# Forum Home Renovation Fences & Screens  picket fence specs - thoughts

## s900t8v

HI everyone 
were planning on doing a picket fence at the front of our house, 15.3m frontage. planning on doing  
100mm x 100mm cypress posts, final height 1.2m (7 posts total) 
gal steel rails for the pickets  top and bottom ? 38 x 25mm sufficient? 
cypress picket height 850mm, 15mm spacing 
plinth 150mm x 25 - ?probably hardwood rather than treated pine, I have seen so many plinth rails buckle and bow I was even thinking of ? design pine (pink primed fingerjointed pine 138 x 30 - expenisve but if it doesnt rot or bow itll be worth it) 
span between posts 2725mm x 4 sections
footpath front gate 900mm 
driveway gates 2800mm to the left of the entry gate (goes to a side porch no front entrance)  
the front yard has a 150mm fall perhaps a bit more across the length of the fence  so will set the fence level and have the plinth below the concrete footpath at the high side, the driveway is obviously flat  
We have a high water table in clay soil so a bit worried about post rot ..  
Planning on sinking the cypress posts to 600mm with 100mm gravel at the base, and concreting in.   
any thoughts on proposed dimensions potential issues etc ?  
thanks

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## droog

> probably hardwood rather than treated pine, I have seen so many plinth rails buckle and bow

  Hardwood can bow as much as treated pine, look for quality materials. bad quality hardwood < good quality treated pine.
Another option could be 50mm TP sleepers or 140 x 45 rougher header TP. 
I would step the fence down over the distance, equal steps at each panel, as all the other materials are timber I would use timber for the rails as well. 
Here is some inspiration for you. 
TP top rails and plinth, Cypress 125mm posts, Cypress pickets.
Plinth is 140x45 TP rougher header. 
The guy that built this fence for us was from Ballarat. I could probably dig out some details PM me if you would like them.

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## s900t8v

thanks droog that looks good as !  
well be diying to save finances, I was planning on using 90 or 115mm DAR posts maybe those f7 posts at green shed, the thicker plinth rail is a good idea, I was just wondering how people sand it to get a smooth finish given it will just sand all the CCA off which I dont want to do. maybe I'll use 138 x 40 design pine exxy but will stay straight and has a 25 year rot warranty

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## droog

The 140x45 plinth in the picture above is still with the grooves in the surface. If you look around some manufacturers do the same timber without the surface grooves.
I would stick with the larger posts in cypress as long as the timber is quality, I spoke to the guy that did ours and his approach was to find quality timber not just look for cypress or treated pine, he searched all his suppliers in Ballarat for the best quality timber and I can say the approach did pay off. 
I would also suggest looking at the other timber suppliers in Ballarat apart from the green shed, there is a fair selection in the area. The quality difference is noticeable.

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## s900t8v

yeah I dont know all that much about cypress except that I want heartwood I suppose if you buy the dark brown cypress I think you are guaranteed heartwood. I will do some research and see what else is out there, mitre 10 often has cheaper timber than bunnings nowdays, bunnings did the smart thing of squashing the competition out of everyones minds then slowly hikign their prices.

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## s900t8v

https://www.bunnings.com.au/90mm-x-9...-post_p8260196 
this is what I was looking at, cut in half and get 4 lengths.  
ill do some hunting around

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## droog

Don’t have any recent knowledge but go and check Robert Sim.

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## METRIX

> HI everyone 
> were planning on doing a picket fence at the front of our house, 15.3m frontage. planning on doing  
> 100mm x 100mm cypress posts, final height 1.2m (7 posts total) 
> gal steel rails for the pickets  top and bottom ? 38 x 25mm sufficient? 
> cypress picket height 850mm, 15mm spacing 
> plinth 150mm x 25 - ?probably hardwood rather than treated pine, I have seen so many plinth rails buckle and bow I was even thinking of ? design pine (pink primed fingerjointed pine 138 x 30 - expenisve but if it doesnt rot or bow itll be worth it) 
> span between posts 2725mm x 4 sections
> footpath front gate 900mm 
> driveway gates 2800mm to the left of the entry gate (goes to a side porch no front entrance)  
> ...

  Metal rails, not sure about that, but if you want to use them sure why not, I think 38x25 is a little small for that span but does depend on the thickness. 
Steel is cheap, I would go for something like 65 x 35 x 2.0 galvanised. 
Remember, Gal needs to be cleaned first, then metal primed before painting, the paint will just peel off if applied directly to  the gal finish. 
You can go complete steel for everything. https://www.fencewarehouse.com.au/fe...icket-fencing/

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## r3nov8or

> https://www.bunnings.com.au/90mm-x-9...-post_p8260196 
> this is what I was looking at, cut in half and get 4 lengths.  
> ill do some hunting around

  I used 'Golden Cypress' posts for a fence, and am disappointed that about a third of them twisted noticeably over their 1.2m. All are heartwood

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## r3nov8or

Where the plinth, bottom rail and picket all join on a traditional fence creates moisture and rotting problems pretty quickly in these times of lesser standard of timber. I think that's why I see a lot of fences without plinths these days.

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## METRIX

> Where the plinth, bottom rail and picket all join on a traditional fence creates moisture and rotting problems pretty quickly in these times of lesser standard of timber. I think that's why I see a lot of fences without plinths these days.

  NSW doesn't do plinths on regular fences and it why they rot so quick up here, palings are only H3 and are commonly seen buried in the soil.
I have never done plinths on picket fences, I just leave the pickets 20-30mm above ground level and they have never rotted out.

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## METRIX

> I used 'Golden Cypress' posts for a fence, and am disappointed that about a third of them twisted noticeably over their 1.2m. All are heartwood

  Can't speak for the posts as I always use H4 TP, but the cypress pickets have been great, never had any twist or bend, maybe I have been lucky.

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## s900t8v

Hey all its been a whiel i've done some more reading I am thinking now maybe I'll go with F7 KD DAR pine posts, 88mm x 88mm  
it seems TP is going to be better than cypress due to checking etc and the fact that its not properly seasoned and sold very wet

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## r3nov8or

Yep, I wouldn't use Cypress for posts again, but for pickets I certainly would. I just sanded back a set of 1800 mm tall driveway gates, 25 years old and should have been refinished 15 years ago, and they came up like new.

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## David.Elliott

https://www.blocklayer.com/post-paneleng.aspx 
excellent and easy way to work out spacings etc. Does not help with spans etc., but you can easily compare costs with and with out that "extra" post...

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