Is vinyl really unaffected by salt air on the beach side?

Yes. Vinyl is a plastic, we don't see corrosion from salt. Fasteners that we use with vinyl are stainless or aluminum. Which is why vinyl is our first choice for East Beach, (the south end near the pier, and any lot where you have a straight shot to the ocean, where your wood fence will turn grey in a season, and your steel fence will rust.)

How does a vinyl fence handle onshore wind on St. Simons?

The panels move and bounce back. We design the posts. Five inch posts with metal stiffeners driven deep into concrete on exposed island lots. More often than not closer spacing on long runs. Often semi-privacy or lattice tops to let the pressure pass. That's what has held up in recent storms around here.

Will white vinyl glare in the island sun?

Some people don't like stark white on a natural lot. Some HOAs want something more subdued. We offer the same UV protection for tan, clay, gray, and woodgrain finishes on fence quality vinyl. We can bring samples so you can hold it up against your house.

Will my St. Simons HOA allow vinyl?

Yes, most do. But they have restrictions on color, height, style, etc. Different subdivisions, such as Sea Palms, Hampton Point, Island Club, etc., have their own guidelines. Some don't allow solid on the front of the street side. We look at the covenants before we design & submit plan to the review committee for you.

Can you install vinyl posts near my live oaks?

Yes, they need the same kind of footings as a wood post. So hand dig near trees (in other words, same rules as wood posts). Space different so you don't hit any major roots. No structural root is cut without discussing with you first. It doesn't matter what type of fence you have, Glynn County has tree protection laws.

Is vinyl a good choice for a vacation rental?

That's the best way to go. You don't want people keeping up the fence (they don't) and you don't want the rental owner to have to restain a fence every other year. It's vinyl, just rinse it off occasionally. And we can arrange to have it put in between rentals.

Vinyl fencing on St. Simons Island: the fence salt air cannot touch

On an island where wood grays in a season and steel rusts, vinyl is the material that simply does not care.

If you walk down a street in East Beach or the south end of St. Simons Island you will see the fences. The wood fences with the ocean facing side are silver. The metal gates have rust running out of the hinges. The vinyl fences look like they did the day they were installed. I am not trying to sell you something. This is just what salt air does to different materials in a few years time. On a barrier island. If you are a St. Simons home owner and you want a fence to give you some privacy, but no scheduled maintenance. Or there are a ton of owners who rent out their homes and are not there to keep the stain up to date. We always recommend the vinyl as your first fence to look at.

Golden Isles Fencing and Excavation installs vinyl fencing all over St. Simons. From the Village and Mallery Street area, all the way up Frederica Road to the north end of the island. We are a family owned and Christian-based company out of Brunswick. We build vinyl on the island with the 3 things we deal with differently on an island. The covenants. The trees. The wind.

Covenants first

The fence permit is from the county (since it is unincorporated St. Simons, Glynn County). But for most of the island it is the homeowners association that is the final say. There are architectural review committees for Sea Palms, Hampton Plantation, Island Club, streets off of Sea Island Road, and dozens of smaller subdivisions. The rules vary with regard to fencing. Some only permit 6' vinyl privacy on side and rear yards. Some only allow open picket type fencing for front of house. Some have color preferences. We get copies of the covenants before we even start to draw. We pick the style and color that will work, and send the plan to the committee for you so that it gets approved the first time.

Tan and white vinyl privacy fence enclosing a large open lot with palms and pines behind — Tan vinyl on a large lot. On a long perimeter the colour choice matters more than people expect.

Color choices that suit an island lot

Classic, bright white vinyl always looks great, especially on a painted house in the Village. For some people (and a few review committees), that bright white can seem a little harsh on the live oaks and palmettos of a wooded lot in the neighborhood near Frederica. Vinyl used in fences today is available in tan, clay, gray and woodgrain. And all with the same UV inhibitors in the material so that the colors last in that island sun. We'll bring samples to the estimate so that you can compare against the house and the trees.

Building for onshore wind

One of the characteristics of vinyl is that it will flex with a gust of wind. It then goes back to its original position. As long as the post doesn't break, it'll be fine. That's why on St. Simons the post is the whole job. The soil on the island is just clean sand and will drain freely but not hold on to the post like mainland clay will. Many of the lots are ocean side and get hit with the full force of an onshore wind. We use a 5" post here, and dig it deeper than we would on the mainland. We also use a larger concrete footing, that will be crowned at ground level. Inside the post we use an aluminum or steel post stiffener on the long runs and corners and at gates. On some of the more exposed lots we will narrow the spacing of the posts and recommend a semi-privacy or lattice top so that the pressure can escape rather than overloading the entire panel.

Trees, roots and the marsh edge

The vinyl posts are installed in the same holes you would use wood posts, so we take great care with the live oaks on your property. Glynn County has a tree protection ordinance for mature oaks and cutting a structural root on a tree older than the house could result in tree death. We hand dig around the trunks, reposition the posts to avoid big roots, and discuss with you if we can't avoid a root. For marsh front lots (along Village Creek, Dunbar Creek, Frederica River) State marsh buffer is a restriction on disturbing the ground near the edge. We keep the fence and equipment out of the buffer.

White vinyl privacy fence with a double gate over a brick path between a house and a garden building — A double gate set over an existing brick path: the path stayed, the fence worked around it.

Styles that work on St. Simons

Tongue-and-groove privacy. 6' tall solid for backyard & pool areas where covenants permit.
Lattice-top and semi-privacy. Island favorite, helps break up the long run, better wind performance than solid.
Picket. 3-4' front yard (Village, Mallery Street and covenant street frontages).
Pool enclosures. Vinyl privacy or picket for pool (to barrier height and self closing gate for residential pool rules).

Scheduling around rentals

A lot of homes here on St. Simons are second homes or vacation rentals and no one likes a fence going up when there are guests there. So we try to time our posts and panels when there are no guests or during off season. We will stage the materials so the yard can be used in-between. Let us know your schedule and we can adjust.

White vinyl semi-privacy fence with spaced top pickets and a matching gate across a lawn — Semi-privacy vinyl: solid to about shoulder height, spaced above it so wind and light still pass.

What upkeep looks like

If you get salt blown over from a storm, just rinse the fence with fresh water. If a green film grows up on the shady side in a humid summer, hose that off. Don't use the trimmer on the bottom rail. That's all the maintenance. That's what makes vinyl so perfect for island life. Free estimates anywhere on St. Simons. Financing available on big jobs. We can quote vinyl vs. aluminum or wood for you to compare.

Vinyl fencing elsewhere in the Golden Isles

Conditions change once you leave the island. Read about vinyl fencing in Brunswick, GA, vinyl fencing on Jekyll Island, and everything we do as a fence company on St. Simons Island.

Comparing options on St. Simons

Before you decide, see our aluminum fencing on St. Simons Island, wood fencing on St. Simons Island, fence repairs on St. Simons Island, and vinyl fencing service overview.

White vinyl privacy fence with a double gate beside a house

Questions and answers

Common questions about vinyl fencing on St. Simons Island

Island owners ask about salt, covenants and wind. Here are our answers.

Yes. Vinyl is a plastic, we don't see corrosion from salt. Fasteners that we use with vinyl are stainless or aluminum. Which is why vinyl is our first choice for East Beach, (the south end near the pier, and any lot where you have a straight shot to the ocean, where your wood fence will turn grey in a season, and your steel fence will rust.)
The panels move and bounce back. We design the posts. Five inch posts with metal stiffeners driven deep into concrete on exposed island lots. More often than not closer spacing on long runs. Often semi-privacy or lattice tops to let the pressure pass. That's what has held up in recent storms around here.
Some people don't like stark white on a natural lot. Some HOAs want something more subdued. We offer the same UV protection for tan, clay, gray, and woodgrain finishes on fence quality vinyl. We can bring samples so you can hold it up against your house.

Yes, most do. But they have restrictions on color, height, style, etc. Different subdivisions, such as Sea Palms, Hampton Point, Island Club, etc., have their own guidelines. Some don't allow solid on the front of the street side. We look at the covenants before we design & submit plan to the review committee for you.
Yes, they need the same kind of footings as a wood post. So hand dig near trees (in other words, same rules as wood posts). Space different so you don't hit any major roots. No structural root is cut without discussing with you first. It doesn't matter what type of fence you have, Glynn County has tree protection laws.
That's the best way to go. You don't want people keeping up the fence (they don't) and you don't want the rental owner to have to restain a fence every other year. It's vinyl, just rinse it off occasionally. And we can arrange to have it put in between rentals.