Wood and Cedar Fences in Medford, Oregon
Cedar privacy and picket fences built for Rogue Valley heat and winter rain.
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Get a Free EstimateWalk any neighborhood in Medford and most of the fences you see are wood, and most of that wood is cedar. There's a good reason for it. Cedar is light and straight, it holds up to rot and insects better than most lumber, and it takes stain well, so it can match almost any house. It also handles our summers better than people expect, as long as it's sealed before the heat dries it out. The catch is that a wood fence is only as good as what holds it up. We build cedar fences on posts rated for ground contact and set in concrete, from backyard privacy fences in Central Point to picket fences along the older streets of Jacksonville. Each one is laid out with string lines and checked against your property markers before a single hole gets dug.
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Below, we cover the wood fence styles we build most, what goes into a wood fence that lasts in clay soil, what the job looks like from layout to the last board, and how long a wood fence really holds up here. If you're still weighing materials, our fence installation page compares wood with vinyl and chain link side by side. Either way, you'll get a written price before any work starts.
Wood Fence Styles We Build
The classic backyard fence here is a 6-foot dog-ear privacy fence: cedar pickets with clipped top corners, fastened to three rails. It's simple, affordable, and easy to repair one board at a time.
Board-on-board overlaps the pickets in two layers, so no gaps open up as the wood shrinks in summer. It looks the same from both sides, which makes it a good pick for a fence you share with a neighbor.
Shadowbox alternates boards on each side of the rails. Air moves through it, so it handles wind better while still blocking most of the view.
Cap-and-trim adds a flat cap along the top and a trim board over the pickets. It gives the fence a finished look and keeps rain off the end grain at the top of each board.
Horizontal fences run the boards side to side for a cleaner, modern look. And a 3- or 4-foot picket fence still suits a front yard or an older home better than almost anything else.
Cedar, Pressure-Treated, and What Goes in the Ground
Cedar is the best value for the boards and rails you see every day. Left alone, it weathers to a silver gray. With a semi-transparent stain, it holds its color for years.
The posts are a different story. Even cedar rots when it sits in wet clay all winter, so we use posts rated for ground contact and set them in concrete. On a 6-foot fence, that means 8-foot posts with roughly a third of each post below ground, and deeper in the heavy clay around Medford. The top of every footing gets shaped so water runs away from the wood instead of pooling against it.
Fasteners matter more than most people think. Coated screws or ring-shank nails hold boards tight through the swelling and shrinking of our wet winters and dry summers, and they won't leave rust streaks down the face of the fence.
Our Wood Fence Process
- Site visit. We walk the line with you, measure, and talk through height, style, and gates.
- Written estimate. The materials, the price, and the timeline, spelled out.
- Utility locate and layout. We call 811 so buried lines get marked, then stake and string the fence line.
- Posts. Set plumb in concrete and left to cure, usually overnight, before any weight goes on them.
- Rails, boards, and trim. Checked for spacing and a clean top line as we go, even where the yard slopes.
- Cleanup. Old fencing, dirt, and scraps hauled away.
Most wood fences take two to four days, depending on length, gates, and how rocky the ground is. We'll also tell you when the new wood is ready for its first coat of stain, since some lumber needs a few weeks or months to dry out first.
How Long a Wood Fence Lasts Here
A well-built cedar fence usually lasts 15 to 20 years in the Rogue Valley, and pressure-treated pine a bit less. The posts tend to fail first, since they sit in wet clay all winter.
Three things make the biggest difference. Posts set deep in concrete with good drainage. Stain every three to four years, so the boards don't dry out and crack in the summer heat. And keeping sprinklers, soil, and bark mulch off the bottom boards, which stay wet longer than any other part of the fence.
When one section goes, it rarely means the whole fence has to. Replacing a few posts and a run of boards is often enough to buy years, and we'll tell you honestly when that's the smarter move.
When your new fence is ready for its first coat, our fence staining page covers how we clean, prep, and seal wood so it lasts.
Common Questions
Cedar is the best value for the boards and rails you see every day. It's light and straight, resists rot and insects better than most lumber, and takes stain well. Pressure-treated pine costs less but usually doesn't last quite as long in the Rogue Valley. The posts are a different story: even cedar rots in wet clay, so every wood fence we build sits on posts rated for ground contact.
A dog-ear privacy fence uses cedar pickets with clipped top corners, fastened to three rails. It's simple, affordable and easy to repair one board at a time, which is why it's the classic backyard fence here. Board-on-board overlaps the pickets in two layers, so no gaps open up as the wood shrinks in summer. It uses more lumber, so it costs a bit more, but it gives you full privacy year round.
Not right away. Some lumber needs a few weeks or even a few months to dry out before it will take stain, so we'll tell you when your new fence is ready for its first coat. After that, plan on restaining every three to four years so the boards don't dry out and crack in the summer heat. Keeping sprinklers off the fence helps the finish last longer too.