rack to the grade. Vinyl and composite panels are usually stepped.
Can I mix styles on one property?
Yes. Privacy fence on the sides with an open fence across the back is common, and so is a taller section beside a patio. Transitions are made at a post so they look planned.
Fence Styles Built Across the Charlotte Metro
Our crews work from offices across the Charlotte metro in North Carolina and in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Offices
- Fence contractors in Belmont, NC
- Fence contractors in Huntersville, NC
- Fence contractors in Charlotte, NC
- Fence contractors in Matthews, NC
- Fence contractors in Ashbrook, NC
- Fence contractors in Harrisburg, NC
- Fence contractors in Concord, NC
- Fence contractors in Rock Hill, SC
Service areas
See addresses and maps on the QC Fence Contractors locations page.
Not Sure Which Style Fits?
Send a photo of the yard or ask us out to look. We will suggest a style and price it in writing.