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Since 1986Two generations of crews, thousands of fences, and not one complaint on our record. This is who builds your fence.
Expert Fence opened in Alexandria in 1986 with a simple operating rule that has never changed: use the best material for the job, not the cheapest one available. That rule cost us work early on. It also built a customer list that has kept the company running for nearly forty years, largely through referrals and repeat business.
Today we install across the entire Washington metropolitan area — every jurisdiction in DC, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland — and we fabricate custom gates, railings and ornamental work in our own shop. In recent years we opened our material yard to the public, so homeowners and contractors can buy the same contractor-grade stock we install.
The company is now owned by Samuel Lazo, who is expanding Expert Fence beyond installation into fabrication, materials, and the full range of property services our customers kept asking us for.
Verified in every jurisdiction we build in, with a clean record at every board and bureau that oversees us.
Angi · consistently rated among the DMV's top fence contractors
Washington Consumers' Checkbook · independently surveyed
Washingtonian Magazine · recognized local contractor
Ratings and recognition are from each organization’s public listing. Names are the property of their respective owners; no endorsement is implied.
Shop, yard and jobsite. The parts of a fence company most customers never get to see.
Walk the material, see the fabrication shop, and talk to someone who has actually built a fence.
Yard and fabrication shop, Alexandria VA
Installation is never subcontracted. The crew that quotes your fence is the crew that builds it.
Took ownership of Expert Fence after four decades of company history, and is expanding it into fabrication, material sales and full property services across the DMV.
Walks your property, measures the line, checks grade and utilities, and tells you honestly what the project needs — and what it doesn't.
Gates, railings, post caps and ornamental ironwork built to spec in Alexandria before anything reaches your property.
Trained on our standards, working in every jurisdiction in the region, from single back yards to multi-site commercial developments.
Most fence companies stop at the property line. Because we are already on your site with the crew, the equipment and the survey, we can handle the work that surrounds the fence too — one contractor, one schedule, one point of accountability.
Before a post goes in the ground, we verify where your line actually is. Survey coordination, plat review, stake-out and easement checks — the step that prevents a neighbor dispute later.
Planting plans, screening design and full yard layouts drawn to work with your new fence rather than fight it. Renderings provided so you see it before we build it.
Standing water rots posts and heaves footings. We correct grade, install French drains and regrade problem areas so the fence you just paid for lasts its full life.
Retaining walls, walkways, patios and steps — including the masonry piers and knee walls that turn a standard fence into an entrance.
Built from the same cedar and hardware as your fence, by the same shop, so the whole yard reads as one project instead of three.
Fence-line clearing, stump grinding and overgrowth removal so the line runs true and the crew can actually work.
Scheduled cleaning and re-sealing on a two-to-three year cycle. We keep your fence on a maintenance calendar so you don't have to remember.
Automated swing and slide operators, keypads, intercom and vehicle sensors for driveways, communities and commercial yards.
A fence in the DC, Maryland and Virginia climate takes freeze-thaw cycles, humid summers and heavy clay soil. Here is what actually extends its life.
Let new cedar or pressure-treated wood weather three to six months before the first coat. Fresh lumber carries mill glaze and moisture that will not let a finish penetrate, and sealing too early traps that moisture inside the board. After the first coat, plan on cleaning and re-sealing every two to three years in this climate — sun-facing runs may need it sooner than shaded ones.
After the last freeze, walk the whole line and push on each post. Any movement means the footing has heaved or the post has begun to rot at grade. Check that gates still latch without lifting, look for green or black growth on the north-facing side, and clear soil or mulch that has built up against the boards — it holds water directly against the wood.
Climbing vines, ivy and shrubs pressed against a fence hold moisture, trap debris and pry boards apart as they grow. Keep a hand's width of clearance on both sides. String trimmers are the other common culprit — repeated hits at the base of pickets strip finish and open the grain to water.
Gates fail before fences do because they move. Once a year, tighten every hinge screw, lubricate hinges and latches with a dry lubricant rather than oil, and adjust tension on self-closing hinges. If a gate has started to drag, a gate wheel or an anti-sag kit is far cheaper than a rebuild.
Pressure washing can strip years off a wood fence if it is done wrong. Stay under 1,500 PSI, use a wide fan tip, keep the wand moving and hold it at least a foot off the surface. Anything more aggressive gouges the soft grain and leaves a fuzzy, splintered face that will not take a finish evenly.
Vinyl needs little more than a rinse and mild soap; avoid abrasive cleaners that dull the surface. Powder-coated aluminum should be washed annually and touched up with matching paint anywhere the coating chips, since bare aluminum will oxidize. On chain link, watch the tension bands and top rail couplings — a loose section sags quickly and is hard to pull back.
Do not pile plowed or shoveled snow against a fence. The weight pushes panels out of plumb and the road salt in it accelerates corrosion on hardware and damages nearby plantings. If a section does shift over winter, address it in spring — a leaning post transfers load to its neighbors and the failure spreads down the line.
Want these as seasonal reminders?
If it is inside the Beltway or an hour outside it, we are there. Not sure about your address? Call and ask.
Free estimates across DC, Maryland and Virginia. Most quotes returned within one business day.