Anybody ever put up a privacy fence ?

[Mikey]

Anybody ever put up a privacy fence ?

I'm helping my nephew put one up around half of his yard this weekend.

It's the standard Home Depot Fort Apache 6' kind.

This weekend is mostly just going to be clearing brush, layout and post hole digging ---- but i'd appreciate any advise from people who have done this before.

Do you make the fence level with the ground ?
Or just make it level ?

Is the post side inside your property ?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[spiderrogue]

good luck and lmk how tough it is...one of my many to do projects on our yard...home depot, all the way on the fence too...they had some great deals and fencing..so i got my eyes on some that i really want...
post side should be inside your property, that much i think is true...i think that you just make the fence level with itself, if you know what i mean..."dog ear" level...whatever that means..lol...

when you are done, feel free to come and help me out here in a month or two....

[theantiquetiger]

Most neighborhoods require the finished side visible from the road, but the rest, put the finished side toward the inside.

What ever you do, rent an auger with reversing action!!!!! This will save you alot of headaches.

Built the fence level with itself, not the ground. Run a string at 6' from corner to corner and put the slates to them. You may need to cut the bottoms on some, depending on the swell of the ground. When you align the slates with the string, make sure you do not touch the string, or by the time you reach the end, you can be many inches off. You can set the string to about 1/8" above 6' inorder to avoid pushing the string up.

[Chris DVM]

Hey,
Funny you should mention that. . .
Started on Sunday on my privacy fence. I have a business that has it's back gravel parking lot right behind my yard. They have been goo neighbors, but it is a small eyesore. So Sunday we planted the first of 11 posts for the fence.
Mine will be 8' tall (our back deck sits about 10' higher than the rear of our yard, due to the slope of the back yard, so having it high will help to cut off the view of the back of the business). I am actually going to build the whole fence instead of using the pre-fab Home Depot fence sections, mostly so I can make each section longer and therefore have to plant fewer poles. It will be slightly more expensive, but I have a friend who works for Lowes and will hopefully get me the main fence slats at cost.
I am going to do it level across the back. My yard only had a 1' difference in slope between the one side and the other, so trying to stagger it would look sort of silly. It will be easier, since I am building each section, just to cut the bottom of the slats to fit the yard.
I plan on doing it slowly over the next 3 months. Each post costs me about $20 for materials and takes about 45 minutes to dig out and plant. The cross beams to support the slats will run me around $120 total. The slats are the main cost - almost $450 for the materials. If I do it slowly, then I can spread out the cost to minimize a huge impact on our monthly budget.
LMK how yours turns out - we can swap pics when they are done!!
Chris DVM

[Mikey]

When you put the posts in .......

Are they just standard pressure treated 4x4's in concrete ?

Also, do you need to tar the bottoms before they're sunk in the crete ?

Lastly, should I leave the tops (of the posts) uncut, until the fence is completed ?

[theantiquetiger]

The post should already be treated, no need to treat. It will be easier to just cut the post after they are set instead of trying to get them the same height. If you have decent mechanical skills, rent a transit level to shot the entire fence. It is pretty simple to work.

If the post only differ a few inches in height, I wouldn't worry about cutting them because the slats will hide them.

[Mikey]

Oh,
So it's not a standard 4x4
There are specific posts made to go with these fences ?

Good to know
I was just going to buy regular P.T. 4x4's

[Brue]

For a basically level or consistent inclined yard I precut posts to appx 2 feet longer that the height I want above ground. I tie a string to a nail in the lead post and end post. Throw enough gravel in the bottom of holes (or dig more) to level them. The two end posts should be the same height. the ones between when measured from the ground may very a little because of terrain.

If you are putting it up in a hilly area just leave the same height from the ground to the top of the post on each and follow the contour of the yard.

String should also be used to make sure they are lined up. Keeping any from being too far foward or back.

Make sure you go the whole 2 feet down. People get lazy when the digging gets tough and wind up with fences that start leaning within a year. Also make sure the posts remain level while the cement dries. Bracing with 2 x 4 is thte way this is typically done.

And, yes - the finished side should face OUT - the only exceptions I can think of is if you klive in the Boonies.

No tarring or pretreating needed. They come pretreated.

[theantiquetiger]

And, yes - the finished side should face OUT - the only exceptions I can think of is if you live in the Boonies.

Why would you put the finished side out? I understand putting the finished side out on the side that faces the front of your house (or road side if you live on a corner), but if no one is going to easily see the finished side, put it towards the inside.

Like Brue said, if the yard is real hilly, just run the fence with the ground, but if pretty flat, run the fence level with itself.

[Mikey]

The area we're going to do is pretty small and relatively level.

I just wanted to make sure we do it right--- and nice...

I would guess (off the top of my head)

The fence will be --- 16 foot --- then 45 to 30 foot ---- then 45 to 10 foot.

Hardest part, on that last 10 foot, we need to work in a door.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I'd LOVE to put up a privacy fence. I live out in the sticks but unfortunately have an occassionally beligerent neighbor, right next door. We got along fine until late last fall when he went off on my son for no reason. I don't particularly care to look at the guy any more.

There is a fence between us, but it's a wire fence, about 3 maybe 4 feet high. The fence is technically his I believe. He's been saying he was going to repair it for years, and before things went south I even offered to chip in with him and do it. Now I'd like to put up a privacy fence and just forget it. But I'm a little worried about putting up another fence against his. I'd essentially be losing part of my property. Any suggestions?

This is great advice guys. Thanks for sharing!

Chris

[Beatnik]

I've been replacing broken post (at the base) the last year or so on a 4 year old fence. Our fence sits in a trench because these homes are all built on raised mounds, so runoff goes between the houses and rots the fence posts. We also get high winds regularly.

Used pressure treated 4x4's and water sealed before I set them. Also used those round cardboard tube forms for the top six or so inches of concrete so I could raise it a couple of inches above ground level and sloped the top of the concrete slightly so water would runoff more easily. From my experience, if you live in a windy location, use screws instead of nails.

I would put the finished side out to keep the nosey kids or boogey men from climbing over.

[Beatnik]

Now I'd like to put up a privacy fence and just forget it. But I'm a little worried about putting up another fence against his. I'd essentially be losing part of my property. Any suggestions?

Chris

I did this with my mothers fence where there is a chainlink already, did have to remove the chainlink though. Bought longer and larger diameter galvnized posts and just slid them over the existing short posts. Ran screws through one side so it would actually connect the two posts together. Put the fence sections on them with brackets and it's stood for at least ten years now.

[megocrazy]

I found most of the people that put up the 4x4 posts in my area had problems so I went with the 2" galvanized posts. Dig a hole, put in the post, level it, some Kwikrete, and add water and mix right in the hole. Once it set I used clamps I bought at Home Depot. They clamp on the pole, you adjust it to the height you want, and then you set the fence section on the clamp and screw it in. If the fence ever rots out and I have to replace it I just buy the same size fence sections, unscrew the old ones, and place the new ones in the brackets and screw em up. I actually installed the entire fence by myself (10 sections) with no problems. I set the posts and installed the clamps on 1 Saturday and had the fence delivered during the week and put it up the following Saturday. It was actually much easier than I thought it would be. I think it ended up costing me about $45 a section,(6'x8' PT, 1 galv pole, 3 clamps, 1 galv pole cap, galvanized 1" lag bolts, and 6 bags of Kwikrete). I dug the holes by hand but probably wont do that again. I may tackle the one at the back of my property this summer, and I'll rent the hole digger if I do.

[Adam West]

Make sure there aren't any HOA rules or other city ordinances that you aren't aware of.

We do not have an HOA but we live in town limits that specifically tell you what you can and can't do regarding fencing (some friend of mine learned the hard way).

My only other suggestions not mentioned would be to locate your property lines (which can usually be found with a metal detector since they usually drive the property stakes in into the ground (another costly lesson for another friend who placed the fence one inch over his property line.

Also, I don't use the 24 inch post rule, I dig below the ground freeze depth in your area which varies from state to state.

Finally, call Ms. Utility to see if there are underground cables, wires, etc. It's a free service and they will mark areas where cables are located so you can avoid them. If you don't and damage them, you will have to pay for the repair.