Dog eared, board on board, picture frame, horizontal and three rail cedar, built by our own crews across Boise since 1972. Posts in concrete, old fence removal in every bid, and a free itemized estimate walked in person.
Cedar is what we build more of than anything else, and it has been since the company started. It is the lowest cost privacy fence per foot, it can be built in more styles than vinyl or iron, and it looks right on a 1910 North End bungalow and a 2024 build in Southeast Boise alike. Western red cedar resists rot and insects on its own, which is why a cedar fence does not need pressure treating to last here.
The Treasure Valley is also easy on cedar compared with wetter climates. Our summers are dry, so the wood does not stay wet for weeks at a time. The things that do wear on it are the sun, which grays the surface, and freeze thaw cycles, which open checks in bare wood. A stain handles both. The one thing that kills a cedar fence early is a post that was never set in concrete, and we do not build those.
This page covers the cedar styles we build in Boise, how we build them, what they cost and how to keep one looking good. If you are weighing cedar against vinyl or iron, start with every fence type we install, and see the full fence cost guide for Boise for per foot ranges across all of them.
Horizontal cedar panels around a Boise backyard with raised garden beds.
Six ways to build a cedar fence, from the plain backyard standard to horizontal on steel posts. Every one of these is a fence our crews have built on a Boise property. More photos, sorted by style, are in the cedar section of our gallery.
01 / DOG EARED
The standard six foot backyard fence and the lowest cost per foot of any privacy fence we build. Pickets side by side on two or three rails, with the top corners clipped. Most Boise backyards are this fence.
From $32 to $45 per foot
02 / BOARD ON BOARD
Pickets overlap on alternating sides so there is no gap when the wood shrinks in its first summer. Full privacy from both faces and a heavier look. The right call on a property line where the neighbor's view matters too.
From $42 to $58 per foot
03 / PICTURE FRAME
A cap rail and trim boards frame each panel on both sides, so the fence looks finished from the street and from the yard. Popular on corner lots and anywhere the fence faces a sidewalk.
From $45 to $62 per foot
04 / HORIZONTAL
Boards run level, usually on black steel posts that will not twist. Every board is fitted, which is why it sits at the top of the cedar range. The fence people ask for on new builds and remodels in Southeast Boise and the North End.
From $60 to $85 per foot
05 / THREE RAIL
Open rail fence for front yards, pathways and acreage, where you want a line and not a wall. Add welded wire mesh on the inside face and it holds a dog without hiding the view.
From $22 to $34 per foot
06 / LATTICE TOP
A foot of lattice on top of a privacy panel buys height and light at the same time. Common where a six foot fence is not quite enough but a solid seven foot wall would feel like one.
Added per foot on top of the panel price
The order is the same on every job. What changes is the ground. Much of Boise sits on caliche hardpan, the Bench has forty year old tree roots along the fence line, and the foothills lots slope. We dig with the right equipment for each, not a hand auger and hope.
Dog eared cedar stepped down a sloped driveway. The fence follows the ground instead of fighting it.
On a slope we either step the runs so each panel stays level, or rack them so the fence follows the grade in one line. Both leave no gap underneath. On corner lots the city limits height where drivers need a sight line, and we build to it. On a shared property line we will talk through the neighbor conversation with you before we pull anything, because that conversation goes better before the old fence is on the ground.
Installed, with the old fence removed and the posts in concrete, six foot dog eared cedar runs about $32 to $45 per foot in the Treasure Valley right now. Board on board and picture frame sit above that, and horizontal cedar on steel posts sits at the top of the cedar range, around $60 to $85 per foot. Gates are priced on top of the footage.
What moves the number on a cedar job is footage, the style, how many gates, whether the lot slopes, and how hard the ground is to dig. A typical 150 foot Boise backyard in dog eared cedar with one walk gate lands somewhere around $5,150 to $7,450 all in. Our fence cost guide breaks down every material we install the same way.
Estimates are free and itemized. We walk the line with you, measure it, and you get a bid that shows what each part costs before you commit to any of it.
Idaho sun and freeze thaw are hard on bare wood. Left alone, a cedar fence goes silver in two or three seasons and starts checking after that. We stain and seal new cedar once it has cured, both faces, and we refinish existing fence that has gone gray. Clear, cedar tone, red and brown are all available, and the stain is quoted per foot alongside the fence bid, about $3 to $6 per foot.
Stained and on concrete footings, a cedar fence in Boise usually gives fifteen to twenty years. The gate and the bottom rail wear first, and both are cheap to replace along the way. There is no minimum on fence repair, so a dropped gate or a wind damaged panel is a normal call for us.
Freshly stained horizontal picture frame cedar on black posts.
Most backyard cedar fence in Boise goes in without a building permit, but the city limits fence height in the front setback and at corners and driveways where drivers need a sight line, and HOAs add their own rules on height, style and sometimes stain color. We will tell you at the estimate if your lot runs into any of those limits, and the bid carries the exact material, height and style so you have something to hand your HOA.
A cedar fence with posts set in concrete and a stain on both faces usually gives fifteen to twenty years in the Treasure Valley. The bottom rail and the gate are what fail first, because that is where water sits and where the weight is. Left unstained, the same fence goes silver in two or three seasons and starts checking after that. Replacing a rail or rehanging a gate at year ten is cheap. Replacing the whole fence at year twelve because the posts rotted is not, which is why we set them in concrete.
Cedar costs less per foot to put in, looks better to most people, and can be built in more styles. Vinyl costs more up front and asks nothing of you after that. If you plan to stay in the house a long time and do not want to stain, vinyl pays for itself. If you want a fence that fits a North End or Bench home, or you want horizontal, picture frame or lattice, cedar is the answer. We install both and will tell you straight which one fits your lot. The per foot ranges for each are on our pricing page.
Yes, and a lot of Boise lots need it, from the foothills down to the Bench. We either step the runs, so each panel is level and the top drops in even increments, or we rack them to follow the grade in one continuous line. Stepping suits board on board and picture frame, racking suits dog eared and three rail. Either way there is no gap under the fence for a dog to get through and no staircase look along the top unless you want one.
We do, and it is in the bid rather than added at the end. Old panels, posts, concrete footings and debris all leave with our crew. If the fence sits on a shared property line we will talk with you about the neighbor conversation before we pull anything.
Most Boise backyards go up in one to three days once the material is on site. Before that we call in a Digline locate, which Idaho requires and which takes a couple of business days. Horizontal cedar takes longer than dog eared because every board is fitted, and gate fabrication and weather are the usual reasons a job runs past that.
We install cedar fence across Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Kuna, Star and Middleton, and across the rest of the Treasure Valley.
Call and tell us roughly how much fence you need and which style you are leaning toward. We will come measure at no charge and leave you an itemized bid.