Building Peace of Mind in and around Pittsburgh
Meet Blue Dino
The story behind the name says more than any mission statement ever could. I didn't name the company after some branding workshop or clever marketing ploy. I named it Blue Dino because of a little plastic dinosaur in my boot. Back when I was still doing early-morning labor with the sky black, boots cold, running on teething-toddler sleep, back sore, shoulder stiff, I'd slide my foot into my work boot and feel a sharp jab. It was almost always one of my son Beckham's toy dinosaurs. He was a toddler then, always leaving those in my boots like little landmines of love. Maybe he thought I'd like the surprise. Maybe it was just a home for the dino, a steel-toe cave, but it planted something deeper: a reminder of what matters most. When running on fumes, you frame the day right and let it anchor you. Every time I stepped on one of those jagged dinos, I'd laugh. Or curse, then laugh. But mostly I'd stop and remember: this is why I'm doing this. I'm building something here, not just fences, but a life. Something stable for my wife, for my kids. A name to stand behind. A future to stand inside of. I'm a transplant here; born in Kentucky, married a Pittsburgh girl, wound up setting roots in this beautiful steel city. A city that's rough-edged and full of character, just like the people in it. I wasn't raised here, but I admire and respect it deeply; and I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to raise my kids here.
Fence Science
Most wood fences are built with standard 8-foot panels that sag and weaken over time; we custom-build every fence using sections around 7' wide. Vinyl fences, our standard section is 6' wide. This simple but powerful difference means:
- Straighter, Stronger Rails — Our 7' sections experience over 41% less deflection/sag & 23% less stress than standard 8-foot spans, keeping your fence straight and secure for decades. Our 6' sections cut those rates down to 68% less deflection/sag & 44% less stress than standard 8' sections.
- Strength & Security — When we built in the Rocky Mountains outside Denver, most town codes required 5ft max spacing between posts, due to the strength of the storms. With wooden fences, even a 7ft section is 70% stronger than a standard 8' section, and a 6ft section is 210% stronger than an 8ft section.
- Nerdy Stuff — Want to dig into the engineering behind why our shorter sections won't bow and become "banana rails" like standard 8' sections?"
- Engineered for Pittsburgh Weather — With shorter sections the wind load is spread across more posts. Shorter sections also means shorter, much stronger rails. A 2x4's material strength doesn't change with length, its load capacity does. Shorter spans are disproportionately stronger and stiffer because bending and buckling scale inversely with length. Shorten the span, and the same 2x4 can carry far more load.
- Built to Last — Every cedar picket is securely fastened with 2" stainless steel ring-shank nails to prevent streaking; or if they are pine, we use hot-dipped galvanized steel. No shortcuts, never any of those garbage quality, prebuilt panels. We're just folks that were raised to do things the right way, the first time.
- Gate Bracing: Tension vs. Compression — Diagonal brace orientation is the single biggest factor in whether a gate sags. Tension support runs from the bottom corner of the latch side and pulls it up the top hinge. This also pushes the top of the the latch post back toward the hinge post. We use a chain, that won't stretch or rust out quickly; and a turnbuckle so you can easily re-plumb the gate it ages. Compression support, or Z-bar, runs the opposite direction, redirecting the gate's weight from the top of the latch side back to the strong base of the hinge post. Our X-brace wood gate frames apply both forces simultaneously, keeping gates square against load shifts and wind shear, and letting homeowners easily pull the gate back to plumb on their own as it ages.
- Footers and Structural Standards — We dig 30"–36" deep to get below the frost line. Our holes are dug in a bell-bottom shape — when the ground freezes and expands, the bell shape locks the footer in place instead of letting it get pushed upward. We use an average of 175 lbs of concrete per post, giving your footer the wall thickness it needs to hold up over the long haul. For chain-link, we use 20-weight framing on our pipes — commercial grade, built to last. With wood fences, we keep our framing consistent and purposeful: top rails set high, bottom rails set low. This minimizes warping over time and gives your fence a clean, finished look. We use 2" ring-shanked nails for full grip on our pickets. We use full-depth screws in our rails for better withdrawal resistance, and will add nails where more tensile strength is required.
Cedar Picket Standard
Cedar's high tannin content makes it naturally resistant to insects, rot, and moisture; no chemical treatment needed. Its tight, consistent grain stays straighter over time with far less warping, cupping, or splitting than treated pine, especially through Pittsburgh's seasonal swings. It also weathers beautifully, developing a soft silver patina with age. Durable, low-maintenance, and premium-looking — cedar is a worthwhile upgrade, and it's our standard. *Pressure-treated pine is also available.
Steel Post Standard
We anchor them with top-of-the-line metal posts like Integrity and PostMaster, engineered for real, long-term strength. This gives your fence a higher wind rating, a longer lifespan, and zero rot risk, all while staying hidden within the fence line. *Pressure-treated pine posts are also available.
The Gallery
Scope of Work
Common Fences
- Wood fencing — infinite styles.
- Decorative Metal — aluminum or steel, multiple styles.
- Chain Link — Galv or Black. Commercial grade 20-weight pipes, GAW wire mesh, concrete footer on every post.
- Vinyl — Our vinyl lasts longer; we beef it up to properly deflect the wind: we add metal post stiffeners & metal rail stiffeners. Vinyl has the most fail points of any fence. We address each one thoroughly to give that plastic all the support it needs to act like a proper building material.
- We take the everyday fence and make it an investment on your property. A fence can either add value, if built properly; or be an expensive headache, if built poorly or rushed.
Custom Fences
- Tell us your vision, and we'll use our expertise to collaborate with you to make it a structurally sound, eye-catching fence.
- We offer various wood fence options, with our hidden metal posts, that will set your yard apart and be an investment on your home.
Fence Repair
- We'll work with you to repair what can be repaired up to our standards.
- We can often add sister posts to leaning wood fences to shore them up, cut out and replace bad portions of chain link fence, without you having to buy a new fence.
- The hardest part about repairs is we are almost always attempting to fix poor craftsmanship. And depending on the severity of their negligence, sometimes we can fix it up. But sometimes a new fence from scratch just makes more sense to prevent future headaches and not be a waste of money because the fail points are too numerous.
Contact Us
We will get back to you within 2 business days.
Proudly Serving
We proudly serve communities within about a 25-mile radius of Monroeville. If you're nearby, there's a good chance we work in your area. Feel free to call and we'll be happy to confirm.
Our Crew
What Our Customers Say
Military Discount
We offer a 5% discount to all military families as our way of saying thank you for your sacrifice. (Commercial jobs exempt.)
Supporters of KIND
We donate a percentage of our profits to KIND (Kids in Need of Defense), helping vulnerable children reunite with their families after being separated. We believe every child deserves to remain with their parents, especially in vulnerable situations. Blue Dino Fencing was founded with our own children's future in mind, and we carry that same commitment forward by supporting the right of families to stay together during life's most challenging times.