Horizontal Fence Installation: Clean Lines That Need a Stronger Frame

4 ft, 6 ft Privacy and Semi-Privacy Layouts

We have built horizontal fences in several layouts around Charlotte, and we have job photos of the first three to show you.

• 4 ft horizontal: a low fence for front yards, courtyards and garden edges, where it defines the space without closing it off.
• 6 ft horizontal privacy: boards set tight to one another for a solid backyard screen.
• 6 ft horizontal semi-privacy: boards set with an even gap between them, which lets light and air through and lightens the look.
• Horizontal board on board: two overlapped layers for privacy that holds even after the wood shrinks.

Horizontal Fence Installation That Stays Straight

Layout comes first, and it is fussier than on a vertical fence. Post spacing sets the panel width, so we plan it to land evenly along each run instead of leaving one odd, narrow bay at a corner.

Posts are set in concrete and checked for plumb and for alignment with each other, because a post that is slightly out throws off every board that lands on it. Boards go on from the bottom up with a spacer to keep each course level and the gaps equal. Mid-span backers are fastened behind the boards. Board ends are joined on a post, never floating in the air. Steel posts are a good match for this style since they do not twist and pull the boards out of line.

Swapping a Vertical Fence for Horizontal

A lot of our horizontal work is replacement. The old fence is a tired vertical privacy fence, and the owner wants something that looks current.

The existing posts cannot be reused. Vertical fences are normally framed on wider post spacing than a horizontal fence can tolerate, and posts that have been in the ground for years are rarely worth building on anyway. Replacement means removing the old fence and footings, laying out new post locations, and building from scratch. If only the side facing the street or the patio matters to you, we can price horizontal for that stretch and a standard vertical style for the rest. Mixing styles that way is common and keeps the total down.

Horizontal Fences on Sloped Charlotte Yards

Grade is the big design question for this style here. A vertical fence can follow a slope smoothly. A horizontal fence generally should not, because boards running at an angle look wrong next to the level lines of a house. The usual answer is to step it: each panel stays level and drops at the post to follow the hill.

Stepping leaves a wedge of open space under the low end of each panel. On a gentle slope it is small. On the steeper lots common in parts of Mecklenburg, Gaston and York counties, it can be large enough for a dog to get under, and it needs a plan. We look at the grade during the estimate and tell you how the steps will fall. Many neighborhood associations also have a position on horizontal fences, so it is worth checking your covenants early.

Wood Choices for Horizontal Boards

Board quality shows more on a horizontal fence. Every board is at eye level along its whole length, so a crooked one cannot hide. Cedar is lighter and more stable as it dries, which is why it is a frequent choice for this style. Pressure-treated pine costs less and holds up well, but it moves more in its first year, so tighter post spacing and good backers matter even more.

Thicker boards resist bowing better than thin fence pickets. Tell us the look and budget you have in mind and we will recommend a board and a spacing that fit together.