What is the best fencing option in your opinion?

Wood, vinyl, or aluminum. I want to fence about half an acre. I am interested in cost effectiveness, but also stability and maintenance needs. We have a dog that will be spending some time in this yard, and a small child, so it needs to be durable and safe.|||A vinyl covered chain link fence will be maintenance free and last a long time with posts set in concrete. The concrete should be 2%26quot; above ground level and be tapered to let water run off.|||wood fences look nice and when treated properly they will last a long time|||The cheapest will be chain link, but this isn%26#039;t on your list. It is very stable when installed correctly. Half an acre is a lot of coverage, and if you have the money for the options you already listed, go with wood. It will last a long time if you buy the pretreated wood. Vinyl will last forever and looks great, but it is incredibly expensive.|||For the child the vinyl might be safest, but I have a wood fence around my whole property for privacy, kept the kids in (gone now), and keeps my dog in (shi tzu), I also like the appearance of the wood much better. Wood has to be maintained more than aluminum (where I live vinyl will not last the sun).