A privacy fence is a solid wall of infill, and that changes the engineering. The moment the gaps close, the fence becomes a sail.
Privacy fencing is normally 6 feet with solid or overlapping boards, three rails, and posts at closer centres than an open fence because of wind load. Board-on-board and shadowbox give privacy from both sides while allowing some air through.
Screening a garden, a pool, a hot tub or a road frontage, and reducing line-of-sight rather than sound.
Dog-ear and flat-top boards are the common profiles. Board-on-board overlaps to stay private as boards shrink; shadowbox alternates sides for a fence that looks the same from both and passes air.
Six feet is a common residential maximum at rear boundaries and a common trigger point for permitting. Fences over that height frequently need approval regardless of material.
Board fixing is the longest phase, since every board is handled individually. Pre-built panels are faster but follow ground contours far less well.
Solid boards shrink across their width in the first season, which is why board-on-board and shadowbox exist. On a flush fence, expect gaps to open and plan the finish accordingly.
Only slightly. A solid fence disrupts line of sight far more than sound; meaningful noise reduction needs mass, height and continuity that a residential fence does not provide.
Boards alternate on either side of the rails, overlapping so there is no straight sight line through. It looks identical from both sides and lets wind pass, which reduces load on the posts.
Boards shrink across the grain as they dry. Fences built with green or wet-treated timber almost always open up in the first dry season; board-on-board construction is the usual defence.
Call Ironbrook Fence Co on (512) 555-0134, or send the details through the form.