Cost of Glass pool fence

During a recent remodel of their Phoenix home, Rachel and Carter Lipton researched options to protect their four young children—Adlai, 8, Satchel, 6, Sol, 3, and Abe, 6 months—from unsupervised access to the family pool.

They decided to install a grid-style, rust-colored wrought-iron fence. They looked into other options but decided they wanted something permanent “There wasn’t any time we wouldn’t want to have a pool fence up for our kids, our friends’ kids, nieces and nephews…even grandkids, ” Rachel Lipton says.

Safety around water is a year-round concern in the greater-Phoenix area, where 42.8 percent of homes have a pool—well over the national average of 15.7 percent, according to a recent American Housing Survey.

Arizona statutes require any family with a pool and children under the age of 6 to erect a wall, fence or barrier that completely surrounds the entire pool area.

The Arizona Department of Health Services has a set of requirements for each type of barrier, but some city and county government mandates are even more restrictive.

As president of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona—an organization that has studied and kept statistics on drowning incidents for nearly 26 years—Lori Schmidt is all too aware of what happens when pool barriers are not in place or properly installed.

“Research shows that the safest choice is a five-foot wrought-iron pool fence, ” says Schmidt.

But for homeowners, cost, aesthetics and the “hassle” factor also figure into the decision.

Wrought-iron fencing ranges from $28 per linear foot for a standard fence to $150 per linear foot for a decorative fence that might feature twisted iron and detailed scrollwork. A self-closing, hinged gate adds another $235 and a security lock on the gate runs around $115.

Mesh fencing

Some families prefer the flexibility of mesh fencing, which can be removed and replaced as needed.

Scottsdale residents Krista and Doug Robinson have two children: Isabella, 10, and Aidan, 8. The couple chose mesh fencing when baby-proofing their home for then 6-month-old Isabella.

“We went with a mesh fence because we wanted to be able to take it down for aesthetic reasons, ” says Krista.