Aluminum Fence Styles and Options
Most aluminum fence sold for homes is black, powder-coated and built in ready-made panels. The real choices are the top style, the height, whether you need privacy, and how the panels handle a slope.
Flat-Top Aluminum Fence
A rail caps the pickets, so nothing sticks up and nothing gets caught. Fixr calls the two-rail flat top one of the most common residential styles, often seen around pools. A three-rail version adds a rail near the top for a more finished look.
- Guide price for a plain aluminum picket style: about $25 to $50 per linear foot installed
- Aluminum pickets are usually thinner than wood or vinyl pickets, so judge a sample panel in person
- For small dogs, ask about a puppy-picket bottom (see Dog Fences)
Spear-Top and Finial Aluminum Fence
Spear tops give aluminum the look of wrought iron for less money and no rust. A staggered spear line, with picket heights that alternate, is harder to climb. Fixr's sample job, 100 feet of 4-foot staggered spear-top fence, came to about $7,150, inside a $3,000 to $8,500 range. Arched panels with finials between the arches sit at the top of the price list.
- Ornamental aluminum: about $40 to $75 per linear foot installed, usually 4 to 8 feet tall
Aluminum Privacy Fence
Standard aluminum is see-through, so privacy means adding slats or ordering solid panels. These are the most expensive aluminum builds, and the difference between the two methods is worth pricing both ways.
- Slats set into an ornamental frame: about $75 to $110 per linear foot
- Solid 6-foot shadowbox or board-on-board aluminum: about $90 to $130 per linear foot
If you're after a modern slat look in wood or composite instead, see Horizontal Fences.
Rackable Aluminum for Slopes
Cost guides list "fits uneven or sloped landscapes" as one of aluminum's strengths. Ask the installer whether the panels will rack to follow the grade or step down in level sections, and how big the gap under the bottom rail will be at the low points. That gap matters if the fence holds in a small dog or serves as a pool barrier. Steep ground with rocky clay can add $15 to $20 or more per foot in labor, according to HomeGuide.
Aluminum Gates
A standard aluminum walk gate is 36 inches wide, and 32- to 34-inch gates are sold for tight spots. Guides put a standard aluminum gate at about $450 to $1,000 installed. Wider openings for a car or trailer belong with Driveway Gates. A gate in a pool fence has to self-close and self-latch under Florida's pool barrier rule (see Pool Fences).
Why Tallahassee homeowners call Tallahassee Expert Fencing
- The call and the form are free
- Your request goes to one contractor, not a list of bidders
- Ask for posts, gates, removal and cleanup priced line by line
- Hold the final payment until the gates swing and latch
Aluminum Fence Cost by Style
National installed ranges per linear foot from HomeGuide's aluminum guide. A measured quote replaces them.
| Aluminum style | Installed per linear foot |
|---|---|
| Split rail | $20-$40 |
| Picket | $25-$50 |
| Pool | $30-$45 |
| Ornamental | $40-$75 |
| Slat privacy in an ornamental frame | $75-$110 |
| Solid privacy, 6 ft | $90-$130 |
Labor makes up about $10 to $25 of each foot and materials $15 to $50. Gates and removal of an old fence come on top.
Questions to Ask Before an Aluminum Fence Goes In
Post depth
Guides say aluminum posts usually go 2 to 3 feet deep in concrete, deeper for taller fences. Ask what depth the quote assumes.Finish
A polyester powder coat is the most scratch-resistant. Black, bronze, pewter and white are common, and black comes in gloss, matte and textured finishes.Strength
Aluminum dents and bends on impact and isn't as strong as steel. If a falling limb or security is the worry, compare Wrought Iron and Ornamental Steel Fences.Color over time
The coating can fade over the years, so ask what touch-up paint the panels' maker offers.Before the auger comes out
Get buried lines marked; the free 811 call is explained on Chain Link Fences.
See Pool Fences if the fence will enclose a pool.