Help With the Spacing of a Wooden Picket Fence for Privacy
- With origins dating back to the early 1800s, picket fences in the United States outlined the yards of homes and were often designed to enhance the home's architecture. Split rail fences were typically employed to encase rural acreage while the classic picket was used closer to the home. The tops of pickets were crafted into a point or left flat when ornate designs were used on posts.
- Privacy fencing has become a common feature in residential neighborhoods where homes are situated on small lots, close to neighboring houses. Used in small or large scale, privacy fences are designed to keep outsiders from seeing in. Privacy fences are typically 6 feet tall or higher, featuring overlapping or solid adjoining panels made from wood or vinyl fencing materials. Privacy walls made of cinder block are used as a privacy fencing alternative in some areas of the country.
- The common feature of the varying privacy fence styles is height and density. Boards are placed next to each other and nailed on one side of the support fencing or boards are alternated front to back to disable someone from seeing through the fence. In areas where high winds prevail, options that allow for more air flow can be crafted by spacing the boards no more than 1 inch apart.
- Before planning to build a privacy fence, check the legal aspects of doing so. Privacy fencing is not allowed in all communities and some require building permits to be in place prior to getting permission to build. If a tall, solid privacy fencing is not an option, build a classic picket fence and space boards 1 to 2 inches apart; plant a tall, dense shrubbery hedge in front or behind the fence to add an element of privacy to your yard.