Building a cedar picket fence
Discussion
I need to put up a picket fence in the garden of the house I'm about to move into, not particularly tall (maybe a metre?), but enough to contain my Jack Russell.
I can get nice cedar milled to my requirements by a local sawmill, but I'm debating the best approach for posts.
Being a lowish picket fence, it won't catch a huge amount of wind, so I was wondering if post holders with spikes would be a viable option and potentially longer lasting than posts set in concrete (or postcrete), which inevitably will rot where wood, water and oxygen meet.
I also found this rather neat system but sadly it doesn't seem to exist in the UK: https://postmasterfence.com/
Any brilliant ideas?
I can get nice cedar milled to my requirements by a local sawmill, but I'm debating the best approach for posts.
Being a lowish picket fence, it won't catch a huge amount of wind, so I was wondering if post holders with spikes would be a viable option and potentially longer lasting than posts set in concrete (or postcrete), which inevitably will rot where wood, water and oxygen meet.
I also found this rather neat system but sadly it doesn't seem to exist in the UK: https://postmasterfence.com/
Any brilliant ideas?
We haven't got the keys yet, but it's a 1911 stone cottage (mid-terrace) with a decent sized garden that's not currently separated from one of the neighbours' gardens at all.
We want to keep the open feel but we can't have our dog roaming free. Hence the desire to put up an aesthetically pleasing picket fence. I also like cedar because it weathers nicely and is available locally.
We want to keep the open feel but we can't have our dog roaming free. Hence the desire to put up an aesthetically pleasing picket fence. I also like cedar because it weathers nicely and is available locally.
Setting spikes in concrete could be viable. Is that a weird thing to do? It would achieve the goal of not burying wood.
ozzuk said:
I assume your Jack Russell is well behaved and not an escape artist? I had to replace all my fencing with 1.8 meter wood, she was jumping/climbing anything smaller...
More or less. She's not a digger or anything and basic dog-proofing has sufficed in our current house.Edited by MajorMantra on Monday 16th December 15:28
You can buy post supports specifically for concreting in, they are just a bit shorter than the drive in types and have the ends bent over so they can’t be pulled out. In your instance I’d buy the drive in type, try them and if the ground is not suitable, cut them down slightly, dig a hole and concrete them in. You can pick them up in any of the sheds, though if looks are of a concern, Timco do them in a galvanised finish which may match your (eventually) weathered grey timber. The red powder coating on the regular types always flakes off and looks grotty over time.
Couple of points:
Dont worry about wooden posts rotting, they will last years if its decent timber, when you concrete a post in haunch the concrete up at an angle so any water runs away and doesnt sit. Most people just wack some concrete in and as such water sits around bottom of the post.
Another option which i like is stock fencing, hole size might be an issue with a jack russel but i believe there are all sorts of sizes, this really does feel open as you literally cant see the wire. Posts are just round or half round posts knocked in. I like it myself.
Dont worry about wooden posts rotting, they will last years if its decent timber, when you concrete a post in haunch the concrete up at an angle so any water runs away and doesnt sit. Most people just wack some concrete in and as such water sits around bottom of the post.
Another option which i like is stock fencing, hole size might be an issue with a jack russel but i believe there are all sorts of sizes, this really does feel open as you literally cant see the wire. Posts are just round or half round posts knocked in. I like it myself.
In my experience timber fence posts only last 10 years these days, or more precisely those I put in 10 years ago are all rotten.
The new fence panels I put up a couple of weeks ago I used Duraposts, which are metal available galvanized or in a small selection of colours. Will tell you in 10 years in they have lasted!
The new fence panels I put up a couple of weeks ago I used Duraposts, which are metal available galvanized or in a small selection of colours. Will tell you in 10 years in they have lasted!
m3jappa said:
Couple of points:
Dont worry about wooden posts rotting, they will last years if its decent timber, when you concrete a post in haunch the concrete up at an angle so any water runs away and doesnt sit. Most people just wack some concrete in and as such water sits around bottom of the post.
Another option which i like is stock fencing, hole size might be an issue with a jack russel but i believe there are all sorts of sizes, this really does feel open as you literally cant see the wire. Posts are just round or half round posts knocked in. I like it myself.
Stock fencing I hadn't considered, but it's not actually a terrible idea, I will consider it. Dont worry about wooden posts rotting, they will last years if its decent timber, when you concrete a post in haunch the concrete up at an angle so any water runs away and doesnt sit. Most people just wack some concrete in and as such water sits around bottom of the post.
Another option which i like is stock fencing, hole size might be an issue with a jack russel but i believe there are all sorts of sizes, this really does feel open as you literally cant see the wire. Posts are just round or half round posts knocked in. I like it myself.
And I think I've now seen every technique for posts on YouTube but no one can agree what's actually best!
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