The 6-foot cedar privacy fence is the default across Olathe's big 1990-to-2010 subdivisions — Blackbob Park, Havencroft, Persimmon Hill — so the decision isn't whether to go private. It's which profile survives the dense clay and the Olathe Wind on your run.RKC Wood Care Pros builds board-on-board, shadow box, vinyl, and composite privacy at $25 to $58 per linear foot — posts 36 inches deep in wet-poured concrete on bell-bottom footings, panels racked to a sloped grade so no gap opens at the bottom, and the first stain coat at 30 days by the same in-house crew that built it. 4.9 stars from 85 Google reviews, 400+ fences across the metro since 2021.
WHAT DECIDES AN OLATHE PRIVACY FENCE
The 6-foot cedar privacy fence is the default across Olathe's big 1990-to-2010 subdivisions — it's what runs the length of the skyline in Blackbob Park, Havencroft, and Persimmon Hill. So the real question at the estimate is never wood-versus-open. It's board-on-board versus shadow box versus vinyl, and how each one behaves on your specific run. That's the decision we come to sort out.
A single 6-by-8 solid section is roughly 48 square feet of surface for the wind coming off the plains to push on, and every pound of that load lands in the posts. It's the reason gates sag and long privacy runs start to lean out here. Shadow box bleeds the wind through the panel gap instead of catching it, welded gate frames don't rack, and hinges rated above the gate weight keep the line from dragging.
The third-acre lots on the newer builds pushing toward K-7 and 175th Street rarely sit flat, and a privacy fence stepped down a grade leaves a triangle of daylight under each panel — privacy you paid for, leaking at the bottom. We rack the panels to follow the slope so the pickets stay parallel to the ground and the sightline stays closed the whole run, no wedge gaps at grade.
A bare cedar privacy fence doesn't just gray — the boards cup and twist as they weather, and a cupped picket opens a daylight seam next to it. Left long enough, the fence you bought for privacy is full of gaps you can see straight through. We keep staining in-house, first coat at 30 days, so the boards stay flat and the line stays solid. One number to call when the cedar's ready for its next coat.
WHERE THE PER-FOOT NUMBER COMES FROM
| Cost driver | What it does to the price | Typical on an Olathe lot |
|---|---|---|
| Base profile | A board-on-board overlap uses noticeably more cedar than a single-layer dog-ear, so it lands higher per foot | Dog-ear $25–35 · board-on-board $28–38 · shadow box $28–38 |
| Panel height | Every extra foot of height adds material and enlarges the wind sail, which calls for heavier posts and closer spacing | Most Olathe backyards build the standard 6-foot privacy height |
| Gates | A welded frame, drop rod, and wind-rated hinges are priced per gate, not per foot — the single most under-budgeted line | One walk gate plus a double-drive gate is the common Olathe layout |
| Slope & grade-stepping | Racking panels to a sloped grade adds layout time over a flat run — the trade for no gaps at the bottom | Common on the sloped third-acre lots in the western K-7 expansion |
| Old-fence tear-out | Pulling and hauling an end-of-life fence and its concrete footings is its own line before anything new goes up | Frequent in the 1990s cedar subdivisions now aging out |
A privacy quote is never one number per foot — it's the base profile plus every gate, grade, and tear-out, each on its own line. The metro-wide breakdown of heights, profiles, and the 36-inch standard lives on our Kansas City privacy fence installation page. This is the Olathe version of it.
THE PRIVACY MENU
Full privacy that stays full
Pickets overlap down the rail so there's no gap to start with and none opens as the cedar dries through its first Olathe summer. It's the profile we point street-facing runs and year-round-privacy backyards toward — the extra lumber is exactly what keeps the sightline closed a decade in.
Both sides finished · the wind answer
Boards alternate face to face, so your side and the neighbor's side both read as the good side and the gap between them lets the Olathe Wind pass through instead of loading the panel like a billboard. It's the default we recommend on the long, open runs out in the western subdivisions and on any shared line where the neighbor has an opinion.
Zero stain schedule · both sides finished
UV-stabilized panels on aluminum-insert bottom rails, solid to the ground and finished identically on both faces. It never asks for a stain coat, which is why it's gaining ground in the newer northern Olathe developments where the cedar-look pressure is lighter. The panels are heavy, so the posts still go 36 inches deep against the wind.
Long-hold · manufacturer-backed
Wood-polymer boards that pass for stained cedar from across the yard and hold a solid privacy line without ever taking a brush. You pay more up front, but on a 10-plus-year hold — or a rental where the 2-year stain cycle was always going to slip — the no-maintenance math pulls ahead of cedar.
HOW MUCH PRIVACY, AND WHICH SIDE'S FINISHED
| Profile | Privacy | In the Olathe Wind | Finished face | Best Olathe run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Board-on-Board | 100%, permanent — overlap never opens | Solid — heaviest post load | One side (both-sides on request) | Street-facing runs where privacy has to hold year-round |
| Cedar Dog-Ear (board-to-board) | 100% new — small gaps can open as it dries | Solid sail | One finished side | Budget solid runs on a protected side yard |
| Cedar Shadow Box | ~90% — a sliver at a sharp angle | Wind passes the gap — lightest load | Both sides read finished | Long exposed western runs and shared property lines |
| Vinyl Privacy | 100% solid | Solid sail — heavy panels, engineered rails | Both sides finished | No-stain builds in the newer northern Olathe developments |
The two questions that actually settle the profile are how exposed the run is and whether the neighbor sees the back of it. A protected side yard can take a solid dog-ear; a long open run on a western lot, or any shared line, is usually a shadow-box job. We'll walk both with you at the estimate.
OLATHE PRIVACY FENCE PRICING
$28–38
per linear foot installed
Overlapping pickets, no gap now or later. The most-requested Olathe privacy build.
$28–38
per linear foot installed
Both-sides-finished, with the air gap that takes the wind load off long runs.
$38–52
per linear foot installed
Solid, no stain schedule, finished on both faces. Common in northern Olathe builds.
Composite privacy runs $40–58 per linear foot with no stain schedule, and a single-layer dog-ear starts around $25. Gates, sloped-grade racking, and old-fence tear-out are itemized separately on every Olathe estimate — call (913) 286-1091 or request an on-site walkthrough.
HOW THE PRIVACY FENCE GOES UP
We walk your Olathe lot with you, measure the run, and confirm where the fence line sits against your pins — a privacy fence is a 20-year commitment to wherever it lands, and moving it later means doing the job twice. Every estimate is free, written, and itemized: linear feet, each gate, material, concrete, tear-out, cleanup, and the first stain coat. No verbal quotes.
With the profile chosen — board-on-board, shadow box, or vinyl — we mark the run and call the 811 utility locate before anyone digs. We settle the profile here on purpose: it sets the picket count, the price, and how the finished fence handles the Olathe Wind, and that's a decision better made on paper than mid-build.
Privacy fencing carries more wind load per foot than any other residential fence, so every post drops 36 inches into wet-poured concrete on a bell-bottom footing, below Olathe's frost line, with a drainage collar to keep the dense Wymore clay from holding water at the base. On a sloped lot we rack the panels to follow the grade so no daylight wedge opens under a run. Pickets go on with galvanized ring-shank nails.
Fresh cedar holds too much mill moisture to take stain on day one, so we schedule the first coat 30 days out, semi-transparent and back-brushed by the same crew that built the fence. That first coat is what keeps the boards flat instead of cupping — and a flat board is a board with no daylight seam beside it. We log every Olathe install and call when the 2-year re-coat is due.
RECENT OLATHE PRIVACY INSTALLS
REVIEWS
4.9 ★ · 85 Google reviews
Every review is on our Google Business Profile — read them there, unedited.
Read all 85 reviews on GoogleOLATHE PRIVACY FENCE QUESTIONS
OTHER OLATHE FENCE OPTIONS
The full cedar and pine breakdown — species, grades, and the 36-inch post spec — when the decision is about the wood itself, not only the privacy line.
Explore Wood Fence in Olathe →White, tan, and woodgrain vinyl — zero staining, 30-year life. Gaining ground in the newer northern Olathe developments where the JoCo-look pressure is lighter.
Explore Vinyl Fence in Olathe →Galvanized and vinyl-coated for larger Olathe lots, back runs, and commercial sites — the cheapest durable containment when a sightline block isn't the point.
Explore Chain Link Fence in Olathe →Powder-coated steel — the material of choice on the pond-facing and common-area lots you see across Stonebridge Park and south Olathe.
Explore Ornamental Iron in Olathe →Rust-free and lighter than ornamental steel — common along pond frontage and pool enclosures across the south Olathe expansion.
Explore Aluminum Fence in Olathe →The cedar profiles, heights, and finishes that fit the look established Olathe subdivisions expect — built to read right on your street.
Explore HOA-Conscious Fencing in Olathe →Leaning-post correction, wind-damage rebuilds, and sagging-gate re-hangs — across the 1990s subdivisions where cedar is now reaching end-of-life.
Fence Repair in Olathe →The service that keeps a privacy fence private: we stain the cedar in-house, first coat at 30 days, so the boards stay flat and the line stays closed.
Fence Staining in Olathe →Matching cedar or vinyl privacy gates on welded frames with galvanized hinges rated above the gate weight — built for the Olathe Wind.
Gate Installation in Olathe →Need the full Olathe fence overview? Visit the Olathe fence installation hub.
Ready when you are
