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Building a treated-wood fence |
Putting up a fence around your garden may be a matter of necessity or a matter of landscape improvement. Whatever your reason, you'll want to do the job in style. And you'll want to make sure your new fence fits well into your outdoor environment.
Versatile, durable and easy to maintain, treated-wood fences are the current rage. If you're handy with a saw and hammer, you could save a lot in labour costs. Before you go out and buy materials and start working, make sure your plan is in full compliance with building codes and municipal by-laws.
Get your actual free plan for this fence as well as the list of required materials for this project. For viewing and printing, you will need to use Acrobat Reader software. |
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1. Determine the general location | |
Determine the general location of the fence and mark the specific location of each post every 8 ft. |
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2. Dig holes for the posts | |
Use a post-hole digger to dig holes 8 in. to 10 in. in diameter, 3 ft. 6 in. deep. The distance between each hole must be 8 ft., centre to centre. |
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3. Install the posts |
Pour a 6 in. gravel bed at the bottom of each hole. Place a post in each hole. Holding each post vertically, in turn, make sure they're resting well at the bottom of their hole, and use a post level or a carpenter's level to make sure they're vertically level. The post level is designed to fit around corners, permitting readings on two planes at once. An attachable rubber strap keeps your hands free to brace the post in the desired position. The reflective plates behind the vials make for improved readability.
Add 3 or 4 bags of fast set concrete mix to the holes making sure the posts remain vertically plumb. You can use two pieces of strapping nailed and staked to the post to hold the post in position while the concrete sets.
If you choose concrete, the portable mixer (an impact resistant plastic, barrel-shaped container with screw-on lid) allows the user to prepare the mixture quickly
and easily. No other tools are needed. Simply pour in the premixed concrete and water, tightly close the lid and roll the container around for about 30 seconds. The baffles inside will create the perfect mixture. Following mixing, you'll simply have to pour the mixed concrete into the post holes. |
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4. Prepare for the fence clips and rails | |
Using a line level suspended to a string you will have strung tightly between each post, mark the spots, on each post, where you'll install the fence clipsthat will support the horizontal 2 in. by 4 in. rails. According to the plan, the bottom edge of the lower rail must be 12 in. from the ground if the ground is perfectly level (hence the importance of checking the level of each post, rather than its height relative to the ground) and the top edge of the upper rail must be 3 ft. higher than the bottom edge of the lower rail. |
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5. Attach the fence clips and rails | |
Attach the brackets to each post, at the proper height for each of the rails. Then attach the 2 in. by 4 in. rails to the brackets. Fence boards will be nailed to these rails. |
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