A homeowner’s job is never finished. Even when there’s not urgent repairs or maintenance, you’re always thinking about ways to make your house look more attractive – a new shrub here, stepping stones there. You also think about your family or pets and ways to make them more secure. Sometimes, you even think about what you can do to make your home more attractive to future buyers. An ornamental aluminum fence can cover all your bases.

An Aluminum Fence is a Secure, Elegant Solution

An aluminum fence adds beauty, value and security to your home with several distinct advantages over other types of fencing, including ornamental steel or wrought iron.

First, let’s look at the advantages of an aluminum fence over other types such as wood, vinyl or chain link:

A Touch of Elegance

An aluminum fence is the most attractive fencing you can add to your home, meaning it will add the most value when you sell your home. A metal fence automatically adds a prestigious look to your home and increases its curb appeal. Aluminum fences come in a variety of styles that are suited for all types of architecture, from traditional to contemporary, so don’t think your house isn’t suitable for ornamental fencing. A professional designer can direct you to the perfect fence.

An ornamental fence also enhances the landscaping of your home, accenting the beautiful plantings you have cultivated around your lawn.

A Security Force

Maybe you don’t want to hide your home away from the world, but you do want to keep it safe from predators. An aluminum fence is strong enough and can be built to any height to discourage potential trouble. Just the challenge of a metal fence will send criminals down the road searching for an easier target.

If part of your security concern is keeping children and pet inside the fence, you can add an unobtrusive mesh on the inside of the fence to make it less penetrable.

An aluminum fence also offers advantages over steel and wrought iron:

An Economical Alternative

An ornamental aluminum fence will give you basically the same look as steel or wrought iron, but at a lower cost. Aluminum fencing generally runs $25-40 per foot installed whereas steel is $30-45 per foot and wrought iron is $35-50 per foot. The cost difference will increase as you add decorative features and gates that will make your fence more unique and more appropriate for your home and your style. Then there’s the maintenance costs — your money and free time.

Maintenance Advantage

Aluminum also will save you more through the life of the fence as it is virtually maintenance-free. Steel and wrought iron will rust and lose finish, so they need to be refinished every few years. An aluminum fence will not rust and will maintain its finish for the lifetime of the fence.

Not having to maintain a fence regularly is incredible, especially when it does not require any sacrifices to style. With no need to worry about the three time-consuming tasks of painting, sanding, and scraping, you can have a much better experience with an aluminum fence because of how hands-free it can be.

Powder Coated Colors Allow for Variation

Some fences have tough limitations in regard to the color schemes you have to choose from, but this is not the case for aluminum fences. Choosing matte gray, sandstone, or shiny black is all possible because powder coating allows paint to stick to the metal surface of aluminum just fine.

Environmentally Friendly

While steel, iron and aluminum are earth-friendly materials and are finished with environmentally safe coatings, aluminum is the only one that is 100 percent recyclable. It also can be recycled multiple times because it does not break down during the recycling process. The industry standard, according to the American Fence Association, calls for aluminum fences to be made of at least 70 percent recycled aluminum.

Once you’ve decided on you’ve decided on the style, design and color of your new aluminum fence, it’s time to think about how to keep it looking great for decades to come.

Keep Your Aluminum Fence in Good Shape with the Right Landscaping

While aluminum is generally a very sturdy and long-lasting material for fencing, your landscaping can get in the way if you’re not careful.

Schedule Regular Tree Services

Falling branches and limbs can mean big trouble for your fencing, and they can lead to the aluminum fence being severely damaged. To prevent any problems for the fencing, look into scheduling routine tree trimming services.

With regular maintenance, weak or heavy limbs can be removed so they don’t threaten to fall on your fencing.

Avoid Planting Intrusive Shrubs Nearby

Shrubs may look nice lining the fencing around your property, but they could end up damaging the aluminum fence if you’re not careful in their planting. To prevent them from weighing down on the fence or weakening the fence by growing roots underneath it, make sure to plant them a few feet away.

Use Trellises for Climbing Vines

Climbing vines are a popular choice for aluminum fencing, but they can actually be detrimental to the sturdiness of the aluminum fence. In order for your fence to remain sturdy, make sure to use trellises instead for the vines to cling to.

Limit Water Exposure from Sprinklers

Water from nearby sprinkler systems can lead significant wear on your aluminum fence, eroding your coating and paint over the long term. It is important to avoid having the sprinklers faced towards the fence.

Considering Your Materials, Layout and the Issue of Slopes

You will also have to consider the aluminum fence’s materials as well as dealing with the problem of ground slopes.

Consider Height and Material

You have some options in the height of the fence. This can be decided by the height of the panels you choose as well as the posts. Panels can come flat-topped for a more conservative look or with spikes for ornamental tastes. Those who want to recreate the look of antique wrought-iron fencing usually choose the spiked panels.

All of these can come in varying heights for whatever purpose you have in mind. Some people don’t plan to keep children or pets contained in their yard, so a shorter aluminum fence can be used strictly for stylization purposes. These always look eye-catching around residential property.

Consider which type of posts you may need based on where you’re placing your fence. Line posts will be used if you’ll only be using a straight stretch of fence. Corner posts will be used if you’re placing fencing at angles around your property. All posts are pre-drilled for each intended purpose.

Dealing with Slopes

SFGate reminds that extreme slopes on your property pose issues in using fencing. It’s a good idea to assess the nature of the sloping before making any decisions. The good news is that some slight sloping isn’t necessarily a problem. If you have a fence that’s 6-feet high and the slope is less than a foot, panels can be slanted (otherwise known as raked) in order to keep the fence straight. It’s a unique engineering feat that’s proven to work.

You can stair-step the panels if the slope happens to be more than a foot. End posts must be used in this scenario to keep the fence stable. However, it’s another example of how clever engineering can help you enjoy aluminum fencing when slopes become a concern on your property.

When you’re ready to enhance your home with a new fence, contact us about the best option for your home. Beitzell Fence is a family-owned business with nearly 30 years’ experience in the McLean, Va., area. Our designers will be happy to work with you to find the perfect look to complement your home and provide a free estimate on the cost of your new fence. We are proud members of the American Fence Association and the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association.