A white picket fence is often part of the American dream.
The typical American dream of a home with a white picket fence may not be the ideal for many homeowners, but a fence around a yard provides more than just a fantastical idea of "home sweet home." Fences keep in kids and dogs and keep out intruders and nosy neighbors, turning your yard into a haven of privacy and safety. Whether you intend to build a large-scale fence that no one can see over or through, or just one to keep in Fido while you stay in the house, you must make sure the fence pieces are fully stable and secure during installation.
Instructions
1. Mark out the perimeter of your fence with rope or with marking paint. This will help you keep track of the line of your fencing while you install. Choose one corner of the area to start with, where you will install your first post.
2. Dig a 10-inch wide hole at the spot for your first fence post. Dig straight down, keeping the sides as level as possible. Go as deep as you can with your shovel, maintaining the 10-inch wide diameter.
3. Complete the hole to a depth of 32 inches with a posthole digger. The digger will maintain the diameter, but can reach deeper than the shovel alone. Pull out any rocks larger than a tennis ball, and use long-handled shears to cut through roots as necessary.
4. Insert your first fence post into the hole. Stand it up as straight as possible; it will probably help to have someone hold the post up for you. Add 8 inches of soil back into the hole.
5. Hold up a level against the side of the post. Lean the post back and forth as necessary until it sits completely straight in the hole. With the post held in the level position, tamp down the soil in the hole with a tamper bar to help it hold the post firmly in place.
6. Add another 8 inches of soil to the hole, check the level and tamp again. Keep adding soil and tamping until the hole is completely full.
7. Attach a mason's line to the side of the post facing out of your yard at a mark 5 inches above the ground. Run the line to the location of the opposite corner post and connect it to wooden stake driven in there, 5 inches above the ground. Pull the line tight so that there is no slack.
8. Measure the width your first panel of fencing. Measure that distance from the first post along the line you just secured and mark that spot on the ground. Dig another post hole at the point you just marked, so that the post you install at the center of the hole will touch the mason's line with its outside face.
9. Attach one end of the fencing panel to the first post you installed. Some fencing will feature rails that attach between the post and panel; others will require you to drill or screw the panel into place. At the far end of the panel, where there is no post, prop the end up on wooden or concrete blocks until it sits completely level, with its outside face touching the mason's wire.
10. Set the next post in the pre-dug hole and attach the loose end of the panel to this post. Then fill the hole, checking for level and gradually tamping as before so the panel and post both sit flush with the mason's line and level with the rest of the fence you already attached.
11. Continue to attach panels and posts in this manner. If you have a gate in your fence, set the posts apart by the distance of the gate plus 1 ½ inches so that there is room for the hinges and lock of the gate. Make sure the gate sits level and latches properly. If necessary, attach caps to each post at the end of your installation with finishing nails.
Related posts
Installing a yard fence provides security and privacy.A wooden privacy fence provides security and privacy for your yard at a reasonable cost. The most common and simplest to construct is the stoc...
Building even a simple residential fence on your own requires a lot of materials and equipment as well as time and patience. A wood fence with prefabricated wood panels is one of the simplest type...
Hog panels are effective for pigs and other animal species.Although farmers and ranchers often use them for pigs, hog panels provide equally effective fencing for a variety of other animals, inclu...
Install a Dog FenceOne of the first things a responsible dog owner needs to do is install a dog fence. Preferably, this will be done prior to bringing the new dog home. Each year, countless dogs a...
Hog panels are a very versatile type of fence. Made out of thick galvanized steel, they install easily and last for years. You can bend a hog panel to fit any shape of fence you like. Hog panels a...
