Fencing Advice - Help

Hi,

I am looking at fencing in the gap down the side of my house between the house wall and boundary fence to the neighbor (currently covered by trees). I have not built a fence before but from looking at my existing fences it doesn't look that hard, and something i would like to challenge. I have also read some "how to" brochures from Bunnings and Mitre 10, my questions are as follows.

1. Should the post against the wall be dyna bolted to the house wall?
2. Should the opposite post be attached to the existing fence some how?
3. What is the best method of setting the posts into the ground?
4. Any other advice you can offer

I have attached a diagram for reference as to what I am dealing with. The gap is just over 2 meters, the ground underneath is just soil/mulch. I am guessing just simple timber posts and a fence about 6 foot including plinth would be ideal.


Thanks,

Jamie

Gday Jamie,


I assume the existing fence is a timber one?
Do you want Timber, concrete or metal posts? How high do you want the fence?

A pic of the actual area would help.........

Fence are pretty simple beasts though.... a few posts, some cross rails then the planks and there ye go ;)


1) Thats probably the easiest option
2) IMO yep, either the post or the rails, will limit movement in the fence if it is attached in some way
3) For fence posts I like rapid set if you are going in ground (as its easy and fences arnt usually structural).... Dig holes at least 600 deep and make sure posts are plum in the hole before using the concrete (brace with timbers and check levels) also check they are all in line (use a string line) Make sure you check that there are no buried utilities where you plan to dig
4) If using timber posts make sure its at least H4 and put uncut ends into the ground. You will probably need three posts, one either end and one in the middle. So one dynabolted to the wall and two in ground.

Hi Jamie

If you are going the traditional style fence that is in just about every backyard in Australia, I would use 2 posts or if putting in a gate 3 posts and 3 rails. Bolt one post to the house wall and dig in the other at 2' deep just a whisker shy of the other fence. I wouldn't tie it to the other fence as it might put undue strain on your house wall

I'm nearly finished building a fence of my own - here are some photos

http://www.castle-walls.blogspot.com/

1. I'm not sure why, but the fences in my neighbourhood tend to have the fence posts set in the ground only (not dynabolted to the house). I'm not sure of the reason for this - maybe fencing contractors find it a bit easier to do all of the posts the same way. Either way (set in ground or dynabolts) should work fine.

2. You could attach the post to the existing fence if it is strong and stiff enough. I think you would get a better result (stronger fence) if you came back about 300mm from the existing fence and set a post in the ground.

3. Fence contractors often mix straight cement with soil and backfill and compact around the posts. This makes the post stiff straight away so they can finish the fence without delay. I think you get a better result with concrete. For the home handyman, standard concrete is fine because you probably won't finish the job in a day and the concrete will set plenty hard enough in 24 hours. For my fence, I put a post in a hole in the ground, put in some water, put in some dry concrete premix (bunnings sell concrete by the bag - one 20kg bag per post is enough), then put in more water & worked it around and packed it down with a stake. Hopefully you know the difference between concrete and cement.

4. Most fences of the type you want have three timber rails. You need to decide whether to mortice them into the posts, or butt them into the sides of the posts. If you want the fence to extend past the posts, you will need to mortice them in. If you mortice them, be careful cutting the recesses in the timber to get a nice neat joint.

5. There are quite a few types of timber you can use for posts. Cypress pine has a nice grain, ironbark has a nice red colour. Treated pine is probably the cheapest option.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by b1ueshift

Most fences of the type you want have three timber rails. You need to decide whether to mortice them into the posts, or butt them into the sides of the posts. If you want the fence to extend past the posts, you will need to mortice them in. If you mortice them, be careful cutting the recesses in the timber to get a nice neat joint.

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Yours is a lapped and capped fence with the rails flush with the posts. The most common type of timber fences have the rails housed through the posts, and you buy the posts pre-housed. Hardwood fences generally have only two rails (and two housings) but you can specify three if you want. Treated pine fences generally have three housings because the palings tend to twist and warp so they need extra support, but with mine I specified only two rails and two housings per post (I'm lazy and wanted to save money). It's only 5' high and after four years it still looks great without any substantial warping of the palings. I didn't bother with the concrete either (for the same reasons given). I just rammed the dirt back in with a post and it's solid.
The bottom part is lapped for privacy, and the top part is traditional. You can see that I've cut an angle on top of the palings and posts for a more traditional look, and I've painted it all with fence paint for a uniform finish. You can also see that I've staggered the nailing, with one at the top of the rail and one nearer the bottom. I think it looks better, but it also prevents the rail splitting through the middle, although this is highly unlikely.

I have decided to change my approach to this fence and go for a horizontal slat style made from treated pine decking boards (cost is a factor).

Quick question would it be better to have 3 (90x90) posts or 2 (90x90) posts. The distance is 2m.

Thanks in advance.