East of 130 the ground flattens out, the trees thin to a few hackberries along the creeks, and the fences take the whole sky. A builder cedar fence in Lagos or Presidential Heights is uniformly gray within a summer or two because nothing stands between it and the sun from early morning until dusk, and the south wind across open lots dries it out between rains.
The good news is that most Manor fences are young, and young cedar is the cheapest wood there is to stain: no brightener, few if any picket swaps, one coat that goes in and stays. Catch it before the gray sets and you keep the color you bought the house with. We quote from satellite imagery and a couple of photos, firm by text before anyone drives out.
Neighborhoods we stain in Manor
- ShadowGlen
- Presidential Heights
- Carriage Hills
- Lagos
- Presidential Meadows
- Stonewater
- Bell Farms
- East Pflugerville
Manor is a young fence market. ShadowGlen and Carriage Hills date to the 2000s and are the closest thing to a second-cycle neighborhood here; Presidential Heights, Presidential Meadows, Lagos, Stonewater and Bell Farms are 2010s and 2020s builds where most fences have never been stained. East Pflugerville, out toward the 130 toll road, is the same housing and the same fence, and we cover it from this page.
No shade in Manor: what full sun does to a first-cycle fence
Cedar grays because UV breaks down the lignin in the surface fiber, and the rate depends almost entirely on hours of direct sun. A fence in a mature Austin neighborhood has a north run under an oak that lasts an extra year or two. ShadowGlen and Lagos do not have that run: the trees are young, the lots back onto other lots, and every panel takes the same dose. A bare Manor fence goes silver on all sides in the same season, which has one advantage: it stains evenly, ages evenly, and re-coats as one job.
It also means the first cycle is short. Stain a new fence in its window and you get 2 to 3 years before the first re-coat; miss the window and the first job is a restoration.
ShadowGlen, Presidential Heights and Lagos: stain before the gray sets
If your fence went up with the house in the last year or two, it is in the sweet spot. New cedar needs 4–8 weeks after install to take stain, and after that the sooner the better. Fences in Presidential Heights and Lagos that are one summer old are usually still tan at the bottom and just silvering along the top edge; that is a plain stain, no brightener, in the lower half of our range. Wait two or three summers and the same fence needs a brightener wash first, which adds a drying day and moves the price up.
ShadowGlen and Carriage Hills are old enough that some fences have been through a cycle. If the old coat is mostly gone, we can usually stain over it once it is cleaned; if it is a film-forming product that is peeling, that is a different conversation and we will tell you from the photos.
Natural cedar and honey: the tones that make sense here
Dark stains look good on the day and then fight the Manor sun. A dark walnut fence on an open lot runs hot to the touch and shows its fade within a couple of years. Natural cedar and honey start lighter, so they have less color to lose, they run cooler, and when they fade they go warm rather than patchy. For most Manor fences those two are the honest recommendation, and the color guide shows both on real wood.
On HOA lots, most ARCs in ShadowGlen, Presidential Heights and Lagos approve natural cedar and brown tones; confirm with yours, and see the HOA guide for how the application usually goes.
East Pflugerville and the 130 corridor
The line between Manor and east Pflugerville is a mailing address more than a change in housing. If you are east of 130 in a 2010s subdivision with a builder fence, this is your page whichever city the mail says. The lots are narrow and deep, so the long runs are the shared side fences. Your side alone is a real improvement; both sides is better for the wood and usually a better per-foot number. Tell us in the form if the neighbor is in and the quote comes back both ways.
What Manor fences usually cost
A typical Lagos or Presidential Heights lot carries around 120 to 170 linear feet of 6-foot privacy fence, most of it shared. Stained one side in natural cedar while the fence is still mostly tan, that lands in the lower half of our range; Manor's young fences are why this city sits at the low end of our map. A ShadowGlen fence that has gone gray and wants brightening moves to the middle. Both sides on a corner lot pushes toward the upper half, and we say so in the quote.
Your footage is measured from satellite imagery, the age and condition come from your photos, and the price is firm before we come out. What moves the price has the full breakdown.
Site-wide range: $700–$2,000 for most privacy fences, $3–$7 per sq ft for decks. Every quote is firm before we come out.
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Manor questions
Do you cover east Pflugerville from the Manor page?
Yes. East of 130, whether the address says Manor or Pflugerville, it is the same fence and the same price logic. Put the address in the form and we will confirm within the hour.
Our Lagos fence is two years old and still looks fine. Should we wait?
No. Two years old and still tan is the cheapest a fence will ever be to stain. Wait until it is gray and you are paying for a brightener and a drying day first.
Why do you keep recommending natural cedar in Manor?
Because the lots are open and the sun is constant. Lighter tones run cooler, start with less color to lose, and fade warm instead of patchy. Dark walnut on a shadeless Presidential Heights fence looks great for a season and then shows every hour of sun.
How long does stain last on a Manor fence with no shade?
Plan on 2 to 3 years for the whole fence. In shaded Austin yards the north side buys an extra year; in ShadowGlen and Lagos there usually is no shaded side.
Do you stain pine fences in Manor, or only cedar?
Both. Some builder fences are pine or spruce rather than cedar. Pine drinks stain unevenly, so it gets a lighter first pass and a careful back-brush; the finish is a little more rustic, but it holds.
Nearby: Pflugerville · Austin · Hutto
Also in Manor: deck staining · gray fence restoration · pergola staining · stain colors · what it costs