Fences for beach cottages on Pleasure Island

Carolina Beach sits on Pleasure Island between the ocean and the Cape Fear River, south of Snow's Cut. Many homes are raised cottages on small lots, and the population swells every summer with vacation renters. Fences here mark a small yard, hide trash cans and outdoor showers, keep a renter's dog in, and enclose pools at rental houses, all within a few hundred feet of salt water.

Salt air is the first consideration. Steel rusts quickly here, so we steer away from galvanized hardware where it shows and toward aluminum, vinyl and stainless or coated fasteners. Wood still works, especially cedar pickets and horizontal slat screens, but it wants a sealer and the screws matter as much as the boards. Sand is the second: posts in loose sand need deeper, wider footings, and a fence that faces the ocean wind should let air through.

For rental properties, pool barriers and gates get the most attention. A self-closing gate that a guest cannot prop open easily is worth paying for. If your house is managed by a rental company, we can coordinate access with them.

Nearby: Monkey Junction · Wrightsville Beach · Southport