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01 / 09Western red or eastern white cedar fencing that resists rot through its own heartwood oils, with 4x4 posts standard and a 6x6 upgrade.
Cedar is the one fence material that resists rot and insects because of what it is, not because of what was pumped into it. The heartwood carries natural oils called thujaplicins that decay organisms will not eat. A cedar fence in Ontario outlasts builder-grade pressure-treated spruce, which tends to give out at the rail while the cedar beside it is still sound.
Western red is the darker, more dimensionally stable board, with the longer life and the higher price. It moves less across the seasons, so a wide board stays flatter. Eastern white is lighter, knottier, more local and the better value on a long run where the fence is a boundary rather than a feature. Premium western red and AK-KD grades are quoted separately rather than smuggled in as standard cedar, because the grade is most of the price difference and you should see it.
Cedar fence buyers are usually replacing a failed pressure-treated fence and do not want to do it again in twelve years, or they are fencing a yard where the fence is visible from the patio and has to look like part of the landscaping. It is also the usual pick on heritage and older streets where a vinyl or aluminum line would sit wrong against the house.
Left alone, cedar weathers to a soft silver-grey over two or three seasons. Stained or oiled every few years, it holds its warm tone. Neither choice shortens the life of the fence, which separates cedar from pressure-treated wood, where the finish is doing structural work.
Posts are 4x4 as standard with a 6x6 upgrade available, set in concrete below the 1.2 m frost line. We run the Ontario One Call locate before digging, a legal requirement in Ontario with a five business day minimum for a single property. Standard rear and side yard height across most GTA municipalities is 2.0 m without a permit, and Markham issues a fence exemption permit when you want to go above it. On a sloped lot we either step the panels or rack them, and we decide that with you on site, because stepping leaves triangular gaps at grade that matter if you have a small dog.
Against pressure-treated, cedar costs more up front and buys roughly double the service life. Against composite, cedar costs less and asks for occasional attention that composite does not. Against vinyl, cedar wins on appearance and loses on cleaning. If budget is the binding constraint, a pressure-treated fence with cedar used only on the street-facing run is a split we build often.
| Species | Western red and eastern white; premium western red and AK-KD grades quoted separately |
|---|---|
| Rot resistance | Natural thujaplicin oils in the heartwood, no treatment involved |
| Service life | Longest of the untreated softwoods we install in Ontario |
| Posts | 4x4 standard with a 6x6 upgrade, set in concrete below the 1.2 m frost line |
| Height | 2.0 m rear and side yard without a permit across most GTA municipalities; Markham issues a fence exemption permit above that |
| Sloped lots | Panels either stepped or racked, decided on site |
| Finish | Left to silver over two or three seasons, or stained and oiled to hold the warm tone |
We are an installation contractor, not a manufacturer or a materials retailer. We build decks and fences on your property across the Greater Toronto Area: layout, footings below the frost line, framing, boards, railings, stairs and gates, finished and inspected. Composite boards are a surface option we install, alongside pressure-treated lumber and western red cedar, and the boards themselves are made by manufacturers we do not represent and whose brands we do not resell. If you already have material on site we can build with it; if you do not, we specify and source what suits the deck and include it in the written fixed price. What you are buying from us is the build and the crew that stands behind it, not a product off a shelf.
