Cedar, vinyl and our wood-on-steel post system, built for coastal New England weather and backed by a lifetime workmanship warranty. Family owned in West Newbury since 1985.
In short: Olympic Fence Company, family owned in West Newbury, MA since 1985, builds custom privacy fencing across North Shore Massachusetts and Essex County in three materials: Eastern White Cedar, commercial grade vinyl, and a proprietary wood-on-steel post system that hides a galvanized steel post inside cedar so the fence cannot rot at the ground line. Standard residential privacy fence height across most Essex County towns is 6 feet in rear and side yards. Olympic pulls the permit, coordinates with the building department, and backs every installation with a lifetime workmanship warranty. Residential service runs 30 miles from West Newbury. Call 978-997-2302 or request an estimate.
A privacy fence has three jobs. Block the sightline from the street and the neighbours, mark the property line, and survive coastal New England weather without falling apart in five years. The material decides how well it does all three, and the post decides how long it does them for.
Most homeowners here arrive choosing between cedar, vinyl and our wood-on-steel system. Each has real trade-offs, and the right answer changes with your lot, your budget and how much upkeep you actually want to do. A flat lot in Newburyport and a sloped, wind-exposed one in West Newbury do not want the same fence.
Nearly every wood fence that comes down in Essex County comes down for the same reason, and it is not the pickets. It is the post, and always at one spot: the few inches right where the wood meets the soil.
That band is the worst place on the whole fence. It stays damp from ground moisture while still getting oxygen from the air, and rot needs both. Below it the ground is too wet, above it the wood dries out. So the post fails in the middle while the panels above it are still perfectly sound. Add a New England winter, where water in the soil freezes and lifts whatever it is holding, and a 4x4 that was plumb in October is leaning by April.
Our wood-on-steel system removes the failure point rather than treating it. A galvanized steel post is set in concrete below the frost line, and cedar is built around it. From the street you see a wood fence. Underground, there is no wood left to rot.
That is why the wood-on-steel system carries the longest expected life of anything we install, and why it is what we recommend on exposed, windy or sloped lots. It is not available from other contractors in this market.
We install three, and we are straight about where each one wins and where it does not.
The classic North Shore privacy fence. Cedar resists rot and insects without chemical treatment, weathers to a silver grey that suits a New England property, and handles salt air better than pressure treated pine. We use rough sawn Eastern White Cedar from regional mills. Expect 20 to 25 years, longer with a stain every few years. Available board on board, stockade, shadowbox and lattice top.
Cedar fencing details
A consistently clean look with no staining, painting or sealing, ever. Tongue and groove panels will not rot, warp or draw insects, and the colour runs through the material so a scratch does not expose a different layer underneath. Figure 30 years and up. The trade-offs are fewer style options than wood and less flex in deep cold.
Vinyl fencing details
Cedar built around a galvanized steel post set below the frost line. You get the look and the custom carpentry of wood with a structure that will not rot out underground, which is where wood fences actually fail. Our longest expected service life at 30 to 40 years and up, and the right call for high wind exposure, sloped ground, or anyone who wants to build the fence once.
Ask about wood-on-steel| Feature | Cedar | Vinyl | Wood-on-Steel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected lifespan | 20 to 25 years | 30+ years | 30 to 40+ years |
| Maintenance | Stain every 3 to 5 years, optional | Rinse with a hose | Same as cedar |
| Wind resistance | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Slope handling | Excellent, racks to grade | Moderate, stepped | Excellent, racks to grade |
| Style options | Board on board, stockade, shadowbox, lattice top | Solid, lattice top, scalloped | Every wood style, steel hidden |
| Warranty | Lifetime workmanship | Lifetime workmanship plus manufacturer | Lifetime workmanship |
Post setting, concrete footings, rail and panel attachment, gate hanging and hardware. If our crew built it, the labour behind it is covered for as long as you own the property. No expiration, no renewal fee, and it transfers to the next owner when you sell, which is a useful thing to hand over at closing.
For comparison, most fence contractors across Essex County warrant labour for one to three years. That gap is not marketing. It is a direct consequence of how we build: in-house crews rather than subcontractors, and a post system designed so the part that usually fails is not there. A company cannot offer a lifetime warranty on a fence it expects to rot.
What it does not cover: the materials themselves, which carry their own manufacturer warranties, and damage from storms, vehicles or ground movement outside our control. We handle those as repair work, and for Olympic installations that work is covered too.
In most Essex County towns, yes. The common standard across the North Shore allows 6 feet in rear and side yards, with front yard fencing usually held to around 3.5 or 4 feet. Newburyport and Amesbury both work to a 6 foot residential limit and want the permit before installation starts. Salisbury, West Newbury and Merrimac run similar rules with small differences in setback.
Where towns really differ is in the measuring. Some measure from ground level, others from the grade on the higher side when a lot slopes, which changes what you can legally build on a hill. Newburyport's historic district adds its own setback rules on top.
We pull the application, provide the site plan, and deal with the building department so you are not making those calls. If something on your lot affects the project, a conservation setback or a historic overlay, you hear about it at the estimate rather than after a stop-work order. Where a town wants a public hearing, we attend it with you.
This is a general summary of common local practice and is not legal advice. Requirements vary by town and can change. Contact your local Building Department or a licensed professional for the current requirements on your property.
Every lot is different, so every fence is cut to fit it.
Most residential privacy fence projects run one to three days from dig to finish, depending on footage, terrain and material.
James walks the fence line with you, checks grading, notes utilities, and calls Dig Safe before any job. You leave with a written estimate that names the materials, not a range over the phone.
We pull the permit, confirm the line against your survey, and settle the layout. Trees, sprinkler lines and grading get sorted before the crew arrives, not on the day.
Posts go in first and are set in concrete. On wood-on-steel installs the galvanized core is set and plumbed before any cedar goes on. Concrete cures overnight.
Rails go on, then panels or pickets. We cut to grade at every change so the fence follows your land instead of leaving daylight along the bottom. Gates hung, hardware fitted.
You walk the finished run with the crew. Every gate swing checked, hardware tightened, work area cleaned. All scrap leaves with us.
Written confirmation of the lifetime workmanship warranty covering the installation, transferable if you sell the house later.
"Olympic Fence did a beautiful job with our cedar fence in Newburyport. Very happy with the quality and can't wait for it to silver. James and his team were great from start to finish."
Mel N.
"I had Olympic Fence install a privacy fence and I am extremely happy with their work. The quality is outstanding and the price was fair. James was very professional and his crew did a great job."
Eric T.
"We needed a privacy fence that could handle our sloped backyard. Olympic Fence handled it perfectly. The cedar looks incredible and follows the grade without any gaps. Professional crew, clean work area, done in two days."
Angela O.
Across most North Shore and Essex County towns, a residential privacy fence can be up to 6 feet in rear and side yards without a zoning variance. Front yard fencing is usually held to around 3.5 or 4 feet. Towns differ on how they measure: some from ground level, others from the grade on the higher side when the lot slopes, which matters on a hill. Newburyport's historic district carries additional setback rules. We check your town's code during the estimate.
It is a cedar fence built around a galvanized structural steel post set in concrete below the frost line. Wood fences almost always fail at the ground line, where the post stays damp but still reaches oxygen, so rot takes hold there while the panels above stay sound. Putting steel in that position removes the failure point instead of treating it, and it holds up better against New England windstorms and frost heave. From the outside it looks like a solid wood fence. It is not available from other contractors in this market.
Both do well here. Cedar gives you natural appearance, custom carpentry and the ability to rack to a slope, and it lasts longer built on our wood-on-steel posts. Vinyl gives you a maintenance-free fence that never needs staining or painting and holds colour through the material. Cedar suits older properties and sloped lots. Vinyl suits anyone who wants to stop thinking about the fence after it goes in.
Our wood-on-steel system, at 30 to 40 years and up, because the steel core will not rot at the ground line where standard wood posts give out. Vinyl follows closely at 30 years and up with almost no upkeep. Cedar runs 20 to 25 years and goes longer with periodic staining.
Yes. Cedar and wood-on-steel rack to follow the grade, so the fence line stays parallel to the ground with no gap along the bottom. Vinyl panels are normally stepped instead, dropping in a stair pattern down the slope. We assess the grade at the estimate and tell you which approach suits your lot.
It depends on material, linear footage, terrain, and whether an old fence has to come out first. Cedar generally costs less upfront than vinyl, while vinyl saves on maintenance over its life, and wood-on-steel sits between them. We give free written estimates with a line-by-line breakdown rather than a vague number over the phone.
Yes. Every privacy fence we build carries our lifetime workmanship warranty, covering post setting, footings, panel attachment, gate hanging and hardware for as long as you own the property. It transfers to the next owner if you sell. Materials are covered separately by their manufacturer. Most contractors in this market warrant labour for one to three years.
Not for the whole job. We ask that you are around at the start so we can confirm the layout on the ground, and at the end for the walkthrough. Most people give us yard access and check in after work. If a question comes up during the day, the crew calls you directly.
Each town sets its own heights, setbacks and permit process. Pick yours for the local detail.
We also build privacy fencing in Haverhill, Groveland, North Andover and Beverly, plus Newbury, Byfield, Georgetown, Rowley, Boxford, Topsfield, Ipswich and Danvers. Residential service runs 30 miles from West Newbury.
Privacy work is the bulk of what we build, but it is not all of it.
Cedar Fencing | Vinyl Fencing | Chain Link Fencing | Pool Fencing | Dog Fencing | Ornamental Aluminum & Steel | Commercial Fencing | Fence Repairs
Get a free on-site estimate with a written breakdown of materials, labour and timeline. No pressure and no vague pricing.