FENCES & GATES

A fence establishes boundaries, creates first impressions, and provides security for children or pets and protects us from intruders.  Because of its natural properties, cedar fencing is super durable.  Cedar is a beautiful product to look at. It doesn’t easily warp or twist. If you build with quality cedar, it will continue to hold its own even after many years of service. With a little planning and design it will be a major attribute to your home.

FIND MATERIALS

Practical Concepts & Design Considerations

  • Standard post spacing for a quality structure is 8 feet.
  • Avoid reducing the average post spacing to create large, over-sized sections or tiny end sections. Instead, space everything evenly.
  • Existing lot shape and direction of surface runoff affect design plans. Landscape designs follow the existing or natural height of the land, whereas terraced designs change elevations.
  • Spacing fence boards is great for a wind break but ineffective for security purposes.
  • Curbs make it easy to mow the grass up to your fence and contain flower beds, mulch, landscape materials or back-fill
  • Because of its natural properties, cedar fencing is super durable. It doesn’t easily warp or twist.

Construction Tips

  • Screws are the ideal fastener. Brown Ceramic coated screws look best and won’t stain the wood.
  • Screws must be long enough to penetrate 1” into supports. For structural components, 1 ¼” depth is required.
  • If you’re choosing to cast posts in concrete, use metal posts to extend service life of the fence. Place posts at a depth of 3 feet (or more) to reduce risk of frost heave, and keep the concrete a few inches below grade.
  • Minimum required post size is 4×4. However, 4×6 will not only look better, but will extend the life of your cedar fence. Capping your fence boards and posts will also aid in extending the life of the fence.

Gates

  • Ideal width ranges between 3-4 feet.
  • For large RV gates, split it into two to avoid overloading the hinges.
  • Using a good construction adhesive between boards and rails will help eliminate sagging down the road.
  • Custom arbors can substantially increase the strength and enhance the appearance.
  • Sandwich the body of the gate between 1” frame boards to minimize excessive weight gains.