Fence Installation Specialists in Lakewood, CO
Lakewood's foothills lots demand stepped-panel construction and slope grading that flat-land contractors get wrong. We don't guess — we measure twice and build to the grade.
Get a Lakewood Installation QuoteMore than half the fence jobs we do in Lakewood involve some kind of grade change. The neighborhoods near Green Mountain and Bear Creek drop 4–8 feet across a typical backyard, and that slope creates two problems: racking and drainage. Racking means adjusting each panel to follow the ground contour instead of leaving triangular gaps at the bottom. We rack vinyl panels up to 7 degrees per section and step-cut cedar pickets on-site for steeper grades.
Drainage matters because a fence line acts like a low dam. If we set a solid privacy panel across a downhill slope without accounting for water flow, your neighbor's yard floods — or worse, water pools against the fence base and rots the posts from below. We install kickboards with 2-inch ground clearance and cut drainage gaps at low points. It's detail work that most contractors skip, and it's the reason our Lakewood fences last 15+ years instead of 8.
Where We Work in Lakewood
- Belmar
- Green Mountain
- Bear Creek
- Applewood
- Morse Park
- Eiber
- Two Creeks
- Westland
Materials, Methods & Local Know-How
Vinyl is our most popular material in Lakewood, and for good reason. The semi-arid climate, intense UV at elevation, and freeze-thaw cycling punish wood harder than most homeowners expect. We install CertainTeed Bufftech and Ply Gem panels with aluminum channel reinforcements inside every rail. The reinforcement prevents the horizontal deflection — the "sag" — that you see in cheap vinyl after a couple of Colorado winters.
For clients near Belmar and Applewood who want the warmth of real wood, we use #1 Grade Western Red Cedar with tight knots and no pith. The difference between #1 and #2 cedar is measurable: #1 has fewer defects per board, which means fewer boards that check, cup, or split within the first year. It costs about 15% more per linear foot, but we've tracked warranty callbacks, and #1 cedar produces roughly 60% fewer service calls over 5 years.
Lakewood's fence code allows 6 feet maximum in rear and side yards, 4 feet in front yards, measured from the highest adjacent grade. On sloped lots, "highest adjacent grade" can be confusing — we've seen homeowners get violation notices because they measured from their side but the fence exceeded 6 feet when measured from the neighbor's lower grade. We always measure from the lower side to stay compliant.
Fence Repair in Lakewood, CO
Most of the fence damage we repair in Lakewood comes from two events: spring hail and Front Range microbursts. A microburst dropping off Green Mountain can hit a backyard with 70 mph gusts and lay a whole panel run flat, while a hard hail cell pocks cedar pickets and cracks brittle builder-grade vinyl in a single afternoon. The slope-heavy lots near Bear Creek make it worse: a fence built across a downhill grade catches wind like a sail, so the posts on the high side take the brunt and snap or lean first.
When you call us after a storm, we triage by safety: a fence down across a walkway, a gate that won't latch, or a leaning section near a pool gets priority. In normal weeks our repair response window runs 24 to 48 hours. We don't promise a same-day truck for routine repairs, but after a major storm we run post-storm triage and get to the unsafe sites first. Common Lakewood repairs are heaved posts from freeze-thaw cycling, racked panels that pulled loose at the rail, rotted post bases on older fences set in plain concrete without drainage gravel, and gate sag where the hinge-post footing was never deep enough for the grade.
If you're filing an insurance claim, the paperwork is half the battle. We prepare itemized damage reports with photos the way Colorado adjusters expect to see them, section by section, with the cause of loss noted and replacement scope spelled out. That documentation is the difference between a clean approval and a back-and-forth that drags your repair into the next storm season. For storm and hail fence repair across the Denver metro, repair intent is urgent, so the fastest path is a phone call: 720-609-6094.
Fence Staining and Maintenance in Lakewood
Cedar at Lakewood's elevation lives a harder life than cedar at sea level. The UV index up here runs roughly 25% higher than coastal cities at the same latitude, and untreated #1 Western Red Cedar bleaches to silver-gray in under eight months on a south or west exposure. The fix is a UV-blocking semi-transparent penetrating stain applied before the boards ever take a full season of sun, then re-coated on a 2 to 3 year cadence. That schedule is what keeps cedar holding its color and shedding moisture for 15 to 20 years instead of checking and cupping early.
Staining is moisture protection as much as it is color. A penetrating stain seals the end grain and the post bases where Lakewood's freeze-thaw cycling drives water in and out of the wood all winter. Skip it and water gets behind the fibers, freezes, expands, and splits the board from the inside. We clean and brighten the wood first to strip surface oxidation and any shaded-section mildew, then apply the stain so it actually soaks in rather than skinning over dirty boards. For UV-blocking cedar staining on a 2 to 3 year Colorado cadence, an annual maintenance check keeps small issues (a heaved post, a loose picket, early graying on the sunny run) from turning into a full rebuild.
If you're not sure where your fence stands, request a quote through our online form and we'll fold a maintenance assessment into the visit. Install, repair, and staining all run off the same crew, so the people who built it are the people who keep it standing.
Lakewood Fencing Questions
How do you handle sloped yards in Lakewood?
We rack vinyl panels up to 7 degrees per section and step-cut cedar pickets on-site for steeper grades. We also install kickboards with 2-inch ground clearance and cut drainage gaps at low points to prevent water pooling against the fence base.
Why is vinyl fencing so popular in Lakewood?
Lakewood's semi-arid climate, UV intensity at elevation, and freeze-thaw cycles degrade wood faster than most expect. Aluminum-reinforced vinyl panels resist deflection and don't require staining, sealing, or painting — ever.
What's the maximum fence height in Lakewood?
Lakewood allows 6 feet in rear and side yards, 4 feet in front. On sloped lots, height is measured from the highest adjacent grade — typically your neighbor's lower side. We measure from the lower grade to ensure compliance and avoid violation notices.
What cedar grade should I use for my Lakewood fence?
#1 Grade Western Red Cedar with tight knots and no pith. It costs about 15% more per linear foot than #2, but produces roughly 60% fewer warranty callbacks over 5 years due to fewer checks, cups, and splits.
Do you repair fences in Lakewood, or only install new ones?
Both. Fence repair is one of our core services in Lakewood, and most of what we fix comes from spring hail and Front Range microbursts off Green Mountain. Typical repairs are heaved or snapped posts, panels racked loose after a wind event, rotted post bases on older fences, and gates that sag because the hinge-post footing was never deep enough for the slope. We diagnose the actual cause before quoting so you're not replacing a whole run when two posts and a rail will fix it.
How fast can you repair a storm-damaged fence in Lakewood?
In normal weeks our repair response window runs 24 to 48 hours. After a major hail or microburst event we run post-storm triage and get to the unsafe sites first: a fence down across a walkway, a gate that won't latch, or a leaning section near a pool. We don't promise a same-day truck for routine repairs, but storm damage gets prioritized by safety. Repair intent is urgent, so call 720-609-6094 rather than waiting on a form reply.
Do you help with insurance claims for fence damage in Lakewood?
Yes. We prepare itemized damage reports with photos the way Colorado homeowner's adjusters expect to see them, section by section, with the cause of loss noted and the replacement scope spelled out. Clean documentation is the difference between a fast approval and a back-and-forth that drags your repair into the next storm season. We've handled this process with every major Colorado homeowner's insurer.
How often should I stain a cedar fence in Lakewood?
Every 2 to 3 years for cedar at Lakewood's elevation. The UV index up here runs roughly 25% higher than coastal cities at the same latitude, so untreated #1 Western Red Cedar bleaches to silver-gray in under eight months on a south or west exposure. A UV-blocking semi-transparent penetrating stain on a 2 to 3 year cadence keeps the boards holding color and shedding moisture for 15 to 20 years instead of checking and cupping early. We clean and brighten the wood before re-coating so the stain actually penetrates.
Why does fence staining matter so much in Lakewood's climate?
Staining is moisture protection as much as it is color. A penetrating stain seals the end grain and post bases where Lakewood's freeze-thaw cycling drives water in and out of the wood all winter. Skip it and water gets behind the fibers, freezes, expands, and splits the board from the inside. High-altitude UV does the rest, graying and embrittling untreated wood far faster than most homeowners expect. An annual maintenance check catches small issues before they become a full rebuild.
What We Build in Lakewood