# Wood Fence Installation in Oxnard, CA > Redwood and cedar fences in Oxnard, from dog-ear privacy to board-on-board and horizontal styles, on posts and fasteners chosen for damp sand and salt air. URL: https://ranchooxnardfence.com/wood-fence-installation/ Want the look of real wood, without posts that rot out in a few years? [Rancho Oxnard Fence](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/) builds redwood and cedar fences across Oxnard. Wood is still the most popular privacy fence here: it looks warm, comes in almost any style, and you can repair it one board at a time. How long yours lasts in Oxnard comes down to what we do at the ground line. ## What we settle on the first visit Before we price it, we settle four things with you: - **Style.** Dog-ear, board-on-board, horizontal slat or picket, picked for privacy, wind and budget. - **Height and placement.** Inside the City of Oxnard, you need no building permit for a wood fence up to 6 ft, and zoning sets the height by where it sits on your lot. We check your address. - **Posts.** Ground-contact rated wood, or steel posts with wood boards on a damp lot. - **Gates.** Width, swing and the heavier post each one needs. Your written estimate names the board species and grade, the post type and the fasteners, so you can compare quotes fairly. ## Redwood or cedar? | | Redwood | Cedar | | --- | --- | --- | | Cost | Usually higher | A little lower | | Color | Holds its reddish tone longer | Weathers to gray sooner | | Weight | Heavier | Lighter | | Decay resistance | Good | Good | Both outlast pine and fir, and both still need good posts, because the boards rarely fail first. Grade matters as much as species: clear and heartwood grades outlast knotty sapwood. We put the grade on your estimate. ## How we build it for damp sand Much of central and south Oxnard is loose, sandy soil, and in winter the water table can sit about 2.5 ft down. Wet sand keeps a wood post damp right at the ground line, and that is where wood fences rot. So we: - **Use ground-contact rated posts**, treated for constant soil moisture. - **Offer steel posts with wood boards**, which takes the rot point away entirely while the fence still looks like wood. - **Make footings wider or deeper** than in firm soil, shaped so the concrete sheds water away from the post. In the wet months we dig and pour each hole the same day, before groundwater collects. See [fence posts in sandy soil](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/fence-posts-sandy-soil/). > Termites on this coast > > Drywood termites are common along this coast and live inside the wood itself, so your rails and boards are at risk, not just the posts. Subterranean termites come up from the soil, which is why we only put treated or naturally resistant wood in the ground. ## Screws that survive the salt air Much of central Oxnard’s soil eats bare steel, and near the harbor and the beach, salt spray adds to it. Cheap nails and screws rust, bleed streaks down the boards and eventually let go. We use hot-dip galvanized or stainless fasteners, which cost a little more and keep your fence tight, and the same on hinges and latches. See [coastal fence materials](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/coastal-fence-materials/). Want the post and screw plan in writing? Our estimate names the wood grade, the post type and the fasteners for your line. (805) 909-4556 ## Styles and what they cost Rancho Oxnard Fence’s typical range for a 6 ft redwood or cedar privacy fence, installed, is about $30 to $70 per linear foot. Redwood, board-on-board, horizontal styles, slopes and tearing out an old fence push your job toward the top. Gates, removal and any permit are separate lines. See the [Oxnard fence cost guide](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/fence-cost-oxnard/). ### Dog-ear privacy Your lowest-cost wood privacy fence. Boards sit side by side and open small gaps as they dry. ### Board-on-board Boards overlap on alternating faces, so there are no gaps and the fence looks the same from both sides. That is handy on a shared fence, where neither neighbor wants the back of it. ### Horizontal slat A clean, modern look on newer and remodeled homes. Long horizontal boards sag between posts unless we set the posts closer or frame the boards, so it costs more per foot. ### Picket Low, spaced boards for your front yard, where height is limited. ## Will a solid wood fence stand up to the wind? A solid 6 ft wood fence catches Santa Ana wind like a sail, and gusts of 50 to 70 mph have been forecast on this coastal plain. On an open lot, we size the posts for the wind first, and spaced boards or a lattice top let some of it pass. See [Santa Ana winds and fences](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/santa-ana-winds-fence/). ## Wood gates Your gate is the heaviest moving part of a wood fence. We hang it on a heavier hinge post in a bigger footing and brace the frame from the bottom hinge corner up to the top latch corner, so the weight pulls it square instead of down. For a wide drive gate we can use a steel frame faced with wood, so it stays square in the wind. We set the latch after the gate has hung a while, so it still lines up once the post settles. See [gate installation](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/gate-installation/) and [how to fix a sagging gate](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/fix-sagging-gate/). ## Wood near the house in fire zones The State Fire Marshal’s updated maps changed fire hazard zones in parts of Oxnard, including the Southwinds and Cypress neighborhoods, and nearby hillside areas carry far more mapped land. Draft state rules for the 5 ft next to a house would keep new wood fencing out of that zone and call for a noncombustible piece where the fence meets the wall. If your lot is mapped, we can make that last section a metal panel or gate, so your fence works whichever way the rules land. ## Keeping your wood fence in shape - Turn sprinkler heads away from the boards, or keep the fence a little above the ground - Keep soil, mulch and firewood off the bottom boards - Use a penetrating stain every few years to slow weathering; it will not fix rot that has started - Replace a broken board or rail as soon as it goes, before the wind works it loose The [wood fence maintenance guide](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/wood-fence-maintenance/) goes further, and [vinyl vs wood](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/vinyl-vs-wood-fence/) compares the two most common choices. For a privacy layout, see [privacy fences](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/privacy-fence-installation/); for gates, see [gate installation](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/gate-installation/). ## What's included - Style, height and board grade chosen at the site walk - Ground-contact rated wood posts, or steel posts with wood infill - Footings sized for sand and wind - Galvanized or stainless fasteners - Rails, boards and cap trim where the style calls for it - Matching walk and drive gates on heavier posts - Cleanup and haul-away ## Wood fence styles compared | Style | Looks like | Good to know | | --- | --- | --- | | Dog-ear privacy | Classic side-by-side boards with clipped tops | Lowest cost wood privacy; gaps open as boards dry | | Board-on-board | Overlapping boards on both faces | No gaps and the same from both sides; more boards per foot | | Horizontal slat | Boards run sideways between posts | Modern look; needs closer posts or a frame to stop sag | | Picket | Low spaced boards | Suits front yards where height is limited | ## Related resources Learn How long does a wood fence last near the coast? A wood fence's life is decided at the ground line. Here is what shortens it on the Oxnard plain, and the care that adds years. Decision Guide Vinyl or wood fence, which is better here? The two most common privacy fences compared on cost, upkeep, wind, termites, salt and repair, for Oxnard's coastal conditions. Learn How deep should fence posts go in sandy soil? Oxnard's sand and shallow winter groundwater change how posts are set. Here is what a footing has to do, and why depth is set at the site, not from a chart. Cost Guide How much does a fence cost in Oxnard? Our typical ranges per linear foot, what each part of the price pays for, and the Oxnard conditions that move your number. ## How your fence job runs 1. You call Tell us what you need, where and by when. Photos of the old fence or the yard help. 2. We walk the line We check your corners, gates, slope and anything buried along the run. 3. We handle permits and DigAlert We pull a permit only where you need one, and get utility marks before we dig. 4. We build it Footings sized for your ground, rails and panels next, gates hung last. 5. We walk it with you Gate swing, latches, cleanup and haul-away, checked together. ## What this work looks like Close view of a horizontal redwood fence with narrow even gaps New cedar privacy fence along a back yard New redwood privacy fence with neat rows of screws on each board Low redwood picket fence and gate in front of a stucco bungalow Before After Planning a wood fence? Send the length, the style you like and a photo of the line. The estimate names the wood grade and the post type. (805) 909-4556 ## Wood fences questions ### Is redwood or cedar better for a fence in Oxnard? Both resist decay better than pine. Redwood usually costs more and holds its color longer; cedar is lighter and a little cheaper. On damp lots the posts decide how long the fence lasts more than the board species does. ### Do wood fences attract termites near the coast? Western drywood termites are common along the Pacific coast and can infest wood without touching soil, and subterranean termites move up from the ground. Treated or naturally resistant wood at ground contact, steel posts and keeping soil and mulch off the boards all reduce the risk. ### Why do new wood fence boards shrink and leave gaps? Boards dry after installation and shrink across their width. Dog-ear privacy fences open small gaps as they do; board-on-board and shadow-box styles overlap boards so gaps stay covered. ### Should a new wood fence be stained right away? Most new wood needs time to dry before a penetrating stain will soak in. The timing depends on the wood and the season, and the estimate can include staining as a separate line. ### Can a wood fence go right up against my house? It can meet the house at a separate post set just off the wall. In mapped fire hazard zones, draft state rules for the 5 ft next to a house would keep new combustible fencing out, so that last section may be planned in metal. ## Related services Privacy fences Solid and semi-private fences in wood or vinyl, planned around where height is allowed, wind and the neighbor next door. Fence replacement Tear-out, a line check and a new fence, usually in one visit, often in a material that suits the lot better than the old one. Gate installation and repair Walk, double and side-yard gates on posts sized to carry them, and repairs for gates that sag, drag or will not latch.