Iron Fence Installation in Galveston, TX

What you are buying when you buy "iron"

True wrought iron is a historic material: almost pure iron (under 1% carbon) with 1–4% slag, which gives it a layered, fibrous structure. The National Park Service notes that very little is made today and that "almost all that is sold as wrought iron is really mild steel". It also notes that mild steel "is not as resistant to corrosion as either wrought iron or cast iron". So a new iron fence lives or dies by its coating.

What gets installed now is ornamental steel in the iron style: solid bars or square tubes, welded into panels, with spear, flat, ball or hoop tops, scrolls and rings. The ASTM standards for factory ornamental steel fences, F2408 (galvanized tube) and F2589 (black steel tube), both say they do not apply to solid-bar or wrought iron systems. For a custom solid-bar fence, the written quote is your specification, so ask what the bar size, the finish and the fasteners are.

Iron or something else? If you want the look without rust, aluminum comes in the same picket styles. If you want a heavy factory-welded panel with a published coating spec and warranty, look at ornamental steel. For custom scrollwork, estate frontages and restoration of old ironwork, iron-style fabrication is the right tool. The metal fence comparison sets all of them side by side, and aluminum vs wrought iron goes deeper on that one choice.

Picket spacing: the decision most people skip

Front yards. Galveston caps a residential front-yard fence at 4 ft if it is solid, or 5 ft if it is at least 60% transparent. At townhomes and multifamily properties the open-fence limit is 6 ft. Standard ornamental spacing is well over 60% open on the pickets alone, so an iron-style fence is one of the few ways to get a taller front-yard fence. Scrolls, rings, extra rails and puppy pickets all close it up, so check the finished design.

Pools. The City's pool permit requires the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. The barrier must be at least 48 inches tall, and no opening may pass a 4-inch sphere. If the tops of the horizontal rails are less than 45 inches apart, the rails have to be on the pool side (so they can't be climbed from outside) and picket gaps can't exceed 1¾ inches. The bottom gap is limited to 2 inches over grass or gravel. This is where puppy-picket and close-spaced panels come in. See pool fences and Texas pool fence rules.

Pets. The same 4-inch gap that fails a pool barrier lets small dogs through. A puppy-picket or double-picket bottom section fixes that without changing the whole fence.

Finish and upkeep near the Gulf

Ask what is under the paint. A fence that is batch hot-dip galvanized after it is welded (ASTM A123) carries at least 3.9 mils of zinc on ¼-inch steel, under the primer and topcoat. Bare steel that is only primed and painted relies on the paint alone. Ask which one your quote is.

Repainting. The National Park Service's guidance for ironwork: remove loose paint, rust, dirt and "water-soluble salts" first. Prime bare metal right away, before new rust forms. Don't paint below 50°F within 24 hours or above 80% relative humidity, or in fog or mist. Use at least two coats of rust-inhibitive primer on hand-cleaned iron. Latex paints are "not recommended" as primers on bare metal. One effective system it describes is a zinc-rich primer, an epoxy base coat and two urethane finish coats.

Salt. Rinse salt off, especially on the side facing the water and near the ground. Keep sprinklers and mulch off the bottom rail. Touch up nicks early, because once a rust film forms, NPS notes, "its porous surface acts as a reservoir for liquids". The metal fence comparison covers what salt air does to each metal and what manufacturers' warranties say about the coast.

From estimate to finished fence

1. Free on-site estimate. We measure the line, the gates and any slope, note how exposed the site is to salt spray, and talk through style, height and spacing.
2. Design and a written price. The picket size and spacing, height, tops and details, gates and hardware, and the finish, all in writing.
3. Property line, HOA and permits. A survey is the reliable way to find your line. Check your HOA, and the City's historic district, pool and coastal questions where they apply.
4. Installation. Posts are set and panels and gates are hung. Any cut or drilled steel should be sealed before painting, so ask how yours will be.
5. Walkthrough. We check gates and latches (pool gates must self-close and self-latch) and go over rinsing and touch-up.

What affects cost and timing

We give you a written price after the free on-site visit. The main things that move it:

• Length and height. More feet and taller panels mean more steel.
• Picket size and spacing. Heavier bars and pool or puppy-picket spacing use more material per foot.
• Tops and details. Spears, finials, rings, scrolls and staggered pickets add fabrication time.
• Finish. Galvanizing under the paint or powder coat costs more up front and can mean less upkeep near the water.
• Gates and columns. Walk and driveway gates, self-closing pool hardware, and mounting to brick or stone columns.
• Custom work. One-off designs and matching an existing historic fence take longer than standard panels.

For typical numbers, see iron fence cost. Financing is available through the providers on our financing page, subject to credit approval.

Questions we get about this