How much does a standard wood privacy fence cost in Orlando in 2025?

Prefab Panels – The name says it all. This method uses cheaper prefab wood fence panels you can pick up at any box store like Home Depot or Lowes. Nowadays these are usually 1/2”x5-1/2” pickets attached to three 2”x3” runners in a 8’ width. These panels use thinner gauge nails, not always galvanized, that are prone to breaking. One of the biggest drawbacks to prefab panels is that they can’t follow the grade of the ground. So if you yard has any slopes the panels will either have to be buried in the ground or elevated off the ground and stepped to follow the grade. Burying the panels will reduce the height of the fence and also cause premature rot. Elevating fence will reduce the rot problem, but it will require the fence panels to step at each post. This can cause large gaps at the bottom of the fence depending on the grade of the ground. This can also cause an issue when you have an open pool (no pool enclosure or baby fence) as it may not meet pool code requirements. The prefab panels are usually attached to the standard 4”x4” posts that set at 8’ intervals. The panels can be secured with screws or nails. This exposes another issue with prefab panels. Since they use 2”x3” support rails an 8’ wide panel will sag over time. It is just a combination of wood weight, especially if it gets wet often, and the small 2”x3” support rails.

Stick Built Fence – This type of wood privacy fence is built piece by piece at the job site. Most stick built fences are constructed with 5/8”x5-1/2” pickets attached to 2”x4” support rails. The first step in doing a stick built fence is setting the posts. Now with a stick built fence you have the option of doing sections shorter than 8’ wide. This is because instead of losing supports and pickets when cutting a prefab panels down all your are losing is what you cut off the three support rails. So say you have a 60’ run. You can space your sections 7’6” apart, which will provide an even spacing of posts on the inside of the fence and remove the little short panel you would have using prefab panels. This shorter spacing makes the fence stronger and reduces the weight on the support rails helping to remove the chance of sagging. Now the 5/8”x5-1/2” pickets are nailed or screwed to the support rails. Notice these pickets are slightly thicker than the prefab panel pickets. Stick building the fence this way allows you to follow the flow of the ground, adjusting your post height at any grades so the fence can flow up or down a hill. This type of construction removes the problem of stepping, large gaps and in most cases premature rot (you can install the fence with the pickets a couple of inches off the ground).

Now you would think that building the fence with prefab panels would be substantially cheaper than a stick built fence. But all things being even, it is not. The cost per foot is usually only a couple dollars less for the stick built fence. Here at Gifford Fence our stick built board on board privacy fence runs about $27 per linear foot for 150 foot installation. The same fence using prefab materials would be $24 per foot. The $450 difference will be seen in the longevity of the fence because the stick built fence with thicker pickets and larger support rails will last longer than the prefab panel fence. Plus it will look better, especially if you have a yard with a lot of slope or elevation changes.