Most definitely PVC with yellow with age. It is also quite heavy in comparison to timber, so can only be made in panels up to 850mm wide. If you use timber, make sure they are painted with a polyurethane type finish which will stand up to the harsh sun. Oven kilned hardwoods are the best timber such as poplar or cedar.

If the home was built in 1938 it is not a Federation Bungalow. It is an interwar home (between the two world wars), with an art-deco influence. There would probably be art-deco style ceiling roses and cornices inside? This photo is a neat solution that would work well. The existing brick fence on the front boundary was maintained. A new taller steel fence was built about 600mm inside the boundary, which incorporated a gate. In this case it was a hinged gate, but a sliding, electric powered gate could also work. The space between the old brick fence and the new steel fence was planted out with a hedging plant, in this case a Pittosporum, and was trimmed to conceal the new fence. This saved costs as the original brick fence and footings did not have to be demolished - although it looks like somebody had a go with a car next to the driveway!

Hey there, from price perspective pvc was the cheapest, then pine. And we decided actually on steel not aluminium, i like look of steel too. For 18m fence including 3m sliding gate excl auto, hight 1.2m picket: pvc - $2.6k material only pine- $3.8k including installation, not painted metal- $6k including installation Cute house, good luck with it :) If u are in melb, ill be happy to give u the details of a guy we are working on for metal fencing.

Keeping in mind you want something cheap, do you have pics or a plan, because maybe you could simply plant most of the fence for an unobtrusive backdrop and do one length as a feature? I agree with C P that colour alone won't do it with a metal fence. If you go for something in front, you want a pattern that is reminiscent of MCM and breezeblocks, but that might be too busy for a backdrop for cacti, more of a feature on its own perhaps. Ideally I think a plain light rendered finish as a backdrop for dessert plantings. Either way it's not exactly going to be cheap.