Installing a Split Rail Fencing

Whenever the topic of wooden fencing comes up, I go back to the rustic world of Thomas hardy who wrote classics like Far from the Madding Crowd, The Taming of the shrew and the Return of the Native. It immediately compels me to imagine about the herd of sheep returning in the evening twilight towards their wood fenced habitats where they would sleep in the night and the shepherd would thing about his beloved. Forgive me this flight of imagination, which resulted in the digression. Here in this article we would discuss Split-rail fences. Yes, the same ones that you can see in the countryside.

Split rail Fences are made out of wood, which as the name suggests are split out lengthwise into rails and are now used for decorative purposes mainly and agricultural purposes frequently and rurally. The Split Rail does not prove itself as only decoratively viable but also has proven more weather-resistant than most kinds of timber like the Pine, Spruce, and the Hemlock. The timber used to build Split rail fences also resists insect infestation. It also has a very particular and distinct shade of red which when left uncoated weathers away to produce a silver gray color. These fences require more wood then any other type of fence. They come up to be expensive nowadays since there is a scarcity of wood. These fences are really simple in their construction and can be made with just some simple tools, nails and other hardware, which is most of the times available at house. Let me give you some tips to install a Split Rail Fence which if you follow, you will certainly be able to give your house a rustic and country house kind look.

Tips to install a Split Rail Fence

• The first step that has to be taken is to decide where the fence is to be built. Not only this the gas lines and the power lines have to be identified because they can be buried right under the surface and might just pop up while you are digging through and that might be very dangerous.
• Once the basic identification and location of the fence is done you can start piling the materials required without which the fence is not possible to make. For trouble-free installation, firstly the listing has to be done of essential items has to be made which would include the how much fence we need.
• Next thing that can be done is putting small stakes in the ground and stretching a string around the property you want to put the fence around so that you get a rough idea how it has to be done. Ensure that the string is straight and it is kept taut so that there is no mistake when you are trying to gauge the length, rather the distance. It would also help otherwise since we all know that straight fences are easy to work with but then when it comes to curves and angles, it requires a little patience and research.
• Next use a measuring wheel if possible to take the measurements of the fence line. Then divide the measurements by the number of posts that you have, which would accurately give you the distance that has to be between each post.
• Start the installation by locating and installing the first end post and the corners so that you can follow these locations for further help your work. Make sure that the holes in the posts are big enough to accommodate the rails and keep the posts and the line along which you are installing them, straight. The holes that are to be dug should be ideally 2 feet deep just to put the post; below it is the gravel part. Once the post is put, backfill with more soil for the post to have a better hold. This backfilling would also help you to get rid of the excess water near the fence.
• Continue installing all the posts in a similar way but keep in mind that they approximately maintain the same level, though not accurately. In case the post that you are using is too tall, you can dig a deeper and tam it down.

So this is how you can install a split rail fence around your house which will keep your property secure as well as make it look beautiful.