Tall picket fence questions
Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 3:46 am
I have decided that I would like to build a tall picket fence to separate my driveway from the backyard. Most of the neighbours have a solid 6 foot tall privacy fence, built from pressure treated lumber.
I saw a photo of what appears to be a 6 foot tall picket fence. This seems like a good solution. I like the small town look of a picket fence, but I would like some privacy. I am adjacent to a busy street with a troublesome bar a couple of blocks away. I don't want to deal with unknown drunk people in my back yard for any reason. I also figured that if the fence was not entirely opaque that it might make my back safer from break-ins - as there would be less privacy than a solid fence.
I know that I cannot buy 6' tall pickets, so I figured that I would need to cut my own. A long time ago some neighbours had a fence built by some incompetent dudes, who did not use long enough posts ( ie 8 foot posts for a 6 foot fence) so the fence was always wobbly. I plan to get the posts professionally installed. A friend said he could help with the building part. Here are my questions for people who have built a fence or had one built:
- the posts need to be pressure treated, yes ? Since the width of pickets I want will be narrower, I probably can't buy regular PT fence boards. Do the pickets need to be pressure wood treated if they are to be painted ? I know there is fancier wood like cedar which gets pricey. Again - I want a painted fence - no bare wood.
- if the pickets are not treated wood, then they should be placed above ground level a little ?
- friend claims nails are better than screws to assemble the fence. My (online) research says screws are better. Friend claims it will take too long to assemble this fence with screws. Also that a screw gun is better for this purpose than a drill. I am unclear of he means screw gun (like is used for drywall, or is a self loading one) or he means hammer drill.
- since the fence is taller than a typical 3 1/2 foot picket fence, does this mean that it should have another horizontal cross piece (terminology ?) for greater stability ?
Fence advice and opinions, please ?
This is a pic of the fence that got me thinking, though I would space the pickets a little more closely, and don't want fancy post caps. The spacing in the white picket fence is what I am thinking.
I saw a photo of what appears to be a 6 foot tall picket fence. This seems like a good solution. I like the small town look of a picket fence, but I would like some privacy. I am adjacent to a busy street with a troublesome bar a couple of blocks away. I don't want to deal with unknown drunk people in my back yard for any reason. I also figured that if the fence was not entirely opaque that it might make my back safer from break-ins - as there would be less privacy than a solid fence.
I know that I cannot buy 6' tall pickets, so I figured that I would need to cut my own. A long time ago some neighbours had a fence built by some incompetent dudes, who did not use long enough posts ( ie 8 foot posts for a 6 foot fence) so the fence was always wobbly. I plan to get the posts professionally installed. A friend said he could help with the building part. Here are my questions for people who have built a fence or had one built:
- the posts need to be pressure treated, yes ? Since the width of pickets I want will be narrower, I probably can't buy regular PT fence boards. Do the pickets need to be pressure wood treated if they are to be painted ? I know there is fancier wood like cedar which gets pricey. Again - I want a painted fence - no bare wood.
- if the pickets are not treated wood, then they should be placed above ground level a little ?
- friend claims nails are better than screws to assemble the fence. My (online) research says screws are better. Friend claims it will take too long to assemble this fence with screws. Also that a screw gun is better for this purpose than a drill. I am unclear of he means screw gun (like is used for drywall, or is a self loading one) or he means hammer drill.
- since the fence is taller than a typical 3 1/2 foot picket fence, does this mean that it should have another horizontal cross piece (terminology ?) for greater stability ?
Fence advice and opinions, please ?
This is a pic of the fence that got me thinking, though I would space the pickets a little more closely, and don't want fancy post caps. The spacing in the white picket fence is what I am thinking.