This project is nearly a year in the making, and today I’m thrilled to finally share the details about our new backyard fence and DIY arbor!
Table of Contents
Choosing a fence
A fence was always on our wishlist, but not within our budget when we first built our house. Our house sits on a corner lot, so that meant zero privacy in our backyard—and consequently, we rarely took advantage of the space.
On our neighboring side, the fence was in rough shape and a constant eyesore. I was counting down the days until we could replace it!
That day finally came last spring, when we decided it was time to reach out to fence companies. We briefly considered building our own, but realized our time and energy was better spent on the Hacienda Hideaway.
I had plenty of time to think about the type and style of fence that I wanted, and I landed on a lattice top black fence—kind of like this:
Because we’re in central Florida and the elements are unforgiving, I was set on using vinyl instead of wood. Wood stands no chance out here after a few summers, as evidenced by countless other warped and decaying wood fences in our neighborhood.
We found several local vinyl fence distributors, but only one had the color and style I wanted, and it was no longer available (this was at the height of supply chain issues last spring). We didn’t want to wait any longer, so we gave in and hired a fencing company to build a wood fence.
Surprisingly, it was a challenge just to find someone who was willing to build a fence with a lattice top. And we had to wait several months to get on the schedule!
Finally, last September, the fence build began. Even though wood wasn’t my first choice, it was so nice to finally have privacy in our backyard!
Our next door neighbors wanted to keep their fence (technically it was theirs, even though it was installed backwards) so we had to compromise, and covered the old fence with new pickets.
We were anxious to stain it black, but new wood (especially pressure treated!) has to fully dry out for a long time—months—before you can stain it. So we patiently waited all fall and winter long.
Adding post caps and finials
The fence was looking pretty good, but it felt incomplete without post caps. After a long search, I landed on these miterless fence post caps (similar here) and inexpensive ball finials:
I’m really happy with these!
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. We’re about to re-do our landscaping (more on that in a future post!) but before that could happen, we needed to finish this fence. And that meant tackling another project: building a fence arbor!
Building a fence arbor with planters
I found this wood arbor last summer and couldn’t pass it up—nice design, the right size and an absolute STEAL compared to everything else out there (and a better deal than building from scratch!)
It had to be built into the fence somehow, so we came up with the idea of raising it up and adding planters on each side. This was going to take some creativity and a little force, because none of the wood was straight, level or square.
First, we had to dig out and level the ground for the planter boxes:
Next, the planter frames were built using pressure treated 2x4s and joined with pocket holes:
It took a whole lot of shimming, leveling, and adjusting to pull it all together…
The planter boxes were cladded in decking boards (from Home Depot) and mitered for a cleaner look.
A few finishing touches, and they were done!
We had the fence pressure washed before moving onto the next step…
Staining the fence black
Finally… it was time for stain! Lucas figured this would be a pretty easy DIY he could tackle in one day. We chose Cabot semi-solid exterior stain in black after research/local recommendations, and bought 5 gallons, hoping that would do the trick (oh how wrong we were!)
Lucas borrowed his dad’s hand sprayer, prepped the area and got to work…
It was immediately clear that we did not have the right tool for the job. The sprayer shot the stain out like a hose, saturating everything around it, leaving a trail of puddles and drips.
Half of the stain was wasted going through the lattice, and I was rushing behind with a brush, trying to stop the drips and salvage whatever stain I could.
We got about 1/8th of the way through, and our $250 bucket of stain was empty.
Time for Plan B: call in reinforcements! Miraculously, we found a company who could start the next day. We bought an additional 25 gallons of stain and happily let the pros take over.
We also switched to the solid stain instead of semi-solid, per their recommendation. We wanted a pure black finish with no transparency at all, and a solid stain would provide that (it’s very similar to an oil-based paint, but won’t peel off like paint).
They came prepared, and finished the job in one day. Worth every penny to hire this one out. Lesson learned!
Fence and Arbor Reveal
After three years of longing, dreaming, planning and building… our backyard fence is complete!
Eventually we’re looking forward to a full scale backyard renovation (with a pool!) but this is a welcome first step.
Let’s talk about this arbor though…
I just love the way it frames the house and gives us a “formal entrance” feel. And these planters are icing on the cake!
We planted white flowering bushes, and wove star jasmine around the trellis. Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll take root in time to bloom this spring…
The next stage for our backyard is new landscaping (at least, redoing much of our original landscaping). We’re planting a row of viburnum along the back fence.
Cost breakdown
Our total fence is 230 linear feet, for reference. We also had two gates installed. Here’s the price breakdown:
| Fence installation | $6,650 |
| Fence stain (material) | $1,508 |
| Fence stain (labor) | $1,200 |
| Arbor | $141 |
| Planter boxes | $201 |
| Post caps & finials | $364 |
| Total | $10,064 |
Keep in mind that we wasted a lot of stain in the beginning, and we also ended up with about 7 unused gallons, so we overspent on stain by ~$500. So close to coming in at under $10k!
Final thoughts
While I’m quite happy with the way the fence looks now, I can’t help but think I might regret it once it reaches its’ inevitable demise in the near future.
To be fair, I didn’t spend a ton of time investigating the life span of black vinyl in our climate, but I have to assume it’s longer than wood. Most of our boards aren’t even straight to begin with (the installers already had to come out and replace a few posts and boards).
The thought of spending $8k every 5-10 years (or living with a crumbling fence) is crazy to me, and I wish I would have done more research into alternative options. Do you have a favorite fence style/material that lasts a long time?
Maybe I’ll be surprised and our fence will outlast my predictions—we can only hope! I’m not stressing about it now—what’s done is done, and we’ll certainly enjoy this fence as long as we can. Just something to consider if you also live in an unforgiving climate and are on the fence (ha!)
But boy, do I love our new arbor! No regrets there. I also can’t wait for our new landscaping to go in—just one more month until install. Happy first week of Spring!
Ariana says
What are the white flowering bushes? They’re absolutely gorgeous!😍
Jenna Sue says
They came from a local nursery and I can’t remember the name, sorry! They are gorgeous though 😀
Amy says
The fence and arbor look great!
I’m in the planning phase of redoing our fence. I’ve decided on shou sugi ban, or sugiyaki (the process seems to have 2 names). You basically burn the cellulose off the surface of wood ( can’t be pressure treated wood), scrape off the ash, and use a linseed oil finish on it. It evidently can last at least a hundred years! I think you have to recoat every so often, but it’s supposed to be fairly low maintenance. Look it up, it’s been used for hundreds of years in Japan.
Jenna Sue says
I think I remember seeing that on Fixer Upper ages ago! Really interesting process. I wonder if it would also help protect the wood from warping so badly. Thanks for the suggestion!
Crystal says
Love the black fencing! It looks fantastic! We started out with a “50 year” ( um, yeah, right) wood fence. 10 years later, after annual restaining and yearly replacment of warped boards we replaced it with white vinyl ( per our deed restrictions) and it’s going on 12 years old now and with a bit of pressure washing each year, it still looks brand new. Vinyl has come a long way in fencing since the 90’s. One of our neighbors invested in Trex planks and built his own fence, a process that took almost a year. No info on how long this will last since he just finished it. You might want to consider Confederate Jasmine as an option for your arbor. It grows really well here, you can trim it every year after it blooms (in the spring) with tiny white flowers that smell amazing. If you are going to plant Viburnam, decide if you want Sweet, which can grow to 20 feet, is really a shrub that wants to be a tree and requires FREQUENT trimming. It makes a fantastic privacy shrub tho and can be kept trimmed to fence height. Another Viburnam to consider is Suspensum, grows slower, can get to 10-12 feet, is better behaved and can take shade or sun.
Wendy says
Your fence looks amazing!
I am from Australia and most of our fences over here are made from corrugated iron and they last for ever! You can get in lots of different colours but usually the same colour as your roof.
Jenna Sue says
Interesting! I never see those here. Love the idea, I bet they look great painted too!
Lori says
The fence is classic and timeless looking – don’t think I’ve ever seen one stained black.
However, as usual —- I can’t take my eyes off Esme. She’s a stunner, and a big girl now!
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Lori! We just can’t get enough of her ❤️
Becky says
Love the fence, wondering if you lined your planter boxes with anything to keep the soil in?
Jenna Sue says
Hi Becky, yes we did! There’s a plastic barrier protecting the wood, but it’s open on the bottom and will be tied into our irrigation.
Michele M. says
Our unforgiving climate is nasty icy northern winters – it is very bad for all things wood as well. For whatever it is worth I think your fencing and arbor looks really really GREAT.
And the family pic is priceless.
Jenna Sue says
Thank you, Michele!
Kathryn of Canada says
Love your instructions on all your projects. You have great taste and ideas that are inspiring. Also you both are so darn cute, and your little one is beautiful and growing so fast. Love the latest black fence project. Very handsome, can’t wait to see the landscaping.
Jenna Sue says
Thank you so much, Kathryn!
Charisse says
Next time you might want to look into black fence paint, such as Fence Pro, available at Tractor Supply. It is much less expensive $52.99 for 5 gal, made just for fences and works great. Safe for pets and people. There are other brands available with different properties, but still less expensive. Your fence looks beautiful though.
Jenna Sue says
Ah wish I knew about that early! Thanks for the tip!
Kathleen says
Your fence and arbor look amazing. We had a white vinyl fence installed when we moved to the Vero area eight years ago. It’s always green and we have to scrub it as pressure washing doesn’t clean it. One neighbor stacked wood up against it till a panel was bowing, had to finally push it off. Neighbor in the back must have stood on it while building their shed and never mentioned they broke the top rail. Neighbor on third side thought it was ok to screw tall lattice panels to our fence rails. Starting to think vinyl wasn’t the way to go🥴🥴
Jenna Sue says
Ahhh that’s some tough luck! I suppose there’s downsides to any route you take. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Katie says
We have a black stained wood fence (going on 4 years) and I touch it up every single spring. Im hoping the stain helps protect the wood from warping. But it’s only a few hours effort and a gallon of stain. I go out with my stain brush and just brush it on-not perfect as if it’s a first time, but for touch ups. But it deepens the color, covers bird poop and each year our fence looks brand new again. I just maintain it and it’s still looking great!
Jenna Sue says
Thanks for sharing, Katie! We have plenty of stain leftover and touch-ups once a year doesn’t sound so bad at all. Hopefully it will make it last longer, too!
Eleanor Pella says
You all will be on to another house before the wood fence wears out! Enjoy the heck out of it now. It looks so you -classy!
Jenna Sue says
I sure hope so! Thanks Eleanor 🙂
Jen Garbett says
I live in AZ and most fences here are block walls. Not very pretty but the only way to last through the sun. There are decorative block options you can buy and many ppl paint them to match their home. A smooth stucco finish could be a good option for your next fence that wouldn’t need to be replaced. I agree that treating your fence every year or two will help the longevity and maybe replacing bad pieces every now and then. It looks great.
Kathy says
I was very frustrated at seeing black pvc fences in design pics, but no where to get them🤷♀️. Can white ones be painted? I agree with other comment though that maintenance can make a difference in longevity 👍
Yours looks beautiful 🤩. Love it.
Dawn Solt says
Jenna, absolutely beautiful!! May I ask where did you get the arbor??
Jenna Sue says
Amazon! Here’s the link again: https://amzn.to/37MxiPN