Every March and November, Colorado Springs takes a battering. Chinook winds off Pikes Peak regularly hit 60 mph, and gusts over 90 mph aren't unusual in Black Forest, Monument and along Powers. If a fence isn't built for those loads, it won't survive its second spring.
Post depth is 80% of the fight
Frost line in El Paso County is roughly 24 inches. We set every post a minimum of 30 inches deep, in concrete, so the base is below frost and there's enough mass to resist lateral wind load. Anything shallower relies on the picket to hold the post — and pickets snap first.
Best materials for wind
- Decorative steel — wind blows through the pattern, negligible sail area.
- Shadowbox cedar — alternating pickets let ~30% of wind pass through instead of loading solid pickets.
- Split rail — almost no sail area, ideal for open acreage in Falcon and Peyton.
- Chain link — best solid choice for exposed commercial lots.
Worst pick for wind
A solid 6-foot cedar or vinyl privacy fence on an exposed corner lot with no windbreak is a sail. If you need privacy in a wind-exposed spot, we spec extra posts (6-foot on-center instead of 8), heavier gauge steel, and often a shadowbox pattern to bleed pressure.