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I want to start by saying this is not about picking on any one store. This is about giving Vermont homeowners an honest look at what they are actually buying when they pull a prebuilt wood fence panel off a big box store rack.
So I grabbed my phone, walked the fence aisle, and started taking photos. Here is exactly what I found.
This was the first thing that stopped me in my tracks. The store was advertising a 6×8 Stockade fence panel and right there on the sign it says lower prices.
What it does not say is how they get those lower prices.
Take a look at the photo. The pickets on that panel are hardly thicker than the sign sitting in front of them. That is not a fence. That is the appearance of a fence.
Anyone who has owned property in Vermont knows what happens in February. Snow gets pushed up against fences, it sits there, it melts and refreezes, and it puts real lateral pressure on every panel.
Now look at this photo and ask yourself honestly how you think these thin panels hold up to that.
I think you already know the answer.
This one genuinely surprised me, and I have been in this industry for years.
Take a closer look at the 6×8 Stockade label and then look at the actual board dimensions. The way they hit that price point is by using boards that are a fraction of the thickness a properly built fence requires.
They are not giving you a 6×8 fence. They are giving you half of one at a price that sounds like a deal.
Look at this photo carefully. See the back rail? It is so thin that a screw has already split it.
This panel has never faced a real Vermont winter. No heavy snow loads, no freeze and thaw cycles, no high winds pushing against it for months on end.
Now imagine what happens to it after a February in Vermont with snow piled up against it and wind working on every panel. We will let you decide.
Look at this photo carefully. See the back rail? It is so thin that a screw has already split it.
This panel has never faced a real Vermont winter. No heavy snow loads, no freeze and thaw cycles, no high winds pushing against it for months on end.
Now imagine what happens to it after a February in Vermont with snow piled up against it and wind working on every panel. We will let you decide.
Right there on the display panel — one picket completely broken, several others already cracked.
This fence has never been properly installed and has never faced a real Vermont winter. No heavy snow, no ice, no wind loads, nothing.
If it is already breaking down before it has ever done its job, we think you can imagine what happens when Vermont weather hits it. We just do not think fence panels should fail this easily and we would never put something like this on your property.
This last photo is the one I keep coming back to. Look at that gate. It is already warping and leaning on the floor.
Now close your eyes and picture it after one Vermont winter. The snow, the wind, the rain, the freeze and thaw cycles that are relentless from November through April.
A fence that looks like this before installation is not a fence that is going to serve you well. It is a fence that is going to cost you twice — once when you buy it and again when you replace it.
Every wood fence we install is built with properly sized, quality grade lumber that is sourced for performance in the Northeast.
Our boards are the thickness they are supposed to be, our rails are built to handle real wind loads, and our installation is done to last decades not seasons.
The difference is not just visible in the finished product. It starts with what we bring to the job site.
I am not telling you big box stores are evil. I am telling you that when it comes to wood fencing, you get exactly what you pay for.
A fence built with thin, low grade panels is not a bargain. It is a problem waiting to happen, and in Vermont it usually does not take long.
If you want to see what a properly built wood fence actually looks like, we are happy to show you. Reach out for a free estimate and let’s talk about doing it right the first time.
Serving Vermont homeowners with quality fence installation done right the first time.
A family-owned Vermont fencing company serving homeowners, farmers, and businesses since 1993. Wicked Nice Fences at Prices You Can Afford.
(802) 754-6328