Fences & Gates

A fence looks like the simplest thing in landscaping and is one of the easiest to get wrong, because every fault shows in a long straight line. A properly built privacy fence stands plumb and straight along its whole run, holds a consistent line and top height over changing grade, has no visible fastener heads walking out of the boards, and carries gates that still latch on the first try in year ten. A cheap fence has posts augered to whatever depth the machine hit refusal at, boards nailed straight to rails with no allowance for movement, and a gate that begins to drag by the second summer. As a privacy fence contractor across the GTA we treat a fence as a series of engineered cantilevers: every post is a column in the ground resisting wind load, and the fence is only ever as good as the weakest post. Modern horizontal designs and pool-code screens raise the bar further, because they expose any deviation in level, spacing or plumb.

Posts do all the structural work. We set posts in concrete to a minimum depth of 1.2 metres in most Toronto and Vaughan soils, below the frost line, because a post embedded only 600 millimetres in heavy clay will be jacked upward by frost within a few winters and take the whole panel with it. As a rule of thumb, embedment should be at least a third of the exposed height, deeper on tall or solid privacy fences that catch wind like a sail. Holes are augered wider at the base where possible, the concrete is crowned above grade and sloped so water sheds away from the post rather than pooling at the collar, and we keep the post off the bottom of the hole on clear stone so any moisture can drain instead of sitting at the end grain. Gate posts get oversized holes and often 250 millimetres of extra depth, and on wide or driveway gates we tie posts back or use a steel post set in a larger footing, because gate loads are cyclical and unforgiving. Rails are fastened through into the post, not toe-nailed, and all hardware is hot-dip galvanised or stainless to survive contact with copper-based treated lumber. On horizontal designs post spacing is tightened, commonly to 1.5 metres, to control board deflection over long spans.

Material choice sets the maintenance and the look. Western red cedar is the GTA standard for good reason: naturally rot resistant, dimensionally stable, and beautiful whether left to weather silver or finished with a penetrating stain to hold its warm tone. Pressure-treated spruce is the value option and works well when the boards are properly dried before finishing. For truly low-maintenance runs, composite fencing and aluminium-framed composite panels never need staining and will not cup or check. On modern homes through Thornhill, Forest Hill and Vaughan we build horizontal fences in clear cedar or thermally modified wood with a consistent shadow gap, sometimes framed in blackened aluminium, and mix in slatted privacy screens to isolate a hot tub or dining area. Pool enclosures must satisfy municipal pool-code requirements on minimum height, maximum gap dimensions, absence of climbable horizontal members on the outside face, and self-closing, self-latching gates with the latch mounted at the required height. Gates run from simple garden gates to sliding or swinging driveway gates with automation, intercom and safety edges, always built with a welded or diagonally braced frame that cannot rack.

Layout is designed and agreed before anything is dug. We survey the property line, ideally against your survey plan, walk the grade change along each run, locate mature tree roots, utilities and locates, and identify where neighbours' structures, window wells or existing footings will affect post placement. Then we model the fence on your actual yard and render it photorealistically so you can see the finished height against your neighbour's roofline, how the top line will step or rake with the slope, the effect of a horizontal shadow gap versus a board-on-board pattern, and how gates read from the driveway. You approve the design, then receive a fixed itemized quote covering post count and depth, material grade, hardware, gates, automation and any demolition and disposal. Our carpenters build every fence, our electricians handle gate automation and any integrated lighting, and one project lead runs the site. A typical residential fence installation in Toronto takes two to six days depending on run length, gate complexity and hand-digging around obstacles.

The failures we replace are almost always the same. Fences leaning in a wave along their length because posts were set too shallow and frost lifted them unevenly. Rotted post bases where concrete was troweled flat or dished, holding water against the wood at grade. Gates dragging on the ground because a single undersized post is slowly rotating, or because a frame was built as a rectangle with no diagonal brace or tension cable. Horizontal boards bowed in the middle because posts were spaced at 2.4 metres like a conventional panel fence. Nail heads and rust streaks from the wrong fasteners in treated lumber. Pool gates that no longer self-close because inexpensive hinges lost tension, which is a genuine safety and compliance problem, not a cosmetic one. Fences built over the line and later disputed because nobody looked at the survey. We address causes: re-dig to proper depth, crown the concrete, re-space posts for the design, rebuild gate frames with real bracing and adjustable hardware, and confirm the line on paper before we start.

Pricing is driven by linear metreage, height, material grade, post count and hole depth, the number and width of gates, whether automation is included, and how much old fence has to be removed and hauled away. Hand-digging around roots, hard fill or tight side yards adds labour, as does building on a significant slope where every panel is custom. Expect fifteen to twenty-five years from a well-built cedar privacy fence with periodic staining, and thirty or more from composite systems with essentially no finishing. Maintenance is straightforward: wash annually, restain wood every three to five years, keep mulch and soil off the boards, and adjust gate hinges once a season. Our fences carry a multi-year workmanship warranty alongside the material manufacturers' coverage, and after twelve years and more than three hundred and eighty projects we know exactly which details fail first in GTA freeze-thaw. A straight, well-detailed fence also frames every other element in the yard, which is why it is worth building once. Call (416) 846-5893 to book a site measure and 3D design.