Wood Privacy Fence and Split Rail Fence Installation

The stage was set; two neighbors at odds with each other. One neighbor finally decided to hire a landscaper to install a wooden panel privacy fence between the two properties. Being on the landscaping crew that installed the wooden panel privacy fence and split rail fence, I had a first hand look at the process of how both the wooden panel privacy fence and split rail fence were installed.

The first step for installation was to clear a path along the border so that a three-foot wide Bobcat machine would be able to drive along the border and drill the holes for the fence posts. Even though the stockade panel privacy fence was going to only be around 200 feet long, a wooden split-rail fence was to continue for several hundred feet until the property ended in wetlands.

Day one, preparations for installing the wooden privacy fence and split rail fence:

Day one consisted of preparations. The path was cleared and the fence posts and fence panels for the privacy fence were delivered to the jobsite, the fence panels were about 10 feet wide. Split rails and fence posts were delivered and piled in the back of the property. String was stretched out along the property line and pulled tight to create a straight guideline for installation. Using a tape measure, we measured out the distance for each fence post and placed a flag where each fence post needed to go.

Day two, renting the machine for the wood fence installation:

A common rule of thumb among landscapers is that a machine is only worth buying if it is to be used more than twice a month. Renting a machine brings with it the advantage of the contractor not having to bear the cost of buying the machine but comes with the disadvantage of that when the machine comes, the work has to be done. Keeping a machine overnight to finish up the following day is not usually an option; so long workdays often can result as employers seek to maximize their rental value.

Our first priority was to drill the holes for both the wooden stockade privacy fence and the split rail fence using an auger attachment on the Bobcat. With a pole shovel and steel bar, the holes were cleaned up of loose debris. Some holes had to be dug deeper in cases where an underground rock stopped the auger. We tried not to make the holes too wide either, in order to maintain stability of the ground around the fence post.

The next step was installation of the fence posts. The ground was a sloping hillside, meaning we had to figure out how to cope with the angle. It meant the wood fence had to drop at each fence panel like stairs, and a nine-inch drop per fence panel came out to being the average. We had to dig into the hillside in a few places with our shovels so the fence panel would fit in a few places. A string was attached to the top of the first fence post and ran along the fence line until it was fastened high to either a tree or a tall stake. Using the level, we made sure the taught string was level so it could be a reliable guide. By measuring how many inches below the string we needed to be, we were able to keep accurate measurements for the privacy fence installation..

When we had the fence post in at the desired height and in position along the line, the next step was to fill in around the fence post with gravel and tamp it firm with the steel bar. By holding the level along the side of the fence post, we made sure that the fence post was vertical. After we set in the fence post, we used the tape measure to determine the exact distance the next fence post had to be.

When all the fence posts were in, the next step was to install the panels of the wood privacy fence. With two people holding up the fence panel, the third person used a battery powered drill to secure the fence panel to the fence post. Only in one situation did a fence post need to be extended, and only because a tree stump was blocking the spot it needed to be. A two by four drilled to the side of the fence post was the simple solution.

Day Three: Installing the wooden split rail fence:

Because a split rail fence follows the contour of the land in a less rigid manner, we were able to relax a bit with installing the split rail fence. The string was used again, only to keep a straight line this time. The fence posts for the split rail fence were installed just like the others. Because the rails were tapered, we were able to stick them in farther into the empty hole of the farther post, bring the end to the hole in the fence post that already had the end of a rail in it, and slide the rail in. Sliding the rail in would use a wedge effect on the pre-existing rail to lock it in place. Compared to installing the wooden panel privacy fence, installing the split rail fence was easier.

Day four: Applying preservative to the wooden privacy fence:

Once the wood privacy fence installation was complete, the final step was to wait for a dry day and apply a wood preservative to the fence. To do this we used a paintbrush to paint the preservative onto the wood. Once this was completed, the wooden privacy fence installation was complete. No preservative was used for the split rail fence.