“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.” — John Ruskin (Art Critic)
Instead of hunting for the lowest quote, focus on the quality of the lumber, installation methods, post system, and warranty that actually determine whether your fence will look great a decade from now or start leaning after a few Texas seasons.
Austin’s best-known wood fencing contractors are Purple Fencing, Viking Fence Company, and Sierra Fence. However, they excel in different areas. Purple Fencing stands out for premium cedar installations and modern custom designs, Viking brings decades of experience with exceptionally detailed material specifications, and Sierra Fence focuses on reliable traditional privacy fencing. This comparison examines their published services, warranties, construction details, and materials to help you choose the best company for your needs
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Purple Fencing is our top recommendation for premium cedar fencing, modern horizontal designs, and custom residential projects.
- Viking stands out for its detailed published cedar specifications and over 50 years of Texas fencing experience.
- Sierra Fence is best suited for homeowners looking for traditional vertical privacy fences with multiple style and post options.
- Before accepting any quote, verify the wood species, board thickness, post material, gate construction, and warranty exclusions in writing.
Quick Verdict
Compare the written board, post, gate, stain, and warranty specifications before choosing.
- Purple Fencing: Our pick for the wood fencing company in Austin, especially for premium cedar, modern horizontal fences, and custom residential designs.
- Viking Fence Company: Best for long-established local experience, with Texas operations dating to 1972 and detailed Western Red Cedar grades.
- Sierra Fence: Best for traditional residential privacy fences, including board-on-board, shadowbox and good-neighbor designs.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Here’s the table comparing the three service providers in a little more detail.
| Category | Purple Fencing | Viking Fence Company | Sierra Fence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Premium custom residential designs | Long-established local experience | Traditional residential privacy fences |
| Published wood choices | Cedar, pine and redwood | Primarily Western Red Cedar | Western Red Cedar and pressure-treated pine |
| Published board thickness | Not stated | 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch residential boards, up to 7/8-inch and 5/4-inch by custom order | Not stated |
| Published post guidance | Dry concrete and about 8-foot spacing in its general guide, with 6×6 posts as an option | Galvanized pipe is available, but standard residential spacing is not published | Pine, galvanized steel or PostMaster posts. Horizontal posts are typically 6 feet apart |
| Designs | Horizontal, privacy, stockade, split rail and custom | Privacy, semi-privacy, shadowbox, horizontal and custom | Vertical privacy, board-on-board, good-neighbor, shadowbox, horizontal and custom |
| Staining | Transparent and semi-transparent options discussed | Pre-stained cedar pickets available | Staining and sealing through trusted partners |
| Gates | Custom wood and heavy-duty gate options | Automatic driveway gates and access control | Wood, metal-framed, ornamental and automatic gates |
| Published warranty | Two years, plus a free service visit after two years and one-year materials coverage | One year for workmanship | One year for labor and workmanship |
How We Compared the Three Companies
We compared cedar and pressure-treated pine choices, board thickness, post materials and spacing, horizontal and vertical designs, staining, gate framing, warranties, communication and maintenance guidance.
We gave more weight to written specifications than broad marketing claims. A complete quote should identify the lumber species, grade, thickness, post type, rail count, hardware, finish and warranty.
Brand-specific specifications, warranty terms and service details were checked against each company’s current published pages in July 2026. The reference list below prioritizes independent, institutional and industry-authority sources instead of linking to competitor websites.
What Austin Homeowners Should Confirm in Every Quote
Ask each company to state the wood species, grade and actual board thickness. “Cedar fence” can describe boards with different thicknesses, knot grades and milling.
A professional quote should minimize confusion. It should identify the:
- Post material
- Spacing
- Hole depth
- Concrete method
- Treatment of slopes
Gate framing needs its own line item covering frame material, hinges, latch, and anti-sag support.
Finish timing matters too. The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association says surface condition affects coating performance and notes that factory-applied finishes can protect all sides before installation.
Identifying and hiring a professional fencing company is important as it directly determines the property value boost after fencing installation.
1. Purple Fencing: Best Wood Fencing Company in Austin
Purple Fencing installs custom wood fences for homeowners across Austin and surrounding Central Texas counties. It is our pick for the best wood fencing company in Austin because its published services combine modern horizontal design, flexible custom work, and the strongest workmanship coverage in this comparison.
Modern custom residential design
Purple Fencing installs board fences, stockade, split rail, post-and-rail and custom designs. Its residential service page also highlights modern horizontal and privacy fencing.
Homeowners can customize plank width, height and spacing, then add different tops, latches, hinges and gate hardware. That flexibility suits renovated homes, pool areas and outdoor living spaces where the fence needs to match the property.
Purple Fencing says it uses cedar, pine or redwood and presents 6×6 posts as an available architectural detail. Its site does not publish a standard cedar grade or picket thickness, so those details should appear in the final proposal.
Cedar, posts and staining
Cedar is the clearer match for Purple Fencing’s premium and design-led positioning. The company discusses transparent and semi-transparent stains for homeowners who want to retain visible grain.
Purple Fencing’s general installation guide recommends correct alignment, dry concrete and approximately 8-foot post spacing for panel alignment. This is useful guidance, but a horizontal project may require closer support depending on board length, thickness and layout.
The company also publishes advice on fading, warping, drainage, pests and Texas weather. Its site says a project manager stays involved from consultation through the final walkthrough.
Purple Fencing’s BBB profile lists wood fencing, custom fencing and fence staining among its services. The company is BBB accredited with an A+ rating, although BBB states that customer reviews do not determine the letter grade.
Bottom Line Property Management ranked Purple Fencing first in its 2026 guide to 10 Austin wood privacy fence installers. The article highlighted the company’s cedar, horizontal and custom-stain work, along with its A+ BBB profile and customer-review record.
Warranty
Purple Fencing publishes a two-year extended warranty, a free service visit after the two years, and a one-year materials warranty. Viking and Sierra each publish one-year workmanship terms.
Request the complete warranty before signing. Confirm how the company treats natural checking, warping, soil movement, storm damage, gates and stain performance.
Pros:
- Strong range of modern horizontal and custom residential designs
- Cedar, pine and redwood options
- Custom plank dimensions and spacing
- Longest published workmanship coverage in this comparison
- Maintenance and stain guidance
Cons:
- Standard cedar grade and board thickness are not published
- General post guidance does not replace a project-specific specification
Best for: Austin homeowners seeking a premium, design-led wood fence with modern lines and customized details.
REVIEW
On Yelp, Purple Fencing is highly rated at 4.8. It also verifies a 100% response in 30 minutes.
2. Viking Fence Company: Best for Long-Established Local Experience
Viking has served Texas fencing customers since 1972. Its history, in-house cedar remanufacturing and detailed board specifications make it the strongest option for established local experience.
Detailed cedar-board specifications
Viking publishes the clearest board information here. Its Select Tight Knot boards are listed at 3/4 inch thick or more when available. Residential-grade boards are 5/8 inch or 3/4 inch.
The company also says it mills true 3/4-inch and sometimes 7/8-inch pickets, with 5/4-inch boards available by custom order. Viking’s Big Tex 3/4-inch boards are promoted for reduced bowing and stronger dimensional stability compared with thinner pickets.
While installation quality ultimately determines performance, thicker boards generally provide greater rigidity and resist visible warping better than thinner alternatives. Viking’s published dimensions make competing quotes easier to compare.
Cedar, designs and staining
Viking installs privacy, semi-privacy, shadowbox, horizontal and custom cedar fences. It offers several Western Red Cedar grades and presents Select Tight Knot boards as suitable for custom horizontal work.
Pressure-treated pine is not central to Viking’s current wood-fence positioning. Its cedar page compares pine unfavorably on appearance and natural decay resistance. Homeowners seeking a low-cost pine fence should confirm current availability.
Viking also offers pre-stained cedar pickets. Ask which product is applied, how all board faces are coated, and what maintenance cycle the finish requires.
Project management, gates and warranty
Viking says its estimator owns the project from start to finish, crews report to estimators and a dedicated quality-control division checks the work. The company also fabricates custom iron and structural steel.
Automatic driveway gates and access-control systems are available. Viking warrants workmanship for one year. Its certificate says materials must match the contract, while natural cedar checking and soil movement are excluded.
Pros:
- Texas history dating to 1972
- Most detailed published cedar grades and thicknesses
- Pre-stained pickets
- In-house fabrication and quality control
- Estimator ownership from start to finish
Cons:
- One-year workmanship warranty is shorter than Purple Fencing’s
- Current residential pages focus on cedar rather than budget pine
Best for: Homeowners who value a long-established Texas contractor and detailed cedar-board choices.
3. Sierra Fence: Best for Traditional Residential Privacy Fences
Sierra Fence installs standard cedar privacy fences across Austin and Central Texas. Its vertical styles, post choices, and decorative upgrades make it the best fit for a traditional residential privacy fence.
Traditional privacy options
Sierra’s standard fences typically use Western Red Cedar pickets. Six feet is the standard height, with 7-foot and 8-foot options for more privacy or sloped properties.
Sierra offers plenty of flexibility within traditional fence styles, allowing homeowners to customize privacy, appearance and structural support without moving to a fully custom design. Published styles include traditional privacy, shadowbox, good-neighbor, board-on-board and semi-private designs.
Sierra also builds horizontal and custom fences. Its horizontal page says posts are typically spaced 6 feet apart to reduce board sag. Options include steel posts, small gaps, tight privacy layouts, stains and horizontal shadowbox designs.
Pine, gates and maintenance
Pressure-treated pine appears in Sierra’s custom work and post choices, while its standard privacy page emphasizes Western Red Cedar pickets. This allows homeowners to pair visible cedar boards with a different post system.
Sierra builds wood, metal-framed, ornamental and automatic gates. A dedicated project manager handles the project from start to finish.
The company recommends minimizing sprinkler spray, inspecting the fence once or twice a year, and waiting about four to six weeks before staining new cedar. Staining and sealing are arranged through trusted local partners.
Sierra’s warranty covers labor and workmanship for one year. Natural shrinking, warping, cracking and fading are excluded.
Pros:
- Strong range of traditional cedar privacy styles
- Several post systems and rail options
- Board-on-board, shadowbox and good-neighbor designs
- Clear maintenance guidance
- Dedicated project management
Cons:
- One-year workmanship coverage is shorter than Purple Fencing’s
- Board thickness is not published
- Staining is arranged through partners
Best for: Homeowners replacing or upgrading a traditional vertical privacy fence.
Cedar or Pressure-Treated Pine?
Cedar is usually the better visual match for modern horizontal fences and high-visibility yards. It offers natural color and accepts penetrating stain, although it still needs moisture control and maintenance.
Pressure-treated pine is often selected to control cost or for structural components that need ground-contact protection. The boards may move as they dry, so treatment rating, grade, and moisture condition should be documented.
Many homeowners ultimately choose a hybrid approach: cedar for visible pickets and galvanized or PostMaster steel posts for added structural longevity.
Final Verdict
A wood fence is a long-term investment, so the best contractor depends less on brand recognition and more on how well their strengths match your project.
Purple Fencing is our pick for the best wood fencing company in Austin for 2026 when the priority is premium cedar-focused design, modern horizontal lines, and custom residential details. Its two-year published warranty provides the longest workmanship coverage here.
Viking Fence Company is best for long-established experience and detailed cedar specifications. Sierra Fence is best for traditional vertical privacy fencing with several post, rail, and style choices.
Compare written specifications rather than estimate totals alone. The strongest proposal should identify boards, posts, spacing, gates, stain, exclusions, and maintenance responsibilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which company is the best wood fencing company in Austin?
Purple Fencing is our pick for modern custom residential projects. Its design range and two-year published workmanship coverage separate it in this comparison.
Which company publishes the thickest cedar options?
Viking Fence publishes the thickest documented options. It lists 3/4-inch and sometimes 7/8-inch pickets, with 5/4-inch boards available by custom order.
Which company is best for a traditional cedar privacy fence?
Sierra Fence is best suited to traditional cedar privacy fencing. It offers vertical, board-on-board, shadowbox, good-neighbor and semi-private styles.
Do all three companies install horizontal fences?
Yes. Purple Fencing, Viking Fence and Sierra Fence publish horizontal options. Ask each to specify board thickness, support spacing and gate framing.
Which company has the longest workmanship warranty?
Purple Fencing publishes the longest term at two years. Viking and Sierra each publish one-year workmanship coverage, subject to their written exclusions.
Should I choose cedar or pressure-treated pine?
Choose cedar when appearance and custom design matter most. Pressure-treated pine may reduce cost or suit structural posts, but treatment rating and expected movement should be documented.
What should the quote include?
The quote should list species, grade, board thickness, posts, spacing, rails, fasteners, concrete, gate framing, stain, cleanup, and warranty exclusions.
