# Outdoor Fencing? Buy pre-made or make my own?



## tripflex

Alright well i should be finished up with my back porch tonight or tomorrow (will post pics later) but my next task before i run out of money is to put up a fence between me and one of my neighbors.

There is currently some kind of a black metal fence which doesn't serve any purpose but to keep my dog in my yard. I'm assuming it is the neighbors fence but i want to put something up so they can't peep into my yard and so sound doesn't travel as well to their back porch.

On one side of my house i already have some old fencing that serves its purpose so i won't mess with that right now unless the pricing is fairly cheap.


Here's my question. 

First, should i just buy pre-made wood fencing from home depot and install that? Or should i buy all the wood myself and build it myself? I have all the necessary tools (miter saw, nail gun, post digger) but would i really be saving any money by doing it myself?

I'm trying to do this job the cheapest way possible but i do have people over a lot and want to make sure that sound doesn't travel that well to their back porch (meaning i will probably have to do overlay instead of side by side). 

Just trying to get some ideas from people who have installed a fence either way. I'm assuming that building it myself would be the cheapest, and i probably need to hit up some lumber stores for pricing rather than home depot.

Any ideas of what i might need?


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## vsheetz

I don't care for premade fence panels - 


Your posts and gates have to have the exact correct spacing - not always possible
Stick built you can accomodate for uneven ground, slopes, etc.
Better quality for less money can be done by rolling your own
IMHO


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## tripflex

vsheetz said:


> I don't care for premade fence panels -
> 
> 
> Your posts and gates have to have the exact correct spacing - not always possible
> Stick built you can accomodate for uneven ground, slopes, etc.
> Better quality for less money can be done by rolling your own
> IMHO



What do you mean, "rolling your own"? What do you mean "stick built"? There won't be a gate on the side i plan on putting the fence up at. Thanks.


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## ultimatesooner

I think by stick built he means the pre-made panels and roll your own he means putting up the fence piece by piece.

I would use screws instead of a nail gun though


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## vsheetz

tripflex said:


> What do you mean, "rolling your own"? What do you mean "stick built"? There won't be a gate on the side i plan on putting the fence up at. Thanks.


Both reffer to building your own fence, rather than buying premade fence sections.


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## Thurman

Unless your yard is flat, level, no slope, which I bet it is not: Those store bought pre-made sections of fence have no "give" to match your yard slope. IF you put up a few sections of this type fencing and keep it level as you go, you will have all sorts of gaps under the fence. As "vsheetz" states, I had rather take the time to stick-build a fence. Some fences look good if they are run with the "lay-of-the-land" so to speak, the top of the fence will have the same slope as the ground. Some fences will have a "step-effect" as they are built, as my yard. I have a yard that doesn't look like it has slope, but has plenty, so I built my wooden picket fence in eight foot (8') sections and lowered each section the same amount along the run. It looks pretty good. I bought my pickets from a local fencing company. I had figured out exactly how many I needed, they sold them in bundles of maybe twenty (long time back), so I knew how many bundles I needed. Much cheaper than the box stores, even with leftovers (not many) which are in the top of my shop for repairs as needed. Nails or screws? Hot dipped galvanized ring-shanked nails for me, just too lazy to drive all those screws. But then, I own a couple of nail guns. Invite a few buddies over, easy on the brew, have a good cook-out and get-er-done. Good Luck, David


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## archbarb

I have a large back yard and have two dogs (dashound and 1 1/2 year old pit bull) that love to run in the yard. I researched both types of fencing, and it seemed to me the sectional fence felt and looked cheap for some reason. Plus I wanted a shadow box fence. I'm not sure you can buy those in 8' sections. I ended up going to Home Depot for my 6' dogeared slats and 2x4 stringers. Lowes had the best price for the 4x4's. I also used 6x6's for my 12 foot gate to the back yard. I would highly recommend the purchase of a Pasload nail gun. It sure saves time and your arm won't get half as tired.


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## tripflex

Thurman said:


> Unless your yard is flat, level, no slope, which I bet it is not: Those store bought pre-made sections of fence have no "give" to match your yard slope. IF you put up a few sections of this type fencing and keep it level as you go, you will have all sorts of gaps under the fence. As "vsheetz" states, I had rather take the time to stick-build a fence. Some fences look good if they are run with the "lay-of-the-land" so to speak, the top of the fence will have the same slope as the ground. Some fences will have a "step-effect" as they are built, as my yard. I have a yard that doesn't look like it has slope, but has plenty, so I built my wooden picket fence in eight foot (8') sections and lowered each section the same amount along the run. It looks pretty good. I bought my pickets from a local fencing company. I had figured out exactly how many I needed, they sold them in bundles of maybe twenty (long time back), so I knew how many bundles I needed. Much cheaper than the box stores, even with leftovers (not many) which are in the top of my shop for repairs as needed. Nails or screws? Hot dipped galvanized ring-shanked nails for me, just too lazy to drive all those screws. But then, I own a couple of nail guns. Invite a few buddies over, easy on the brew, have a good cook-out and get-er-done. Good Luck, David



I think this sounds about my best bet. I live on a lake so at the back of my yard it does slope down towards the lake. I was thinking about just buying the pvc white fencing and taking the hit. But after thinking about it, i think i would enjoy doing the work myself and it would be a good experience. 

Only problem...my neighbor when i first moved in was doing a lot of "peeking" so-to-speak. Basically he was standing on his table staring into my yard. Which brings me to why i want to put up a fence. There's already a black metal frame fence there which i think im just gonna put mine up right next to. I had a survey done when i bought the house so i'm going to have them come out and stake the property. They said the survey they did before showed that the fence was not mine so not too sure if i'm gonna give the neighbor a heads up or just put it up  

Haven't really done any "introductions" because of the "peeking" they were doing before.

Besides all that, thanks for all the input guys!


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## Phillysun

Around where I live many people have opted for the plastic rail fencing which look great for a few weeks. Problem is that the posts shift with the soil and the cross pieces pull out and the end falls to the ground. Better if they had end pieces that could be used with either pipe or 4x4 PT. 

Best fences I ever saw were the ones done in Dallas which has very expansive soil. 3" galvanized posts were set in concrete and then the cross pieces were attached with U-bolts and the fencing nailed to the 2x4 cross pieces. Soil movement was easy to adjust for and there was nothing to rot at the soil level and these fences could withstand high winds with no problems.

Fencing contractors make a large profit and I would buy the materials myself and hire someone to work alongside me and let them do the hole digging and mix and carry the cement. A problem with the ready made fencing is that it is usually fastened with staples and these rust and weaken the wood with the resulting water penetration and fail. An inexpensive laser level is a worthwhile investment for a project such as this.


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## Snav

tripflex said:


> I think this sounds about my best bet. I live on a lake so at the back of my yard it does slope down towards the lake. I was thinking about just buying the pvc white fencing and taking the hit. But after thinking about it, i think i would enjoy doing the work myself and it would be a good experience.
> 
> Only problem...my neighbor when i first moved in was doing a lot of "peeking" so-to-speak. Basically he was standing on his table staring into my yard. Which brings me to why i want to put up a fence. There's already a black metal frame fence there which i think im just gonna put mine up right next to. I had a survey done when i bought the house so i'm going to have them come out and stake the property. They said the survey they did before showed that the fence was not mine so not too sure if i'm gonna give the neighbor a heads up or just put it up
> 
> Haven't really done any "introductions" because of the "peeking" they were doing before.
> 
> Besides all that, thanks for all the input guys!


I know I'm bumping and old post - but I was searching for info and your post seemed interesting.

First - what did you decide to do? Did you complete your project?

Second - No matter what method of fencing you go with it will NOT keep people from seeing into your yard.
Depending on how much room you have inside or outside the fence I strongly suggest getting some hemlock or other low-growing dense brush that can be somewhat sculpted with a trimmer and stays green allyear long.
I have hemlock around my house and LOVE it for it's privacy-use and it's so fast growing and very hardy. 

Third - if you haven't done your fence yet - we did our backyard (3/4 acre) with pre-fab fencing. It went up quickly BUT it was a genuine pain in the butt - as was mentioned before - pre fab fencing as no 'give' - it's rectangular in shape and remains that way. Through some use of force we were able to get the panels to drop down a small incline - but in our yard we have a few areas that are rather 'hilly' - and it didn't handle that well at all.
While we managed not to have any gaps under the panels - we have several spots where we had to level off the top of the panels with a recip-saw to make the top look more even and that was a lot of work.

We have quite a bit of gap between our fence slats - usually around 1/4" but in some places it's 3/4". In certain areas of the yard (like next to the deck) I planted our hemlock and it's growing it thicker, now - which is nice - and soon it'll be a complete wall of green.


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## tripflex

Snav said:


> I know I'm bumping and old post - but I was searching for info and your post seemed interesting.
> 
> First - what did you decide to do? Did you complete your project?
> 
> Second - No matter what method of fencing you go with it will NOT keep people from seeing into your yard.
> Depending on how much room you have inside or outside the fence I strongly suggest getting some hemlock or other low-growing dense brush that can be somewhat sculpted with a trimmer and stays green allyear long.
> I have hemlock around my house and LOVE it for it's privacy-use and it's so fast growing and very hardy.
> 
> Third - if you haven't done your fence yet - we did our backyard (3/4 acre) with pre-fab fencing. It went up quickly BUT it was a genuine pain in the butt - as was mentioned before - pre fab fencing as no 'give' - it's rectangular in shape and remains that way. Through some use of force we were able to get the panels to drop down a small incline - but in our yard we have a few areas that are rather 'hilly' - and it didn't handle that well at all.
> While we managed not to have any gaps under the panels - we have several spots where we had to level off the top of the panels with a recip-saw to make the top look more even and that was a lot of work.
> 
> We have quite a bit of gap between our fence slats - usually around 1/4" but in some places it's 3/4". In certain areas of the yard (like next to the deck) I planted our hemlock and it's growing it thicker, now - which is nice - and soon it'll be a complete wall of green.



No worries man, yeah never actually got around to doing anything. Decided getting other things completed around the house was more important. What i was thinking was just waiting until i have some equity so i can get all of my fencing replaced. The fencing on the opposite side i was talking about looks like it's been there since the house was built (like 1977--yuck). 

So chances are, i will end up hiring someone to do the work once i get the money. As for now...my neighbor will just have to deal with my loud, annoying, and sometimes naked ass  especially now that it's pool time!


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## Big Bob

The neighbor may work for Homeland Security or the DEA and/or nosey
by nature. take a six pack over and say High...don't roll your own until your sure he or she is not DEA. 

building fence isn't tough, but check out what is on sale when you get ready... might save you some $$$. step down on your slope is normal.

The neighbors may wonder if your into midnight skinny dipping too! 
have fun :laughing:


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## tripflex

Big Bob said:


> The neighbor may work for Homeland Security or the DEA and/or nosey
> by nature. take a six pack over and say High...don't roll your own until your sure he or she is not DEA.
> 
> building fence isn't tough, but check out what is on sale when you get ready... might save you some $$$. step down on your slope is normal.
> 
> The neighbors may wonder if your into midnight skinny dipping too!
> have fun :laughing:


haha lets hope not, he for sure would have smelled the aroma of the massive amounts me and my roommates smoke everyday. Maybe that's why i never get anything done lol


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## DangerMouse

tripflex said:


> haha lets hope not, he for sure would have smelled the aroma of the massive amounts me and my roommates smoke everyday. Maybe that's why i never get anything done lol


I sure hope you don't smoke that stuff then try to use HD tools!!!
Those can be a disaster WITHOUT the smoking!

DM


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## tripflex

DangerMouse said:


> I sure hope you don't smoke that stuff then try to use HD tools!!!
> Those can be a disaster WITHOUT the smoking!
> 
> DM


haha no, i work with heavy duty equipment all day long (bucket trucks, cranes, etc) so i know when to and when not to smoke. And i don't if i have anything planned for the next 6 hours :thumbup:


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## downrightart

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Whatever will they think of us Floridians!


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## DangerMouse

You mean everyone down there AREN'T a bunch of drug-crazed lunatics cooking their babies in the microwaves????
But... that what the TV says!!!!

DM


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## tripflex

downrightart said:


> :laughing::laughing::laughing:
> 
> Whatever will they think of us Floridians!


Well hopefully soon it will be like Colorado or Canada where i don't have to be secret about a plant that grows NATURALLY! :thumbsup:


Oh, and the general consensus is old or puerto rican :hang:


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## downrightart

DangerMouse said:


> You mean everyone down there AREN'T a bunch of drug-crazed lunatics cooking their babies in the microwaves????
> But... that what the TV says!!!!
> 
> DM


Isn't it crazy??? Actually it's kinda scary! We all need to build fences down here! 'Course I don't know what good that would do!

Btw, my brother went with that vinyl fencing stuff and it looks good. My other brother darrell did the job. Looks nice. Didn't ask the cost though. It was just enough to have a small backyard. He had to do it for insurrance purposes due to a pool.


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## DangerMouse

Was that your brother Darrell, or your other brother Darrell?

DM


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## downrightart

DangerMouse said:


> Was that your brother Darrell, or your other brother Darrell?
> 
> DM


You got it! Actually they have more southern sounding names. :laughing:


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## Big Bob

LOL... now we know why it took so long to get arround to the fence ...:wink:


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