Decorative Fence Styles: Aluminum, Iron and Shaped Wood Tops

Decorative fences are mostly open: you see through them or over them. They suit front yards, corner lots, gardens, and back yards with a view worth keeping.

QC Fence Contractors installs decorative fencing in metal and wood across the Charlotte metro. The job photos on this page are our own work.

• Black aluminum: flat top or spear top pickets. The most common decorative fence we install, especially on lake lots.
• Ornamental steel and wrought iron style fence: heavier, with welded details, often between brick or stone columns.
• Semi-privacy wood fence with a scalloped or arched top line.
• Lattice top fence in wood or vinyl.
• Picket fence in wood, vinyl or aluminum.
• Split rail for a rustic boundary.
• Arched and shaped gates, including driveway gates, which are often the decorative focus of the whole fence.

With an open fence everything shows. Posts have to be evenly spaced, tops have to run in a clean line, and the fence has to meet the grade neatly. On a slope, a racked aluminum panel keeps its rails parallel to the ground. A scalloped wood fence has to be laid out so each scallop lands between posts.

Front yard fences are the most regulated. Zoning commonly holds them lower than back yard fences, corner lots often have sight line rules at the intersection, and HOAs often specify the exact style. Check before you choose.