Building A New Horizontal Fence!

WoodExterior Projects
Written By Erin Longfellow

This project is going to show you how to build this GORGEOUS horizontal cap and trim privacy fence!

It’s amazing how transformative a beautiful fence can be for a backyard!

Our backyard fence has been falling over since we bought this house. It has a 16 degree lean, the posts are failing, the gates do not stay closed... and in some places the rails are no longer attached to the posts.

It's long past time to build a new one.

I've been collecting fence ideas on a Pinterest Board and the design I keep coming back to is a horizontal board on board cap and trim privacy fence. It’s a beautiful design. I know I can build it myself and save big in doing so!

Here’s how.

We’ll be covering:

  • Demo

  • Digging post holes and setting posts

  • Building the fence frame

  • Adding the horizontal cedar slats

  • Building a gate!

  • Adding a finishing stain/finish

I recommend watching my tutorial video for the build in full detail (and helpful tips)!

Things we used in this project:

Demo

Demo of the old fence was quick and easy. My buddy Pete generously showed up to help me. We used reciprocating saws and quickly cut through the 2x4 rails, cutting out the old panels away from the posts.

Cutting out these large panels was not only quick, but made it easy to stack them on the trailer to haul away.

We had all the panels off in no time, just leaving all of the posts in concrete.

We tried digging them out by hand, which was not easy and taking a ton of time. So we got smart and decided to try and pull them out with a chain and Pete’s truck, which was so fast and easy…. and fun :)

All of the posts popped right out like carrots! We had the whole fence line cleared in no time. With Pete’s help, demo of the whole fence and posts took less than 3 hours.

Post Holes

I want to space out the post holes 6’ apart, which is the length of one fence picket placed horizontally.

We rented a gas powered hydraulic auger to make quick work of this. We marked out the locations and Pete helped me quickly dig all of the holes. Running a string line is smart to make sure your post holes run in a straight line. As we moved along, I’d measure off the next hole placement. In total, I have 40 posts.

Make sure you get your utilities marked before you dig! We’re digging down 24” for each post.

The string line is offset so I don’t bump or alter the line as I work down the line.

With all of the holes dug, I can now start prep work to get the posts in the ground. I put a couple inches of small rocks in the bottom of each hole for better drainage and then roughly placed all of the posts in the holes.

In my Outdoor Shower build, I used Postsaver rot protection sleeves on each post. These posts are tar lined and protect at the ground line where the post is most susceptible to rot. The top of the sleeve is placed two inches above the depth of the hole (so in this case, 26”).

I have more detailed info on these sleeves HERE

The sleeve then heat-shrinks to fit the post with a heat gun or torch. You then roll over the sleeve with a roller to ensure a good seal to the post.

I then set the post into the hole and made sure it was plumb with this super helpful post level. And then secured it into position with two temporary 2x4 braces. The braces are screwed into the post and on the other end, screwed to a ground stake.

Each post hole is getting filled with Quikrete, which is a fast setting concrete that sets hard in just 20-40 minutes. One thing I really like about Quikrete is you can pour it in the hole dry, and then add water.

Pro tip: I actually like to add some water to the hole first before pouring. This ensures the water makes it to the bottom of the mix. I also add a slope to the top which will help water drain away from the post.

My city’s code says we can build up to an 8’ fence without a permit so I marked a cut line at the top of each post 8’ from the ground using my circular saw. Measuring from the bottom of the post can be tricky. If you’d like to see how I easily found 8’ on each post, check out the videos in my YouTube video. I explain it well there.

Fence Frame

I’m installing these fence brackets to hold horizontal 2x4 braces between the posts. I installed them with Simpson Strong Tie nails.

Now to cut the braces. A fast and easy way to find a very accurate distance measurement is with this laser distance measure. I love this thing! It has the ability to long range measure with extreme accuracy. All you have to do is set it on one end of your distance to measure and point the laser beam to the other side. And boom. It reads out a precise measurement.

This allowed me to quickly cut out all of the bottom braces and secure them with Simpson Strong Tie screws.

After all posts were cut to height, I cut a notch into the top of every other post using my circular saw and my reciprocating saw.

This notch allows one long horizontal 2x4 brace to span two bays and tie three posts together. This really increases the rigidity and strength of the fence. The 2x4 is screwed into the middle post.

Tip: any screws (or any of the fixtures) I am using on this project are rated to be used outdoors.

I also cut and installed center vertical 2x4 supports between the top and bottom braces using screws. These give the pickets a center board to attach to which will keep them from bowing and warping.

Top Cap & Pickets

Ok now let’s attach the top cap, which is the top horizontal board that spans across the top of all of the posts.

I’m using a 2x6 and it’s simply attached using screws into the top rails. I again used a string line to make sure I kept the boards straight with the same overhang depth all the way down.

Fence Pickets

Now on to the fun part… adding pickets!

This is a horizontal board on board fence, which will have full coverage and no visibility through the panels. We don’t get much wind here, and this frame is built very strong, so we’re not worried about not having air gaps.

To make attaching these pickets go quickly, I’m using my pneumatic siding/fencing nailer that uses ring shank nails. It’s important to pick exterior rated nails (stainless steel is best) to avoid any rusting of the nails and staining of the wood.

The cedar pickets I’m using are 5.5” wide. I made a spacer board that is 4” wide that quickly let’s me space out my first row of boards, leaving a 4” gap. This will give my second row (the pickets that cover the gaps) 3/4” on each side of coverage.

I nailed the picket to each end and the center vertical board, double checking that they are level as I work my way down.

The top, overlapping boards are secured the same way, overlapping the first row by 3/4 inches. As I worked I’d put my level up on every few boards to make sure I was keeping a level pattern.

After all of the pickets are up, the middle gets screwed to the middle vertical support board with exterior trim head screws. These screws will ensure that the pickets stay flat and in place.

To see how I handled the corners, be sure to watch the YouTube video.

Gate

Let’s add a gate. I’m going to build it so it practically disappears and most importantly, doesn’t sag. Here’s how:

I bought this anti-sag gate hardware kit, which makes building a gate so easy!

The instructions are straight forward. I cut 2x4’s to size and the metal brackets just screws to the 2x4s, creating a sturdy frame.

I then set the gate in place, held up with some wood as an extra hand to shim it into place so I could attach the hinges.

I then worked from the top down and added pickets just like before. Except for this section I secured the pickets with trim head exterior screws.

Before I finish the second half of pickets on this gate, I’m going to attach this gate latch hardware. It’s super simple to attach with just one drilled hole through the frame and a few screws. I love that this latch allows the door to be unlatched and opened from the front or the back. And it looks and works great!

Now that the latch is in place, I need to cut the next slat so that it fits around the handle. To do this I marked my cut lines and then carefully made the cuts with my multi tool.

I then finished the slats and placed a top cap.

Trim

The very last step for the build is to add 1x4 vertical trim to cover the seams, nails and screws. I attached these with trim head screws.

Stain

I wanted to try a transparent stain on this project. A stain will not peel or sit on top of the wood like a varnish. It offers the same benefits and from my understanding, lasts 5x longer. I’ve done a lot of research, asked some pros and landed on using Cabot’s Australian Timber Oil in a transparent honey teak color.

The color is very similar to cedar. It’s transparent, warm and natural. And very importantly…. not orange.

To apply the stain, I’m using my sprayer, which speeds up the process exponentially. I sprayed it on and after a few minutes, went back and wiped the excess with a lint free towel. I’m really happy with it!

DONE!

Here’s the before and after…

We’re so happy with it!

I cover the budget breakdown and all of the expenses in the YouTube video. Check it out HERE

What do you think? I’d love to hear!

Happy to answer any questions below, or in the comment section of the video. See you on the next project!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for many more tutorial videos!

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Erin Longfellow
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