Project · Rockrimmon, Colorado Springs
Hog-Wire & Horizontal Cedar Fence in Rockrimmon, Built With Wildfire Risk in Mind
About 200 feet of fence on steel posts: horizontal boards where the owners wanted privacy, open welded-wire panels everywhere else.
The challenge
Rockrimmon sits where the foothills meet the neighborhoods, and wildfire is a real concern for homeowners on this side of town. The owners wanted a fence that marked the yard and gave them privacy in a few key spots, without wrapping the house in a solid wall of wood.
What we built
- Horizontal shadowbox cedar section where privacy mattered most, next to the house and patio. Boards alternate on both sides of the frame, so it looks finished from either side and still lets some air through.
- Hog-wire panels (welded metal mesh in cedar frames) along the rest of the yard and the walking path. They are semi-transparent, so the yard stays open to the trees and the view.
- Steel posts for every section. Line posts were driven about 30 inches into the ground. Steel does not rot at the ground line the way wood posts do.
- Gate posts set in concrete. We used the same steel posts at the gates but set them in concrete, because gates put the most stress on a fence.
Why mesh panels make sense in wildfire areas
A solid wood fence is a long line of fuel, and wind-blown embers tend to pile up against solid boards. Hog-wire panels use much less wood, let embers and air pass through, and the steel posts underneath do not burn. No fence is fireproof, and for the first 5 feet next to a house fire experts recommend noncombustible materials, so we are always happy to talk through metal options for that zone too.
Building a fence in Rockrimmon
Most Rockrimmon neighborhoods do not have a mandatory HOA, so homeowners have more freedom in fence design. Peregrine is the exception, with its own master association. The bigger challenge here is the terrain: slopes, rock and mature trees mean fence lines rarely run flat or straight, so we plan each run around the ground and the trees instead of forcing a standard layout.
Related: Fence installation in Rockrimmon · Fence installation in Colorado Springs · Steel vs wood fence posts
Planning a fence in a wildfire area?
We build on steel posts across Colorado Springs, Monument, Black Forest and the west side foothills. The estimate is free and on-site, and you usually get a written quote the same day.