Aluminum Fence Styles and Panel Types
Flat-Top and Spear-Top Aluminum
On a flat-top panel the pickets stop at or under the top rail. On a spear-top panel the pickets run past it to a pointed finial, which reads as more formal. Both come in the ornamental styles that imitate wrought iron, usually 4 to 8 feet tall.
- Picket style: $25 to $50 a foot installed
- Ornamental style: $40 to $75 a foot installed
- Decorative accents: often 10% to 20% more
Aluminum Pool Fencing
Aluminum is a common pool barrier because it doesn't rust, and most pool panels arrive with the rails already attached. Guides list pool-style panels at 4 to 6 feet tall, but a California pool enclosure has stricter height and gap minimums, so buy the taller panel. The rules are on our pool fence page.
- Aluminum pool fence: about $30 to $45 a foot installed
Puppy-Picket Aluminum
A puppy-picket panel adds a third rail near the ground and extra short pickets between the bottom rails, so small dogs can't slip through.
- Rails: 3
- Picket spacing at the bottom: under 3 inches
- Height for dogs: 4 to 6 feet, posts in concrete
Larger runs and kennels are covered under dog runs and kennels.
Racked Panels on Sloped Yards
A rackable panel has oversized picket holes in the rails, so the panel can lean into a parallelogram that follows the ground instead of stepping down in stairs. That leaves no triangle gaps under the fence on a slope.
- Rack range: 4 to 24 inches over a 6-foot panel, depending on the brand
- Steep, rocky ground: $15 to $20 or more a foot extra in labor
- Grading a slope level instead: $500 to $3,000
Aluminum Gates
Walk gates come in the same style and color as the panels. Ask for a self-closing hinge and a latch that suits children or pets if the gate opens onto a street or pool.
- Standard aluminum gate: about $450 to $1,000
Wider gates with motors are on driveway gates.
Why Hesperia homeowners call Hesperia Expert Fencing
- Calling or using the form doesn't cost you anything
- We send your job to one contractor, so your phone isn't ringing all week
- Ask for posts, footings, gates and haul-away priced line by line
- Look up the C-13 (fence) or C-29 (block wall) license at cslb.ca.gov
Aluminum Fence Cost by Style
National cost guides price installed aluminum by style. Materials make up $15 to $50 of each foot and labor $10 to $25 on fences up to 6 feet tall.
| Style | Installed, per linear foot |
|---|---|
| Split rail | $20-$40 |
| Picket | $25-$50 |
| Pool | $30-$45 |
| Ornamental | $40-$75 |
| Privacy (solid or slatted) | $75-$130 |
As an example, 150 feet of ornamental aluminum at $40 to $75 a foot comes to $6,000 to $11,250 (our arithmetic), before gates. A permit adds $40 to $150 in national terms, and tearing out an old fence is priced on our fence removal page.
Installation Steps
- 1
Measure and pick panels
The installer checks the grade to decide between rackable and stepped panels. - 2
Set posts
Aluminum posts usually go 2 to 3 feet deep in concrete, deeper for taller fences. - 3
Let the concrete cure
Allow one to four days before loading the posts. - 4
Hang panels and gates
Most fences are up in 2 to 4 days. Check that each gate closes and latches by itself before the last payment.
Sun, Finish and Front Yards in Hesperia
High Desert sun is hard on color. HomeGuide lists fading as one of aluminum's drawbacks and names polyester powder coating as the most durable finish, so ask what coating the panels carry and what the maker says about fade. Black, bronze, pewter and white are the common powder-coat colors.
Open aluminum pickets are a good fit for front yards, where Hesperia keeps solid fences low. The height limits for see-through ornamental fences are on our wrought iron fence page.