Fencing here comes with a few conditions you won't find in most of the city. We plan every job around them from the start.

Landmark Review on Protected Blocks

Parts of the neighborhood, including the Astor Street landmark district, fall under the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. On a landmark property, a fence visible from the street generally has to be reviewed before a permit is issued. Straightforward work can be cleared by staff in a few weeks, while projects that go to the full commission take longer. If your home is on one of those blocks, we build that time into the schedule instead of letting it surprise you.

Fences Right on the Sidewalk Line

With little or no front yard, a Gold Coast fence works as both a boundary and a front facade. It has to look right up close, line up with the building, and hold its shape where people walk past it every day. We size pickets, finials, and post spacing to the scale of the house, so a narrow rowhouse doesn't end up behind a fence built for a mansion.

Built for Lake Wind and Winter Salt

Being this close to the lake means hard wind off the water and a heavy dose of road salt every winter from Lake Shore Drive and the plowed side streets. Salt settles where posts meet stone and concrete, and that's where iron fails first. We set posts on solid footings and finish them to hold up against salt, then recommend a regular painting schedule to keep rust from getting a start.

Matching the Ironwork Already There

Many buildings here already have iron on the stoop, the window guards, or a neighbor's fence. Because we build custom, a new fence can follow the pattern, height, and finial style of what's already in place, so the block still reads as one piece.