Fence materials

[Squiner]

I'm looking to build about a 350 linear foot fence. I'm trying to find the best supplier for materials at the best price. Biggest expense will be the appearance boards (about 700 1"x6"x6' boards). Is there anywhere I can buy bulk materials at a better price than what can be found at Home Depot and Lowe's. I will also check out 84 lumber.

One other thing, has anyone had experience with setting posts without using concrete? I am thinking I will just use gravel. I will get 10' 4x4's and bury about 3 1/2' to 4'.

Thanks

 

[fossil]

"Real" building supply outfits...the ones who cater to contractors...often have nicer lumber than the homeowner oriented outlets. Some of them sell retail, and will deliver. If you have a contractor buddy, you might be able to get him to order the materials for you at wholesale. As far as setting the posts, a few inches of gravel in the bottom of the post hole is all you need for drainage. Backfilling with the dirt that came out of the hole and tamping it down firmly will likely set the post better than backfilling with gravel, becuase you'll get a tighter pack. Another alternative is to dump some dry concrete mix in the hole around the post, wet it down and poke it around a bit, then do the dirt pack on top of that after it sets. Rick

 

[Squiner]

"Real" building supply outfits...the ones who cater to contractors...often have nicer lumber than the homeowner oriented outlets. Some of them sell retail, and will deliver. If you have a contractor buddy, you might be able to get him to order the materials for you at wholesale. As far as setting the posts, a few inches of gravel in the bottom of the post hole is all you need for drainage. Backfilling with the dirt that came out of the hole and tamping it down firmly will likely set the post better than backfilling with gravel, becuase you'll get a tighter pack. Another alternative is to dump some dry concrete mix in the hole around the post, wet it down and poke it around a bit, then do the dirt pack on top of that after it sets. Rick

Thanks, the only concern I have with concrete is moisture being trapped next to the lumber. I guess I shouldn't even worry since by the time it rots I will have long since sold the house.

 

[fossil]

The last two fences I've had professionally built (one back in Virginia, and one out here in Oregon) both had posts set in concrete to about 2/3 or so the depth of the hole. Very different conditions...clay in Virginia and mostly solid rock in Oregon. The guys in Virginia did the dry dump/wet down method, while the guys here in Oregon brought a big very cool truck that carried the cement, aggregate & water on board and mixed as it delivered. All pressure-treated posts were used in both cases, of course. Rick

 

[gzecc]

It kind of depends how strong you want the fence. Typically I would only cement the corners and the fence posts at the opening. It kind of depends on your soil. I would imagine you would have a clay soil, but I could be wrong.
Check craigs list for at leasts the posts.

 

[Bobbin]

We have put in two fences over the past 20 yrs., both mostly decorative (not used to corral livestock). We have a low lot and the ground tends to be rather wet so we've resigned ourselves to having posts rot out periodically (at 15-16 yrs. two tall posts are in need of replacement). We've set the posts in concrete, using pressure treated lumber for the posts. A friend of our's also mentioned a technique they used to to use when they couldn't set posts deep enough for stability (common where the ledge along the coast is high). You drill out the post to receive a piece of rebar and you set the rebar in concrete and drive the post down over it. Labor instensive for certain, but an excellent way to prevent rot for the long term.

For the rails we went to a local lumber yard that mills its own wood. They sell a lot of Hemlock and we've bought it, roughcut, for pretty short money. It will weather nicely on its own and it accepts stain/bleaching oil beautifully. We made the pergola below out of it; the supporting posts are on concrete footings:

Rent one of these:

Lay the posts out with the supporting stakes:

Set the posts, fill with concrete, level them and stake them in place:

Staked posts are in the background; beds are hemlock, too:

The rails are in the barn, and we'll add them in the spring, putting dog fence behind them to keep animals out of the vegetable garden. Fences are not hard to do if you organize the project and are willing to put in the sweat to do it right. Pay particular attention to spacing the posts, it's easy to make stupid mistakes.

 

[Badfish740]

I'm actually looking to build a 6' stockade style fence with dog-ear pickets. Lowes wants about $52.00 (including tax) a panel for what I'm looking for, pressure treated. I priced out what it would be to build an identical panel myself from their materials and with 3/4" x 6" x 6' pressure treated pickets (pre-dog eared) and 3 5/4" x 6" x 8" rails per panel I could build panels for about $37.00 (including tax per panel). I'm betting that the local lumberyard can beat Lowes and that maybe I can get it down to $30.00 per panel. I figure once I get a system down and build a jig it will go quickly. Anybody have any good stain/sealer recommendations to make the panels last?

 

[glacialhills]

Badfish, I did a bunch of research on sealers and stains when I was doing our wood front door. I think the best product out there is something made by Sikkens called Cetol log and siding. It will last 5-7 years before needing to be redone and I actually think it will be even longer than that. Our door faces right due west and gets blasted by snow and rain and afternoon sun and looks as good as the day I hung it 26 months ago. The stuff is pricey but what is your time worth? I am as cheap as they come but I would rather do something once and be done for a while. Other wise resign yourself to practicing "paint the fence" like Mr. Miagi taught. the WHOLE fence...both sides.

 

[ironpony]

also talk to the manager at lowes they will deal with you
especially if your buying as much as you are
they want to make money too
and let them know yo will be buying your other components there also
(screws concrete etc.)
high profit items for them

 

[Badfish740]

Badfish, I did a bunch of research on sealers and stains when I was doing our wood front door. I think the best product out there is something made by Sikkens called Cetol log and siding. It will last 5-7 years before needing to be redone and I actually think it will be even longer than that. Our door faces right due west and gets blasted by snow and rain and afternoon sun and looks as good as the day I hung it 26 months ago. The stuff is pricey but what is your time worth? I am as cheap as they come but I would rather do something once and be done for a while. Other wise resign yourself to practicing "paint the fence" like Mr. Miagi taught. the WHOLE fence...both sides.

Sounds good to me. Since I'm going to assembling the panels myself I thought I might use a sprayer in order to coat each individual component first so that every surface is sealed, then assemble, then re-spray the entire panel. All materials will be pressure treated to begin with. It's certainly going to add time to the project, but this way I figure that since we plan to be in our house for at least the next 10 years, I want to be able to put up the fence and essentially forget about it. Overkill?

 

[Squiner]

also talk to the manager at lowes they will deal with you
especially if your buying as much as you are
they want to make money too
and let them know yo will be buying your other components there also
(screws concrete etc.)
high profit items for them

Good to know.

 

[ROBERT F]

look into the okon line of stains, high dollar but excelent results. another thing to look at is a product called paint booster, not for use with stains, but when painting its the stuff. parents had a deck stained with okon, and re-stained it every 8 years or so. the house had dunn-edwards paints, with the paint booster, and 12 years later the paint still repeled water, was not peeling/cracking, and had very little fading!. Dad was a painter, now got a FIL that a painter.

 

[lobsta1]

Sounds good to me. Since I'm going to assembling the panels myself I thought I might use a sprayer in order to coat each individual component first so that every surface is sealed, then assemble, then re-spray the entire panel. All materials will be pressure treated to begin with. It's certainly going to add time to the project, but this way I figure that since we plan to be in our house for at least the next 10 years, I want to be able to put up the fence and essentially forget about it. Overkill?

I was under the impression that pressure treated materials have to dry out for about 6 months before any treatment.
Al

 

[billb3]

If I did stockade fence again I'd do steel posts set in concrete.
The last stockade I did snapped every single post on the East-West run in Hurricane Bob.
I just replaced the posts because I was moving in a couple years.
PT (ground contact) and they were rotting after just 5 years, too.

They (panels pickets) rot quick anywhere they contact the ground, too.
(or if a neighbor allows leaves to pile up against them on his side.)

 

[woodsman23]

There must be a Amish farm nearby in MD. I'd stop in and ask as they use larch pine for fence posts here and they just last forever. They will do whatever type of wood you want and at a much cheaper cost. We built a 48 ft x 16 ft porch last year and saved big bucks and got real dimensional wood. Porch roof we used 4x6" and 1.5 inch t&g for the top looks great. They make and sell fence products also and you cannot beat the price.

 

[semipro]

I'm not sure anyone has mentioned it yet but make sure and use good corrosion resistant fasteners if you're using the ACQ treated lumber. Many folks are finding their fasteners rotted away after a very short time when used in this type of treated wood. The problem is much worse than many realize. Even double hot dipped galvanized fasteners are proving very susceptible.