A sturdy wood frame filled with heavy welded wire panels: open enough to see through, strong enough for dogs and deer. Built across Portland, Happy Valley, West Linn and surrounding communities.
A hog wire fence is a wood frame of posts, a top rail and a bottom rail, filled with rigid welded wire panels. The name comes from farm fencing, but the version most homeowners build today is a clean, modern garden fence. It keeps dogs in and deer out while you still see straight through it, which makes it a favorite on view lots and around raised beds.
In the Portland area the frame is usually cedar, often with a wide top cap that doubles as a ledge. The panels are heavy-gauge galvanized wire, which holds up in our wet weather far better than thin fencing wire. The panel sits in a groove or behind trim so there are no sharp ends facing the yard. Because wind passes through the wire, a hog wire fence takes far less of a beating in winter storms than a solid fence.
The posts are still the part that wears out first. We set them deep, crown the concrete to shed water and keep the bottom rail up off wet soil so it doesn't wick moisture and rot. Climbing plants like hops, beans or clematis grow well on the wire, so the fence can turn green in summer and open back up in winter.