I will be building a privacy wood fence here soon and i was hoping you guys that have the knowledge & experience would share it with me or us. Well ill throw sime questions out and maybe yiu know the answer. I think my codes here say no higher than 6.6' but maybe 7' is good.
What size 4x4 should i get?
Im sure i should get treated 4x4s right?
How deep should the posts be?
How far apart should the posts be?
How much concrete for each post?
Should the 2x4s that go between each post be treated?
How many 2x4s go between the posts? 2 or 3?
How do the 2x4s get mounted to the posts and where at on the posts?
Should i use screws or nails for 24 to post mounting?
How far apart should the pickets be placed?
Thanks guys and i am sure ill have more questions soon.
I used 8' treated 4x4, but wish I would have paid the extra money for the douglas fir
I dug mine 30" deep, then filled the bottom 6" or so with crushed stone to allow for drainage. I also belled shaped the bottom of the hole to keep frost heave to a minimum. I nailed in 1 coated 16d nail into the bottom of the 4x4 to keep it from just pulling out of the set concrete. Obviously slope the concrete away from the pole after it starts to set. I wet set mine regardless of what the pros do, I just didnt feel comfortable dry setting them and allow ground moisture to do the work.
Leave the 4x4s a few extra inches long and cut them off once the fence is complete, then reseal or cap the post.
I made the decision that 8' would be the max distance between posts. Then I measured and calculated the distance to end up with approx the equal distance between each post. Dont count on being able to place them exactly 8' apart because when you hit a large rock and have to move a post a few inches you will have to buy a longer stringer, its also terribly difficult to get them set perfectly distanced apart if its your first go with a fence.
If using a power auger I suggest getting the 12" auger and not the 8". Your holes will probably be a little "off" if you dont do this every day. I know mine were and I had to widen a few holes by hand. The down side to the bigger bit is more fill and concrete, especially if you bell shape the holes.
Yes use treated stringers, 3 of them. I also pre-drilled the stringers to prevents splitting when attaching to the posts. Mine are attached to the face of the posts, not the edges.
When I did mine I set the corners first and then ran string so I could set all of my stringers straight in line. When I finished with the stringers I set a picket on each side and then ran string across the top of them so I could just place the picket on and bump it up to the string then drive my screws. Again I used the coated torx fasteners.
Place your pickets right next to each other, they will shrink considerably and leave that perfect gap.
Work from the corners in, when you start getting within 2-3 feet do a calculation to figure out how many boards left and then trim the last remaining ones by no more than an 1/2 or so you end up perfect without a noticable "skinny" picket. Same concept as doing tile except your trimmed pieces are in the middle instead of the edge
on steep hills, step the pickets. and on shallow slopes just follow the curve.
There is some pics of my fence in my link below. If you have any more questions just hit me up. I also received some pretty good advice on my fence if you want to search the thread I started on it.
You will find much better lumber at a yard vs the box stores.
I used 6x6 posts where I planned on having a larger gate, you can see them in one of my pics
