Privacy Fencing in Metro Detroit — Close the View, Keep the Yard

Privacy fencing is the job most metro Detroit homeowners actually want: a six-foot wall between your patio and the next kitchen window. BH Fencing builds that wall in wood or vinyl — board-on-board, shadowbox, or solid privacy — with posts that stay put through freeze-thaw and clay soil, not a weekend special that leans by the second spring.

What “Privacy” Means on These Lots

On a Warren ranch, privacy often means replacing four-foot chain link so you can sit outside without watching the alley. On a Ferndale or Royal Oak lot, it means a tall face on a short side yard so two houses twenty feet apart can both have a Saturday. On a Shelby or Rochester Hills acre, it means a long run that actually finishes, not a three-sided compromise.

Height and style aren't just taste. Cities cap fence height; HOAs cap materials. We'll tell you what usually flies in your city and what we see approved on your kind of street — then we build the tallest honest privacy you can put there.

• Six-foot wood privacy — dog-ear, flat-top, board-on-board
• Six-foot vinyl privacy in HOA-friendly colors
• Shadowbox when both neighbors want a finished face
• Horizontal wood for a modern privacy wall on a small lot
• Gates placed so trash, mowers, and guests still fit

Board-on-Board vs. Shadowbox vs. Solid

Solid privacy is boards tight on one side — maximum hide, more wind load. Board-on-board overlaps so you don't get seasonal gaps when wood dries. Shadowbox staggers boards on both sides: better look from the neighbor's yard, a little airflow, slightly less “wall.” Vinyl privacy is a molded solid face; the choice there is height, color, and whether you want a lattice top.

Wind is the sleeper issue. A six-foot solid run on an open Canton or Sterling Heights lot catches spring storms. We set posts and rails for that load. A cheap privacy fence that blows over isn't privacy — it's a pile.

• Solid face when you want the most hide per foot
• Board-on-board to limit gaps as wood seasons
• Shadowbox for two-sided finish and a bit of breeze
• Vinyl when you want privacy without stain duty
• Post spacing and depth sized for a six-foot wind sail

Typical Privacy Fence Cost

Six-foot wood privacy typically runs about $28–$48 per linear foot; a typical backyard is often $4,000–$9,000. Vinyl privacy typically runs about $40–$65 per linear foot, with many backyards in the $5,500–$12,000 range. Gates, corners, slopes, and tear-out change the total. These are typical ranges, not quotes.

We'll measure your line and put wood and vinyl side by side if you want both numbers. Financing is available on approved credit.

• Wood privacy 6 ft: typically $28–$48/lf
• Typical wood backyard: about $4,000–$9,000
• Vinyl privacy: typically $40–$65/lf
• Typical vinyl backyard: about $5,500–$12,000
• Walk gates typically $400–$1,200

Neighbors, Lines, and the Awkward Conversation

A privacy fence lives on a property line. We install to the line you show us — pins, survey, or a written agreement with the neighbor. We don't guess a line from a row of hostas. If you need a survey, say so before we dig; moving a finished fence is the expensive way to learn.

Good-neighbor and shadowbox styles exist because both yards have to look at this thing. We'll help you pick a face that doesn't start a feud, then we build it straight.

• We build to your marked line — survey recommended when it's fuzzy
• Good-neighbor and shadowbox options when both sides pay
• Height planned for city and HOA rules, not wishful thinking
• Clear quote that includes tear-out if the old fence is in the way
• Cleanup so the shared line isn't a debris field

Built for Freeze-Thaw, Not a Catalog Photo

Privacy fences fail at the posts and the bottom. We set below frost, keep wood off wet grade, and use vinyl systems that don't wick splash. Clay soil in much of Wayne and Macomb holds water; we drain the hole instead of pouring a bathtub around the post.

That's the difference between a fence that still screens the patio in year eight and one you can see through because the whole run leaned toward the alley.

• Frost-depth posts in clay that actually drains
• Bottom clearance so melt and mower don't destroy the first board
• Rails and fasteners for Michigan wind, not a calm catalog yard
• Gates that still clear the grade after the ground moves
• Workmanship guarantee on the install

What's included

• On-site measure of the privacy line, gates, and grade
• Wood or vinyl privacy system as specified in your quote
• Board-on-board, shadowbox, or solid face as agreed
• Posts set below frost with clay-soil drainage in mind
• Matching privacy gates hung and latched
• Old fence removal when included
• Debris haul-away and a clean shared line
• Workmanship guarantee