Estimating the Cost of Wood Privacy Fence Installation
Fence costs are calculated as a cost per
linear foot. The easiest way to estimate the cost is to determine the cost of a
single fence panel and then multiply that cost times the number of panels
required to achieve the total length of the fence.
First, measure the perimeter of the area to
be enclosed - while doing this make note of any special situations that will
influence to cost such as gate(s) or difficult terrain. If a fence already
exists that will be replaced with new materials then simply count the number of
fence panels that are present. Wood privacy fences are almost always spaced
with posts 8 foot apart on center (this means the measurement from the center
of one post to the center of an adjacent post is 8 feet) but always measure to
confirm.
Lumber is available in standard 8 foot
lengths and offers a balanced solution of cost and strength.
Spans longer than 8 feet will likely have
problems with sagging unless the 2x4 cross beams are upgraded to 2x6 dimension
- this also changes the appearance of the fence panel.
Spans shorter than 8 feet are usually not
necessary, the fence will be stronger but materials cost increase
substantially.
If there is a need to set the posts at some
other length, be sure to choose an increment of 2 feet (i.e. 6 foot, 8 foot, 10
foot, 12 foot etc... ) otherwise installation will require every cross beam to be
cut to length.
What about the premade panels available at
the local home improvement store? These premade panels are often made from
pressure treated pine with three cross beams that are 1.5x2.25 inches and
frequently sag after installation. The cheap fence panels can be suitable for
urgent repair purposes but are not recommended for use when installing a new or
replacement fence.
Wood fence posts must be pressure treated
and rated for ground contact. Galvanized steel fence posts offer longer life
after a higher initial cost for the post and the post rail brackets that are
required. Many homeowners dislike the appearance of the steel posts but this
can be overcome by a simple coat of paint or wrapping the steel post in a wood
enclosure.
Fence installation south
jersey
The fence rails should be 2x4 lumber from
pressure treated pine or cedar wood. The style of privacy fence and the choice
of wood used on the pickets will have the biggest impact to the aesthetics of
the wood privacy fence installation. The basic privacy fence consists of 3.5
inch wide dog-eared pickets placed on one side of the rails; this style
requires 24-25 pickets between each post. Another option is to use the wider
5.5 inch pickets which requires 16-17 pickets between posts that 8 feet apart.
After the measurements are made, it is time to choose the materials for your
fence.
With this information, the total materials
cost for wood privacy fence installation can be put into the fence cost
calculator. Using the typical selections that make up more than half of all
privacy fences in the US:
· 8 foot UC4A pressure treated pine 4x4
wood post (quantity: 1, approx. $8 ea.)
· 8 foot UC3B pressure treated pine 2x4
wood fence rails (quantity: 2, approx. $4 ea.)
· 6 foot 3.5 inch wide western red cedar
pickets (quantity: 24, approx. $2 ea.)
· 3 ½ inch 16d galvanized ring shank nails
(quantity: 8, approx. $1)
· 1 ¾ inch galvanized ring shank nails
(quantity: 100, approx. $1)
· 1.5 cubic feet of crushed gravel
(quantity: 1, approx. $5)
This brings the cost of the typical wood
privacy fence installation to approximately $71 per panel, or just below $9 per
linear foot. Other common fence designs will increase the cost from this
baseline estimate of the privacy fence cost. The good-neighbor fence (where the
pickets alternate sides of the fence, either picket by picket or panel by
panel), shadowbox fence, and board-on-board fence styles both increase the
number of pickets. Cap and trip fence style has the clean look of a uniform top
edge between each post with the added cost of the top rail. Lattice top privacy
fences of course add the cost of the lattice.
This estimate is for materials cost only,
if you use a contractor to do the work the total cost of the privacy fence
installation project will increase by at least double. Constructing a wood
privacy fence is within the capability of the typical homeowner, a solid three
day weekend of work with two guys can finish a privacy fence around the typical
backyard and use the money saved on refreshments to enjoy a job well done.
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