How to Build a Fence Gate

01 Nov.,2022

 

how to make a curved fence

Introduction

Learn how to build a durable, good-looking fence, from start to finish. We designed it to be strong, using sandwich construction, and yet easy to assemble. It looks good on both sides so that it'll complement your home and the neighborhood and not be an eyesore.

How to Build a Fence Overview: Project scope, design and key tools

Good fences may make good neighbors, but an ugly, flimsy or poorly built one won’t make anyone happy. This fence, on the other hand, is durable, handsome and sure to please everyone. Rules in most regions require that the best sides face out (toward the neighbors), but our fence is designed to look good from both sides.

We used treated 4x4s for long-lasting posts and “sandwich” construction for the panels for strength and easier assembly. This fence isn’t cheap compared with the cost of a fence built from preassembled panels from a home center. But this fence has thicker, higher quality wood, more detail and better fasteners than any store-bought selection. And we designed it so anyone who can handle a circular saw and level can build it.

We’ll show you how to build a wooden gate, line up and set posts, build sturdy panels and construct elegant, no-sag gates that are wide enough for a lawn tractor to pass through. We’ll also share tips on achieving solid footings, secure connection and fastening methods and staining that’ll ensure trouble-free decades of service. This project doesn’t require a pickup load of expensive tools either. Aside from the standard posthole digging implements and basic carpentry tools, you’ll only need a circular saw, a screw gun and a 4-ft. level. But to really speed up assembly, get a 15-gauge trim nailer with 1-1/2-in. galvanized nails to nail on the pickets and panel boards. The nails hold everything together until you permanently screw the upper and bottom rail pieces together. A table saw also comes in handy for ripping panel boards to width where needed.

Fence Design Approval and Property Lines:

Start with city hall. Most likely you’ll need to apply for a fence permit from the local building inspections department, so begin by picking up the application along with the local fence regulations. The regulations will include setback requirements from your property lines to the fence and maximum allowable heights. These details will likely vary for front and backyard fences and can even be different for houses on corners or adjacent to busy streets, so study them carefully. You’ll probably be required to submit a fence plan with the completed application. The plan should be a dimensioned overview of your property that clearly shows your property lines along with your proposed fence outline and its heights and distances from the property lines. Any other details that are required will be covered in the regulations or permit application.

If you live in a “planned” community or subdivision, you may also have to submit the same information to a planning committee for approval. The committee’s regulations can be even more rigorous than the city’s and may govern materials choices, colors and even the final design. Ignore regulations at your own peril. Build a fence without either planning committee or city approval and you risk having to tear it down and rebuild it.