How to make a fence to the garden. Check local restrictions. It is important to verify that your fence is not illegal before you build it! If there are any restrictions on the fences in your neighborhood or your city, all your hard work can be knocked down. Check with your local planning department and neighborhood association before going too far in the process. Request a permit. Most cities require a building permit to put up a fence. Get one to make sure both you and your fence are safe! Many electrical, gas, and sewer lines, as well as water mains, are buried in the levels you will dig to. When applying for a permit, you should also call 811 to request that local utility companies come to the site and mark the areas where the pipes and cables are located. This will help ensure the safety of your project.
How to make a fence for the garden – Choose your materials
You want to be sure you’re using wood that will last a long time, right? If you use the best woods and treat them well, a wooden fence can last 20 years or more. But if you choose the wrong wood, your fence may only last 5 years. Check with your local sawmill to find the best lumber for your area, but treated lumber is often your best option.
Deciding on a style
There are also many different styles of wooden fences. Do some research before you start so you don’t end up with builder’s remorse! There is picket, lattice, concave, convex, board over board, shadow box, privacy, and many other styles with so many variations within each style. Each style also has details on how the fence should be built and how the boards should be attached. The information in this article is general and can be broadly applied to many fence styles, but you may want to find details specific to your fence style to supplement these instructions.
How to make a fence for the garden – Building your fence
Find your property line. Determine where your property line is before you start so you don’t accidentally go over it. The best advice is to hire a registered surveyor in your home state to mark the property line before construction begins. Generally, your city or town does not keep very detailed records of your property boundary information. GIS geographic information system maps and Assessors maps are very inaccurate when it comes to property boundaries. You can search for Property\Survey Pins on your property. These are also found in the corners of a lot. Just because there’s an old fence or other “assumed” property boundary in place doesn’t always mean it’s correct.
Decide the height. Choose a fence height before you get too far into the project. Six feet is normal for a privacy fence, a four-foot high cattle fence is usually enough, and picket fences are usually three feet high. The height of the fence is important in the early stages as it determines things like the depth of the post hole. Most cities have a height ordinance, so be sure to check this before choosing your fence height. Set out the corner locations. Put stakes in the corners roughly where you want your fence to go.
square the corners
Tie a rope around the stakes and thread the rope between the stakes. Use a square or square level to make sure the corners where our stakes go are square the two sides make a 90° angle. You can also square the corners by measuring the strings. Measure 3′ on one side and 4′ on the other If the distance between the two marks equals 5′, then the corner is square.
Stake out the middle posts
Measure lengths of 8′ or less along the strings once you have squared off the corners and stake those locations to indicate the location of your support posts. Generally, you’ll want to take the total distance and divide it by 8, but if you have a fence that isn’t divisible by 8, you’ll need to divide it into smaller sections. For example, a 24′ fence would need 2 midposts to create the three 8′ sections, but a 25′ fence would need 3 6.25′ midposts for each section to make it look level and structurally sound. To find the length and number of fences of odd lengths, go up to the next number of posts, and then divide the total length of the fence by the resulting number of sections.
How to make a garden fence – Dig the holes
Use an auger to dig holes in the places you staked out. Posts will need to be buried at least 33% of the depth of their height , so your hole will need to be at least that deep plus about centimeters more. The hole should be big enough to have clearance around the post when you install it. Since ground conditions vary and fence height varies, the type of fence and other factors must be considered when determining post depth. , you will have to calculate the depth of the hole yourself.
Place your posts
Put 3-4″ of gravel in the bottom of the hole. Put the post in the hole and line it up. Make sure the corners are still square, use a post leveler to make sure it is straight and make sure it is sitting right. correct height.
Pour the concrete base
Carefully holding the post in place, pour in instant concrete until the hole is 2/3 full. Add water on top and use a stir stick to mix the cement. Support post in place stabilize with temporary nail boards if necessary and allow concrete to set per manufacturer’s instructions. Fill with earth. Fill in any remaining holes with soil once the concrete has set.
Add a mason or mason line
Run a building line from one end post to the other, at the same height above the ground, preferably at the top of the post if your posts were placed correctly. This will help you keep the same height of the fence all the time.
How to make a garden fence – Add to your support boards
Cut 2×4 rails or horizontal support boards to length to reach between stud centers. If you can, use one rail for the entire length of the fence section. The rails should be no more than 24 inches apart, so most fences will have 2 or 3 rails. Secure rails with deck screws.
Add your privacy tables
Once the support boards are in place, you can put up your stakes vertical boards, also called privacy boards). There are many styles and ways to do it, depending on how you want your fence to look. The most basic is a board-over-board fence, where the fence boards are nailed using a nail gun, nailed to the supporting boards less than one board apart. Set the first plank up, then use a level to “plumb” vertical level the plank. Then nail or screw the board in place. Use a spacer and then attach the next board. Use the level periodically to check that it is “plumb”. These boards are usually 1X6 rough sawn lumber, but you can also purchase other pre-cut fence boards.
If you are nailing the boards by hand, use 8d spiral shank galvanized nails.
How to make a fence for the garden – processing boards
Once you’re done, you’ll want to treat the boards to increase the longevity of your fence. You can paint your fence, stain it, or simply apply a weather-resistant finish to keep your fence looking great for years to come.