Building a privacy fence (complete!)

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Yuri_Rage

Yuri_Rage

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Looks like I'm probably going to be installing a 6' privacy fence next week. It will double as a dog fence. I'm probably going to go with treated 4x4 posts and cedar pickets. I'm going to rent an auger to do the digging. I'll add a bag of Quikrete per hole and maybe some gravel at the bottom depending on the soil condition.

Ideally, I'd pour a concrete footer along the entire fence run so the dog won't be able to get out, but I think that's gonna be out of the budget. So, I'm thinking of using some inexpensive preformed pavers instead. Any thoughts on that? What would you guys do?
 
Yuri_Rage said:
Looks like I'm probably going to be installing a 6' privacy fence next week. It will double as a dog fence. I'm probably going to go with treated 4x4 posts and cedar pickets. I'm going to rent an auger to do the digging. I'll add a bag of Quikrete per hole and maybe some gravel at the bottom depending on the soil condition.

Ideally, I'd pour a concrete footer along the entire fence run so the dog won't be able to get out, but I think that's gonna be out of the budget. So, I'm thinking of using some inexpensive preformed pavers instead. Any thoughts on that? What would you guys do?
Click to expand...

That actually sounds like a really good idea. We were lucky last time we had a dog, he didn't ever try to dig his way out. Smart man with the auger too....my dad and I built a small privacy fence around a patio once and it was very uncool using a post hole digger.

I can't remember how much they were, but we bought some huge premade concrete pavers. I think the are 3 feet long and 2 feet wide. They were a little difficult to get though, we had to have a nursery special order them for us.
 
Good luck. I helped my buddy install one last year, it's not too difficult. Just make sure you measure the level well beforehand.
 
I would make sure your neighbors are cool with it first. If they are and even if there is already an existing fence (that you're replacing or going inside of, I would make sure you have an updated survey with the property line staked. Oh... if required, pull permits too. All it takes is one grouchy old man to cause a hell of a lot of problems, don't ask me how I know...
 
We have one and for the concrete runners we nailed 2x4s to the bottom of the posts and just filled with concrete, smoothed, and then removed the boards once the concrete hardened. I haven't priced preformed runners but I'd think this would be a cheaper route.
 
GreenwoodRover said:
I would make sure your neighbors are cool with it first...I would make sure you have an updated survey with the property line staked. Oh... if required, pull permits too.
Click to expand...
The neighbors actually have a fence very similar that I'm hoping to use as one side of our fence (assuming they're ok with that). Ours will be nearly identical due to stupid covenants. An updated survey is being done this week. I'll be sure to look into permits, since the neighborhood strikes me as one that doesn't take these things lightly.

BigNick73 said:
We have one and for the concrete runners we nailed 2x4s to the bottom of the posts and just filled with concrete, smoothed, and then removed the boards once the concrete hardened.
Click to expand...
What'd you pay for the concrete? I'm totally out of the loop when it comes to pricing.
 
You might even get the neighbors to cough up half. I was successful in that but I had the fence installed professionally. With you doing the labor, it should be easy.

So did you buy a house in San Antonio?
 
One thing I saw someone do to prevent digging under:

They installed the upright posts and then before putting in the planks, they put a treated board 2x4 border firmly on the ground. Apparently they have to replace a few every 3 or 4 years but it keeps the dogs in pretty well.

I've also seen people take 1 foot high vinyl coated fencing and staple it to the bottom of the fence and then bend it inwards and use landscaping staples to staple the fencing to the ground. This also manages to keep most rabbits out if you use small enough fencing-- so if you happen to have a hops garden or some such in the yard..... :)
 
My dog isn't much of a digger, so I'm not overly concerned. I could probably get away with no preventive measures. My idea with the pavers is two-fold - dog insurance as well as ease of mowing the grass (no edging up against the wood fence).

Thanks for all the ideas - you've definitely got me thinking. If the pavers turn out to be more expensive than I anticipate, kornkob's simple 2x4 idea is the likeliest alternative at this point.

Keep 'em coming!
 
Yuri, You are going to spend a small fortune on pavers or concrete to put the dig barrier down. Like some one posted before get the invisible fence. They really do work well. I bought mine off of ebay for 100 bucks or so (thats about 50 pavers.) Ran the wire around the fence and have had no problems at all with the dog. Before we caught him once stuck under the fence by his collar, otherwise he would have been in the road in a very busy intersection. I bought the stuborn dog one because it took a regular 9v battery AND it beeped and vibrated to give the dog a warning when he got too close. If he gets any closer and it will zap him. I have set to the lowest setting and it is very uncomfortable but doesnt really hurt much. After spending a few afternoons in the back yard working on the fence with him he adjusted quickly. He now knows the boundries pretty well and doesnt get beeped. I can leave my gate open and he will not leave the yard, it is one hell of a piece of mind. I swear by the things.
 
http://www.garden-fence-panels.co.uk/concrete_posts_base_panels.html


This is the quickest easiest way to do a fence and is very common in the UK.
Once done the concrete lasts 30-50 years and the panels last around 10 and can easily be replaced.

fence_installation_large.jpg
 
the pet barrier thing has be recommended to me by a couple of people since we just got rid of our two 'ninja' dogs (one of which we had since a pup... was goin on 4 yrs.) for digging and running loose. I tried the "cheap" chicken wire thing and they just tore a hole through it once and found a way under it more often than not.

skip the pavers and get a load of rocks and dig a shallow trench under the fence and fill the trench with rocks I did this for the gated area and that stopped them cold.

The rocks need to be large enough that the dog cannot roll them out of the way. pavers are probably not going to be large enough for what you want to do. cinder blocks would be a better option and cheaper to boot.
 
rent an auger to dig the post holes and then dig a trench from post to post about 12 inches deep... install the wooden fencing and then attached wire fencing to the bottom of the fence so that is extends into the trench... fill in the dirt and now it'll prevent the dog from digging out as well as small furry animals trying to dig under the fence as well...

orfy - I like the fence you posted, very cool.
 
Taking the thread on a tangent:

Just out of curiosity: how much does getting your property surveyed and staked cost? And who do you call--- what kind of business does one look for to survey a residential lot?
 
kornkob said:
I've also seen people take 1 foot high vinyl coated fencing and staple it to the bottom of the fence and then bend it inwards and use landscaping staples to staple the fencing to the ground. This also manages to keep most rabbits out if you use small enough fencing-- so if you happen to have a hops garden or some such in the yard..... :)
Click to expand...

That's basically what I did. My lawn isn't level, so when I installed the fence panels I built, there would be gaps ranging from an inch to five or six inches. I just buried the bottom end of the fence, I haven't had any problems. Pretty cheap solution, and since I used green-coated metal fencing for that bit, it's basically invisible. The downside is that it IS tough to mow or weedeat right up against, so the grass tends to get a bit high.
 
kornkob said:
Taking the thread on a tangent:

Just out of curiosity: how much does getting your property surveyed and staked cost? And who do you call--- what kind of business does one look for to survey a residential lot?
Click to expand...

It's $100 per corner stake if you call the place that originally did your survey. Now, I'm sure it varies from state to state, but you HAVE to pay for a survey when you buy property in NJ. The corner stakes are optional.

Do you know anyone with a metal detector? Odds are there are already iron spikes at the corners. I was about the pay the $400 when I took a shot and dug around what I THOUGHT the corner was. Found one spike, then all three others. I was psyched.
 
BraeHaus said:
rent an auger to dig the post holes and then dig a trench from post to post about 12 inches deep... install the wooden fencing and then attached wire fencing to the bottom of the fence so that is extends into the trench... fill in the dirt and now it'll prevent the dog from digging out as well as small furry animals trying to dig under the fence as well...

orfy - I like the fence you posted, very cool.
Click to expand...

No joke about the auger.. I rented this one for a day and dug 60 holes, 20" deep in 24 hours by myself:

30534239.jpg


Before:
30534261.jpg


After:
31297352.jpg


Did the front too...
31297368.jpg
 
BraeHaus said:
rent an auger to dig the post holes and then dig a trench from post to post about 12 inches deep... install the wooden fencing and then attached wire fencing to the bottom of the fence so that is extends into the trench... fill in the dirt and now it'll prevent the dog from digging out as well as small furry animals trying to dig under the fence as well...

orfy - I like the fence you posted, very cool.
Click to expand...

Liquidicem said:
Our fence has chicken wire stapled to the bottom and buried ~12" underground. It actually works pretty well to deter digging.
Click to expand...

+1! we did that to help keep my grandparents basset hound from digging out.
 
Around here you have to stay 12" back from the property line. I'll be doing a vinyl fence like Bobby showed above next year.

Ask the neighbors? Ya right... the neighbors are the reason that I'm putting up the fence. :D
 
Ok, some excellent ideas on dig barriers, but those don't solve the mowing/edging issue.

Assuming I can get 12"x12" pavers for about $1.00 a piece, and I'm installing ~300' of fence, that doesn't break the bank. Is there a down side that I'm missing?

I'm not trying to be the obstinate OP who is dead set on his original idea, I'm just trying to find a reason NOT to go with that solution. So far, cost is the only disadvantage mentioned, and I think I've got that mitigated.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
Ok, some excellent ideas on dig barriers, but those don't solve the mowing/edging issue.

Assuming I can get 12"x12" pavers for about $1.00 a piece, and I'm installing ~300' of fence, that doesn't break the bank. Is there a down side that I'm missing?

I'm not trying to be the obstinate OP who is dead set on his original idea, I'm just trying to find a reason NOT to go with that solution. So far, cost is the only disadvantage mentioned, and I think I've got that mitigated.
Click to expand...

Sounds like everyone else is giving you great idea's on keeping the dog from digging, however nobody really mentioned anything about the fence.

I used to work for a fence company, and they never used concrete on wood posts. They were always tamped in really tight (assuming you do not have a sandy condition). Concrete actually rot's out Cedar posts much quicker than if you just tamped. I believe it has something to do with water becoming trapped between the post and the footing. Perhaps a little more research would answer that.

Vinyl is very expensive, but lasts forever. If this is a home you can see yourself in for longer than 10 years, I'd consider Vinyl.

+1 on buryed Chicken Wire

Otherwise, have fun. I like little projects like these.
 
Many good ideas for keeping the dogs in, but have you addressed making the fence stong enough to keep the zombies out?
 
Some more jive...

The fence I used is from USAvinyl.com and I've done hours of research on why it's better. Bottom line, thicker post walls meant the concrete only goes to ground level and doesn't need to fill the whole thing. I also like the routed pockets in the post for the top and bottom rails.. no fasteners at all. The bottom rails have aluminum I-beams so no sag over the 8ft span. The modular nature of the design allows racking the panels to keep the fence tight to any slopes/contours. Cons you ask? $10k in materials.

Concrete with wood posts... You need to put about 4-6" of pea gravel in the bottom of the hole so water has somewhere to go. Otherwise, skip the crete and tamp with a large sledge hammer after back filling every 4".

My solution for mowing is a 12" wide mulchbed (wider where I put plants). Do yourself a favor and cut out the sod before putting the fence in.
 
I didn't use concrete footers with my fence, I just buried the posts about four feet below grade to get below the frost line (obviously not an issue in Tx). Post-hole digger, too, mo'fos! It's been a while, but I remember being advised against using 'crete because of the rotting issue, even with PT lumber. The posts aren't going anywhere; funcationally, there is zero difference as far as I can tell between the way that it is and the way that it would have been had I used concrete.
 
The other thing about a fence for a dog is that you need to put some plants or some obsticles along the fence to break it up so they don't run along the fence and pace back and forth when cars or people walk and or run buy. Breaking up the straight line of the fence will save the dog from going crazy as they will have to run around bushes or potted plants and the like.
 
So, I took the easy way out and had the digging and post setting done by a contractor. It was a little expensive, but it's done, it's done right, and I didn't have to dig through the concrete-like ground (very visible in the foreground of the picture below). At the contractor's and neighbor's suggestions, we went with steel posts and rails.

Today's project was setting all the rails. I used my little flux-core welder to tack the rails up, and it worked quite nicely (I can jump up and down on them). Tomorrow: painting, staining, and as many pickets as I can stand to install.

fence_rails.jpg
 
Yes, my house is to the right in the photo above. My immediate neighbor (on the far side of the above picture) already has a fence installed. It's right on the property line, so I can use it as one side of my fence (I've spoken with him). There is a utility access lane behind my property, so I couldn't tie into the other neighbor's fence (left, in the photo).
 
It's f'ing hot today!!! Making progress, though...

painted.jpg


first_pickets.jpg


pavers_closeup.jpg


The pavers added about $150 to the total cost. I can't come up with a reason not to use them for that price. Ok, off to do more fencing...
 
We have a stone quarry not too far from us. For $15 they let you take as much as your truck will carry. With a little imagination it can be made a quite attractive substitute for concrete.....If you have a quarry nearby that is....and a truck....
 
I wish I had a quarry like that nearby! The nearest is probably 3-ish hours away.

Got the first gate installed tonight. From the other side, you can't even tell it's there.

first_gate.jpg
 
capcrnch said:
Yuri, is it a pain in the ass to drill into the steel rails?
Click to expand...
That puts it mildly!!! They're 16 ga mild steel c-perling. I expected the pickets to go up faster than they are, but putting four self-tapping screws into each one becomes back-breaking after about 15 feet, and my big 18V cordless drill gives out after about 30 feet (two fully charged batteries drained completely). I could switch to a corded drill, but 30 feet (~60 pickets at ~240 screws) is plenty of effort on a hot TX afternoon. I have about 50 feet left and a large gate to install before the project is finished. I think we'll be done tomorrow.
 
So,

I was living in this house. And these guys stole my gate. I don't know who it was, so I replaced the gate. A couple weeks later, I don't know if it was the same guys, stole my gate AGAIN! I was soo pissed. The next time I replaced this gate, I put a camera on it. And I saw them stealing my gate. So I replaced the gate again.

You maybe asking why didn't I do anything about it?

Because I was afraid they'd take a-fence!!

Duh dun duh.

I couldn't resist. Looks good Yuri.
 

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