Reno Solid Fence refers wrought iron fence projects to independent, Nevada-licensed fence contractors and metal fabricators serving Reno and Sparks. Most new "wrought iron" is welded steel tube, built to look like the hand-forged originals and to hold a powder-coat finish.
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Wrought iron, steel and aluminum
True wrought iron is hand-worked low-carbon iron and is now rare outside restoration work. What fence contractors install as wrought iron is ornamental steel: square or round pickets welded between rails, sold in panels or fabricated to fit. Aluminum looks similar, never rusts and costs less, but it is lighter and less rigid. See aluminum fence for that comparison.
Design choices
- Picket profile and spacing, which matters if the fence doubles as a pool barrier.
- Top style: flat rail, spear or ball finials, or pickets that pierce the top rail.
- Rails: two-rail for low fences, three-rail for 5 to 6 ft.
- Posts set in concrete, or surface-mounted to a wall or footing.
Front yards and view lots
Ornamental steel is the usual pick for front yards because it frames a house without hiding it. Inside the City of Reno, fences in the required front yard are limited to 4 feet. Unincorporated Washoe County allows up to 4½ feet in the front setback, and entry gates there may rise 18 inches above the fence for an entry statement. On view lots in the foothills, a see-through steel fence keeps the outlook toward Peavine or the Carson Range.
Reno lets residential fence posts extend up to 2 feet above the fence itself when posts are at least 6 feet apart, which is how decorative pillars and lamp posts fit within the rules.
Finish: the part that decides lifespan
Steel rusts wherever its coating is broken. Factory powder coat over galvanized or primed steel is the most durable finish; field paint is easier to touch up but needs it more often. Snow, sprinklers and road de-icers along a street all reach the bottom rail first. Ask how cut ends and field welds are sealed, and keep irrigation off the fence.
Fire-safe and code uses
Steel is noncombustible, which makes it the natural material for the 5-foot section next to a house that Washoe County's wildland-urban interface code requires to be noncombustible or as fire-resistive as the exterior walls. It is also a common pool barrier material; Washoe County barriers must be at least 48 inches tall with self-closing, self-latching gates. See pool fences.
What ornamental steel costs
National ranges for wrought iron and ornamental steel run from about $30 to more than $100 per linear foot, depending on height, picket gauge, design and finish. Custom fabrication and arched gates sit at the top. Gates are priced separately; see fence gates.
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