Decks & Fences
Fence Installation in Charleston, SC
Posts set for ground that stays wet, not just for the fence above them.
Posts set for ground that stays wet, not just for the fence above them.
Quick answer: A Lowcountry fence usually fails at the posts where they meet wet soil, so post setting (concrete sloped away, or gravel with drainage) matters more than the panel. Confirm the property line and any HOA height, material and finished-side rules before material is ordered. Published Charleston examples: wood privacy $25–$45 and vinyl $35–$60 per linear foot (Holy City Fence; cost guide; not our quotes). Licensed SC general contractor CLG.127339. Call (843) 718-8177.
Related: Why Are My Deck Posts Rotting at the Base (and Why Did the Termite Inspector Flag It)?.
That is why post setting is the part worth asking about. Concrete poured in a collar around a post can hold water against the timber rather than shedding it, and a post sitting in a wet cup rots at exactly the line where it is hardest to see. Sloping the concrete away, or gravel-setting with drainage, changes how long the fence lasts more than the choice of panel does.
Property lines matter more than people expect. A fence built even slightly over a boundary is a legal problem rather than a carpentry one, and neighbors who were relaxed about it at the time are not always the neighbors who are there in five years. Where the line is uncertain, it is worth establishing before anything is dug.
Many neighborhoods have rules about height, material and which side faces out. That is worth checking before ordering material rather than after installing it.
We take this work across greater Charleston, from Summerville and Goose Creek to Mount Pleasant, West Ashley and the sea islands, and on the York County side around Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. More on our deck and fence services.
Ground moisture, and usually the way they were set. A concrete collar that traps water against the post keeps it permanently wet at the soil line, which is precisely where it rots and where you cannot see it.
How the post is set matters more for lifespan than which panel goes on it.
Yes, before anything is dug. A fence over a boundary is a legal problem, not a carpentry one, and it does not get easier with time or with new neighbors.
Convention is that the finished side faces out, and in many neighborhoods it is a rule rather than a convention.
Worth checking with the HOA before material is ordered.