Will aluminum pit or corrode on the beach side of St. Simons?

Bare aluminum can pit in a heavy salt spray. That's why we care about the finish. We use fence quality aluminum with powder coating finish on the pretreated surface. For ocean facing lots in East Beach and the south end we use marine coating. You can make your fence look like new for many decades by rinsing the fence with fresh water after a storm.

What about the hardware? That is where I see rust on my neighbor's fence.

Chances are they have plated steel hinges and latches. We use all stainless or aluminum hardware (even the self closing hinge and magnetic latch for the pool gate) so there isn't any steel on the fence to rust.

Black or bronze on an island lot?

Both seek concealment under the oaks and marsh grass. Black is classic and looks like old iron in the Village. Bronze works better with a tan or gray house... it's warmer. We'll carry along a piece of both so you can check them out under your light.

What does a code-compliant pool fence on St. Simons look like?

At least 4' tall, no climbable rails, picket gaps too small for a little kid to fit through, and a pool-outward swinging gate that self-closes and self-latches (latch high mounted). Glynn County has an inspection for those, and aluminum picket is made for them.

I have a marsh view. Which fence keeps it?

Aluminum. Four foot flat top picket fence to keep the dog in. Melts in with the marsh grass and the oaks. Glynn County has marsh buffer where you can't disturb the ground too close to the marsh, so we pulled back from it and relied on the view to get the job done.

Will my HOA approve aluminum?

Aluminum picket is one of the most common and accepted fence types for the island as it's open and non-obtrusive, but still subject to committee approval for height, color and style. We look at your covenants first and submit it on your behalf.

Aluminum fencing on St. Simons Island: pool safety and marsh views without the rust

On a barrier island, the fence around a pool or a view has to be open, safe, and immune to salt. That is the case for aluminum.

St. Simons Island has a lot of two things that need open fence: pools and views. A privacy fence around a pool on East Beach will keep you from the breeze and the ocean. A privacy fence around a marsh front lot off Frederica Road will hide the whole reason you bought the house. An aluminum picket fence will keep your kid out of the pool and your dog in the yard without messing with the view. And it's aluminum, not steel, so the salt air that rots the iron gates on the island won't touch it.

Golden Isles Fencing and Excavation installs aluminum fencing all over St. Simons from The Village and South End to Sea Palms, Hampton Point and North End near Frederica. We are a family owned, Christian-based company in Brunswick and we build aluminum on the island for salt, covenants and trees.

Specifying for salt spray

Aluminum doesn't rust but exposed aluminum will pit with lots of salt spray. Some kits come with cheap hardware...it's plated steel and will rust in a year. We treat all lots as a coastal lot on St. Simons. The fence grade aluminum we use is powder coated w/ a pretreated surface. We specify the marine grade coating for ocean view lots at East Beach, the south end and any direct shot to the water on St. Simons. All hinges, latches, screws and brackets are stainless or aluminum. Give it a hose rinse after a storm comes thru with salt all over the yard. 20 years later, it'll look the same.

Pool fencing that Glynn County will pass

Glynn County inspects residential pool barriers on St. Simons. The guidelines are: minimum 4' high, no horizontal rails where a kid could climb, picket gaps so small that a small child can't fit through, gate swings away from the pool, gate closes itself, gate latches itself, latching hardware high. Aluminum picket is made for these guidelines. We build and install to these guidelines. We hang the gate with a spring (stainless) hinge and a magnetic latch that will work in spite of island humidity. Many pools on the island are in rental houses. So, at the very least, you need a pool gate that latches every time.

Black aluminum fence with an arched gate along a tidal creek, a rainbow over the marsh behind it — Black aluminum fencing on a waterfront lot, set low enough to keep the marsh view.

Keeping the view

The marsh front lots on Dunbar Creek, Village Creek or on the Frederica River are some of the best on the island. You don't want to have a wall there. If you have a 4 foot flat top aluminum fence in either black or bronze, it will blend right in with marsh grass and live oak. Because of the Georgia marsh buffer you can't disturb the ground close to the marsh edge, so we push the fence back away from the marsh edge. We don't drive any equipment into the buffer. We let the marsh help us make the rest of the boundary.

Working around the oaks

Aluminum posts are poured into concrete footings as always. And on St. Simons, this usually involves digging around live oaks. Glynn County has an ordinance on protecting mature oaks. So if you cut a structural root, you can kill the tree that's older than your house. We hand dig around trunks, adjust post spacing to avoid the big roots and will pause and talk to you if we can't avoid a root. With aluminum it is ok, the panels rack. So if you have to space the posts a foot more to avoid a root, you don't see a step.

Black aluminum fence and gate enclosing a covered carport slab beside a house — Aluminum panels closing in a carport slab, with the wood perimeter fence carrying on behind.

Styles that suit the island

Flat-top picket. Pool and marsh view 4-5 feet 3 rail.
Spear-top with finials. Ornamental fencing at a Village house to look period on the front.
Puppy picket. Close the pickets at the bottom for smaller dogs.
Estate gates. Same aluminum double drive gates for bigger lots on Sea Island Road.

Covenants and the county

St. Simons is unincorporated so fence permit is through Glynn County Community Development. Also, an HOA architectural committee on most of the island for plan approval. Open and quiet aluminum picket is commonly accepted but they do have opinions on height, color and finial style. We get covenants prior to design and pick a style that works. Then submit for you.

How an island aluminum job runs

Estimate. We'll measure. We'll count trees. We'll see the exposure. We'll read the pool rules. We'll grab your covenants.
Approvals. We'll do the HOA submittal and the county permit together.
Scheduling. And during the gaps between renters (if it's a rental).
Build. Hand dig footings around oaks. We'll rack panels. We'll use stainless. We'll test self close pool gates.
Walkthrough. We'll test gates and latches with you. We'll haul away the scrap.

Free estimates for St. Simons. And if your project is big enough, we can arrange financing. And if you're trying to decide between aluminum or vinyl for your pool, we'll quote both.

Aluminum fencing in Brunswick and on Jekyll

Conditions and rules change off the island. Read about aluminum fencing in Brunswick, GA, aluminum fencing on Jekyll Island, and everything we do as a fence company on St. Simons Island.

Other options on St. Simons

If privacy matters more than the view, see our vinyl fencing on St. Simons Island, wood fencing on St. Simons Island, fence repairs on St. Simons Island, and aluminum fencing service overview.

Black aluminum fence along a marsh-front lawn

Questions and answers

Common questions about aluminum fencing on St. Simons Island

Salt, pools and views: the questions island homeowners bring us.

Bare aluminum can pit in a heavy salt spray. That's why we care about the finish. We use fence quality aluminum with powder coating finish on the pretreated surface. For ocean facing lots in East Beach and the south end we use marine coating. You can make your fence look like new for many decades by rinsing the fence with fresh water after a storm.
Chances are they have plated steel hinges and latches. We use all stainless or aluminum hardware (even the self closing hinge and magnetic latch for the pool gate) so there isn't any steel on the fence to rust.
Both seek concealment under the oaks and marsh grass. Black is classic and looks like old iron in the Village. Bronze works better with a tan or gray house... it's warmer. We'll carry along a piece of both so you can check them out under your light.

At least 4' tall, no climbable rails, picket gaps too small for a little kid to fit through, and a pool-outward swinging gate that self-closes and self-latches (latch high mounted). Glynn County has an inspection for those, and aluminum picket is made for them.
Aluminum. Four foot flat top picket fence to keep the dog in. Melts in with the marsh grass and the oaks. Glynn County has marsh buffer where you can't disturb the ground too close to the marsh, so we pulled back from it and relied on the view to get the job done.
Aluminum picket is one of the most common and accepted fence types for the island as it's open and non-obtrusive, but still subject to committee approval for height, color and style. We look at your covenants first and submit it on your behalf.