A lovely pressure treated fence with horizontal boards

Turkstra Lumber has been designing and selling wood fencing for over 70 years, so we know how to lead you in this fun and exciting adventure.

Step 5: Build the Fence

The assembly stage of your project will make your fence come to life. Learn how to assemble the fence just as you envisioned it in this section of the gameplan.

How do I hang rails from the set posts?

A typical fence has 2 to 4 hangers to set rails on the post. Make sure rails are leveled off to meet your design and ground slope needs. Uneven ground will not be parallel to the rails of most fences.

How far off the ground should rails be?

Lumber of any kind should never be in direct contact with the ground as it will prematurely rot. Leaving a small gap at the bottom of a fence will allow for easy grass trimming and rot prevention. If the fence is to be used to isolate a swimming pool, you must ensure that you follow local building codes which dictate the rail spacing.

How do I make sure the top/bottom of the fence is where I want it to be?

How do I cut curves on top of the fence if that is my design?

Drop a string and cut boards one at a time while following the string line.

How do I install lattice on the top of my fence?

Measure the distance between posts and height that you desire then cut your lattice accordingly, remembering to measure space for bottom, top, and side boards. Next cut your top, bottom, and side boards. Lastly, install your boards and lattice.

How do I cut the tops of the posts off?

Run a chalk line at the desired top height of your posts and use a level to ensure the chalk line is level. Snap the line to mark the location. Carefully use a circular saw to cut the top of posts off. Next, should you choose, you can purchase decorative caps to place on the tops of your posts. We recommend the use of post caps to increase the lifespan of your posts. They can really help to prevent water damage to the exposed end grain on your posts.

How do I make gates for my fence?

After you have measured out your fence and started assembling it, you can start to assemble any gates that will go into your fence.

To start, measure the gap between your gate posts so that you can create a gate that is the right size.

To create a gate, take some 2x4s and make sure that the width of the rails in the gate’s structure are slightly smaller than the distance between the two gate posts, to accommodate for hardware. The height of the gate frame should be the same as the height between the fence rails. Adding a diagonal cross brace will ensure that your gate will stay square and will not sag. A second cross brace can be added for additional support.

To create a cross brace, take your already completed frame and lay a board diagonally underneath it so the centre of the brace board intersects with the corners of the frame. Use a pencil to trace the angles so you can cut the board to ensure a tight fit into the frame.