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.
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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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