Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable Fence Installation Across Malibu
Fence installation in Malibu typically runs $3,500 to $9,000 for a standard vinyl fence, with wood, aluminum, and chain link falling into similar ranges depending on the grade of material and your lot conditions. But Malibu is not a standard place to build, and if you’ve lived here long, you already know that. Between Coastal Commission review, fire-hardening codes, and narrow PCH corridors, a fence here is less about picking a style and more about navigating a set of rules that most contractors never see. Barrett & Sons Construction has worked with Malibu homeowners long enough to know which questions to ask before the first post hole goes in. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Malibu’s Preferred Fence Installation Company
Tom Barrett started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. That’s the whole structure. There’s no parent company, no franchise, and no stranger showing up at your gate. When a Malibu homeowner calls us about a fence along a steep hillside off Kanan Dume Road or a wind-battered privacy fence near Zuma Beach, the person answering the phone can actually talk about what that job involves. Our customers in the 90265 and 90263 zip codes have told us the same thing repeatedly: the estimate matched the final bill, the crew showed up when they said they would, and Tom’s name was on the contract. Most of our Malibu work comes from referrals along Point Dume and Big Rock, which tells you more than any ad campaign could.
Every Malibu job we take includes permits pulled and inspections signed when the city or Coastal Commission requires them. Price changes come as written change orders before work proceeds. And every completed fence is backed by our 90-Day Done Right Promise, written on the contract: if it’s not done right, one call brings Tom back. We answer calls 24/7 with a live person, not an out-of-state answering service. If you want to verify our standing before you sign anything, Tom publishes his name, his address, and his license number. Look it up.
Our Fence Installation Services in Malibu
Wood Fence in Malibu
A redwood or cedar fence along a Malibu hillside has to do more than mark a property line. In the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone that covers most of the city, combustibility rules affect what you can build and how close it can sit to structures. We work with homeowners to select wood species and treatments that satisfy LA County fire-hardening requirements without sacrificing the look of a classic coastal fence. On lots near the beach, salt air attacks standard pressure-treated posts faster than you’d expect, so we use stainless or hot-dipped galvanized hardware as a standard on any Fence Installation job within a mile of the water.

Chain Link Fence in Malibu
For many Malibu properties, chain link is a practical choice for keeping animals in or out, especially on larger equestrian parcels in the mountains or around utilities where you don’t want a solid barrier. We install galvanized and vinyl-coated chain link with properly set posts in the sandy, shifting soils common to coastal and canyon lots. Post depth and concrete footing are the difference between a fence that’s straight in five years and one that’s leaning after the first heavy winter rain.

Vinyl Fence in Malibu
Vinyl holds up surprisingly well in Malibu’s salt air because it doesn’t rust or rot the way wood and steel do. The tradeoff is heat: on exposed south-facing slopes, dark vinyl absorbs serious sun and can warp. We steer Malibu homeowners toward lighter colors and properly reinforced posts on wind-exposed ridgelines. You won’t be repainting every few years, and for a lot of our customers, that’s the whole point.

Aluminum Fence in Malibu
Aluminum gives you the clean look of wrought iron without the weight or the rust problem that comes with marine air off the Pacific. This matters a lot in Malibu, where salt corrosion eats standard steel fences in a handful of years. We also recommend aluminum for pool enclosures and around courtyards in newer Malibu rebuilds, where ignition-resistant materials are already a code concern and you want the fence to match the house’s fire-conscious construction. The same logic guides our other outdoor work in the area, whether it’s Driveway & Pavers in Malibu or a full hardscape around a rebuilt home.

What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Malibu
We install and service fences built by Simonton, Ply Gem, and PGT, three manufacturers whose products you can actually look up before you sign anything. That matters to Malibu homeowners who’ve been burned by mystery-brand materials before. Because we work regularly in the 90263, 90264, and 90265 zip codes, we keep the hardware and common replacement parts for these systems either on the truck or a quick pickup away, which means less waiting when your gate needs attention. No mystery brands off a van, just materials with a manufacturer’s name behind them.
Common Fence Installation Problems We See in Malibu Homes
- Salt-corrosion on steel posts and fasteners. Fences within a mile of the Pacific deteriorate fast. Standard galvanized hardware rusts through in a few years, and we regularly replace chain link and aluminum fences where the posts have failed at the base. We use stainless or marine-grade hardware as standard on coastal jobs.
- Fire-code conflicts on wood fences. A solid wood fence attached to a hillside home can violate Chapter 7A ignition-resistant construction rules. Homeowners sometimes find this out after an unpermitted fence gets flagged during a separate inspection. We check this before quoting, because the permit inspector works for you, not for us.
- Wind and shifting soils on canyon lots. Santa Ana winds put real lateral force on tall privacy fences, and the sandy, sometimes liquefiable soils in Malibu canyons mean posts set shallow will eventually lean. We over-engineer footings for the specific soil, not for a textbook.
- Narrow PCH-corridor staging issues. On beachfront parcels 30 to 40 feet wide along Pacific Coast Highway, there’s no room to store materials on-site. We coordinate staging in moving-lane closures with Caltrans when necessary, which is a logistical layer most fence contractors never deal with inland.
Pricing for Fence Installation in Malibu, CA
A typical vinyl fence installation in Malibu runs $3,500 to $9,000, and a comparable aluminum fence runs $4,000 to $10,000. Wood fences start on the lower end of that range depending on the species and the footage, while chain link is usually the most economical per foot. What moves the number in Malibu specifically is site access and code compliance: a fence on a steep hillside with tight truck access costs more than one on a flat lot behind a gate, and any fence that triggers Coastal Commission review adds time and paperwork beyond the materials themselves. We give free estimates with a written line-item quote before you commit. No change orders without your signature on paper. Call (877) 610-1318 and ask for a number, not a guess.
We Also Serve Cities Near Malibu
Our crews work throughout the Santa Monica Mountains and the communities just over the ridge from Malibu. We regularly take fence installations in Agoura, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, and Thousand Oaks, which means if you live in one of those areas and need a fence, you’re not waiting on a contractor who has to learn the roads. The same pricing, the same written change orders, and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise apply no matter which side of Kanan Dume you’re on. And if you’re already thinking about expanding your outdoor space, we also handle Home Additions & ADU in Malibu, which pairs naturally with fence and gate work when a backyard ADU changes the whole lot’s access plan.
Serving Malibu, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Malibu area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Fence Installation in Malibu
We answer calls 24/7 and can usually get a crew to a Malibu site within a few business days for an estimate, depending on the scope and Coastal Commission requirements. For standard vinyl or chain link fences with no coastal review, we can often start within one to two weeks of a signed contract. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a specific start window for your street, not a promise we can’t keep.
Yes. We work in Point Dume, Big Rock, Zuma, Malibu Park, Latigo Canyon, and along Pacific Coast Highway, plus the canyon neighborhoods in the 90263, 90264, and 90265 zip codes. If you’re in the Santa Monica Mountains or right on the beach, we’ve priced and built fences on lots like yours before.
Often yes, and the reasons are specific: Coastal Commission Coastal Development Permits add review time and fees, fire-code compliance under Chapter 7A can require different materials, and staging on narrow PCH lots means coordinating with Caltrans. You’re not paying more for the same fence. You’re paying for a fence that meets rules an inland fence never faces. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote; estimates are free.
We prioritize fence failures that affect security, pool safety, or livestock containment, and we answer the phone when you call, day or night. If a Santa Ana wind event took down a section and left your property open, we’ll get someone out to assess it quickly. For non-emergency repairs, we schedule at the earliest available date and give you a written quote before any work starts. The best first step is always the same: call us at (877) 610-1318 and tell us what you’re looking at.
Every fence we install carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise, written on the contract. If something isn’t right within 90 days, one call brings Tom Barrett back to fix it. Manufacturer warranties on materials like Simonton, Ply Gem, and PGT products apply separately and we’ll walk you through what’s covered before you sign. We’d rather you know exactly what you’re getting up front than discover a surprise later.
If you’re ready to price a fence in Fence Installation in Malibu, pick up the phone and call (877) 610-1318. We’ll get you a written estimate, answer your questions without the runaround, and show up when we say we will.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Malibu and surrounding communities since 1998.







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