March 30th, 2015Why We All Love White Picket Fences

Few fences conjure up as many images of a peaceful neighborhood and happy families as the iconic picket fence. It’s a classic style that is perfect for creating a boundary around your property, increasing the curb appeal of your home and keeping children and pets safe.

Picket fences are particularly popular in North America, where the fence style was first in use during America’s colonial era. In those days, the picket fences were a simple way to divide up properties, but as time went on, American’s became nostalgic for the picket fence that they grew up with or that they admired as part of the wealthy “house on the hill”.

Picket fences are traditionally white, but they can be stained in a variety of colours to suit your home.

The classic picket fence consists of thinner, wooden vertical slats that are attached to horizontal rails with even spacing. The fence is typically 36 inches to 48 inches in height, providing a barrier around the property that is sufficient for keeping smaller dogs and children within the yard. One of the most defining characteristics of the classic picket fence is the tops of the rails - they’re usually tapered with a rounded point, sometimes with additional cutout detailing. This pointed top is where the term “picket” comes from, as the fence slats resembled the pointed stakes used by the military to repel cavalry.

Of course, as you are reading this, you are probably picturing a quaint cottage or two-storey colonial home with a bright white picket fence and roses blooming just behind. Traditionally, picket fences were whitewashed with an inexpensive lime paint solution to help protect the wood. These days, many homeowners paint their picket fences white to maintain the iconic suburban look.

Vinyl fencing is a great option when you want the look of a white picket fence without the maintenance.

Some of our Fraser Valley homeowners love the look of the white picket fence, but don’t want to deal with the regular upkeep and maintenance that can come with regularly painting the wooden slats. Fortunately, vinyl fencing has come a long way in recent years and we are now able to offer our homeowners an option that maintains the look and feel of a white picket fence without all the maintenance. Vinyl fencing doesn’t require repainting and it is well suited to the climate in the Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Langley areas. Best of all, it lasts for years, so while you may pay a bit more for your vinyl picket fence up front, you will save on time, upkeep, and replacement.

The classic picket fence represents the North American suburban dream and many homeowners picture the clean, white slats surrounding their dream home. It is a classic fencing choice that can improve the property and resale value of your home, not to mention it is a great, complimentary choice for most home styles.

If you’re interested in having a picket fence built for your property, or if you would like to explore your fencing options, please call us at 604-794-3181 or email us at info@agfence.ca.