Fences are highly useful for their ability to clearly demarcate property lines, enhance privacy, and provide an aesthetically pleasing border. Since installing them on your own is achievable for do-it-yourselfers, many people take pride in handling all aspects of the project themselves. Before building a wooden fence, here are a few steps you should consider.

How to Build a Fence From Lumber

1. Fill Out the Necessary Paperwork

Before the building process begins, you’ll need to research whether your municipality requires a permit for fence construction. If they do, fill out the necessary forms, and then you can mark out your property lines. To ensure you don’t build on your neighbor’s property—and open yourself up to a possible lawsuit—it’s wise to schedule a land survey.

2. Determine What Type of Fence You Want

Your next move is to determine what type of height works best for your needs. On average, privacy fences tend to reach around 6 feet, while livestock structures tend to be about 4 feet. You should also think about if you have a design preference for a picket-style, lattice, or another type of fence. Once your decisions have been made, start thinking about acquiring the necessary lumber and fence posts. Look for an experienced vendor with a track record of supplying durable wood.

3. Start Construction

Begin by staking out the corners of your future fence and then linking them tightly with string or rope. Once you have those straight lines in place, add supporting stakes between your anchor posts. Now, it’s time to dig holes at the stake points—an industry rule dictates that the hole should be more than one-third as deep as the height of the full post and 8 feet or less apart. Next, insert posts in each hole, anchoring them into place with bagged pre-mix concrete. Then, fill the hole with dirt after the setting process is complete. From there, create another string line as your guide and staple the wires into place or drill planks onto a wooden support.

When you’re ready to embark on your wooden fence project, get in touch with the building materials specialists at Sentinel Lumber & Hardware in Ashland, MO. Serving the community since 1957, the locally owned and operated lumber company will supply you with wood and fence posts that will last you decades to come. To order their lumber, call (573) 657-2164, or visit them online to learn more about their products