Fences and all kinds of hedges are an integral attribute of garden landscapes. They help to emphasize the belonging of the land to private property and to determine its boundaries. In addition to the direct functional purpose - protection from unwanted "guests", a beautiful fence is able to give the site a complete look. Among the variety of enclosing structures, the most common in the arrangement of suburban areas was a wooden fence, which harmoniously fits into the surrounding landscape.
Advantages and disadvantages of a wooden fence
Demand for wooden fences always remains high. Owners of suburban areas often opt for wooden fences, since they have a number of undeniable advantages:
- Naturalness. Wood is an environmentally friendly natural material with a unique color and structure.
- Aesthetic qualities. Beautiful wooden fences perfectly complement any architectural ensemble.
- Low cost. Compared to other types of fences, the same brick or reinforced concrete, wooden fences are much cheaper.
- Ease of construction. Installation of wooden walling does not imply special knowledge, skills. To build a fence under the force of even one person.
- Variety of options. Material for the manufacture of a reliable and beautiful fence can be any wood species: oak, beech, pine, ash, larch.
There are more than a dozen variations of wooden fences: in some elements for filling are mounted vertically, in others - horizontally, in some they form complex weaves and patterns.
Among the disadvantages of wooden decorative fences, only a relatively short service life, which ranges from 8-10 years, can be noted. The determining factors in the service life of the fence are the features of the soil and climate.
The fence becomes unusable as a result of rotting of the wood under the influence of weather conditions, excess moisture and damage by harmful insects. It is possible to extend the service life by treating the surface with antiseptic and protective agents.
Combined options are also very popular when reinforced concrete, brick or metal poles act as supports
A variety of options for wooden fences
A wooden fence may be a solid or blowable structure. Partially visible blown options are good because they do not interfere with the passage of sunlight and wind, allowing you to create optimal conditions for growing green spaces on the site.
Option number 1 - Classic fence
The pillars in the classic version of the arrangement of the fence are most often metal poles that are buried in the ground to a meter and a half and concreted. Runs are made of wooden bars measuring 50x100 mm.
The fence is a structure of vertically placed beams that are mounted on horizontal veins
Option number 2 - "Herringbone"
The material and method of arranging the pillars is the same as with the classic version. An interesting option is the construction of such a fence with oblique gaps, thanks to which sufficient ventilation will be provided for plants, but the site will be protected from the eyes of unauthorized observers.
To do this, calibrated gaskets are installed between lapped planed boards.
A beautiful design is a double-sided front fence. A decorative "herringbone" or "ladder" is formed from transversely placed boards overlapped on top of each other
Option number 3 - Palisade
The palisade consists of pointed vertically mounted and logs densely driven into the ground. The same wooden logs, or brick or metal poles can act as a support for the structure.
The majestic and impregnable picket fence is one of the most ancient types of fences
Read more about this option in our article: “How to make a picket fence at your dacha: my garden is my fortress.”
Option number 4 - "Lattice"
When creating the lattice web, the slats can not only be placed at an equidistant distance vertically, horizontally or even at a slope of 45 degrees. To get unusual decorative patterns, slats can be grouped and combined, changing the distance between them.
An openwork wooden lattice is obtained from crosswise arranged, and in some cases even interwoven, boards or battens framed by a solid frame
Option number 5 - "Ranch"
The design consists of wooden poles on which wooden bars (rails) are mounted under each other. "Ranch" - open-type fencing, intended mainly for access control and delimitation of the territory.
Ranch-style fences are made of horizontally spaced bars. Such fences are good for framing spacious estates, zoning the territory of the site, as well as delimiting cords for horses or livestock pastures
Option number 6 - Fence
The classic version of the picket fence has the appearance of a structure that consists of metal or wooden posts and veins, on which the rails are nailed vertically.
The picket fence may be a blank structure in which the boards are located close to each other. Such a solid fence is able to ensure complete privacy of the owners of the site. A more popular option is a picket fence with gaps, in which the boards are fixed at a small distance from each other.
Fence - perhaps the most popular type of fence. Due to the attractive aesthetic appearance, such a fence is often used as a decorative element in the arrangement of landscape design
Option number 7 - "Chess"
“Chess” perfectly passes sunlight and air, creating favorable conditions for plants on the site, but unlike a traditional picket fence with gaps, it is able to completely protect the territory from the views of passers-by from the street.
"Chess" is a complicated version of a traditional picket fence. A double-sided front fence is assembled from the spirit of the rows of a picket fence with gaps. In this case, one of the rows of the fence is slightly shifted relative to the first, and the fence boards become staggered
Features of the construction of a classic picket fence
Wooden picket fence is a rather simple, but at the same time reliable and beautiful type of fence, which any owner of a suburban area can cope with.
To make such a fence, it is necessary to prepare:
- Edged or planed boards of a certain length;
- Supporting wooden poles;
- Bars 2-2.5 m long with a section of 40 mm;
- Stakes and rope for marking;
- Nails or screws;
- Concrete and crushed stone for installation of poles.
Having decided on the place of construction, it is necessary to drive in the stakes and pull the rope. Along the planned line at an equidistant distance (on average 2.5-3 meters), places are planned for the construction of pillars.
In the designated places in the ground with the help of a drill, holes are drilled with a depth of 80-90 cm
The lower ends of wooden posts must be pre-treated with a bioseptic, then coated with resin and wrapped with roofing oil or roofing material. This will extend the life of the fence.
It is necessary to deepen the posts no less than a quarter of the entire length of the product. Having fixed the pillars in the pit, you can make a filling of brick chips or gravel, and then perform a cement screed. For natural shrinkage of pillars and hardening of cement, it is necessary to wait several days.
To determine the horizontal structure will help pulling the rope on top of the posts. The laces are attached to the posts using pads or notches. Depending on what kind of fence the fence will have, an even, semicircular or figured cut should be made on each shtaketin.
Fence can be given bizarre shapes. The wavy forms of protections or fences with carved "windows" look effectively
The planks are nailed to the veins in such a way that the distance to the soil is at least 5 cm. This will prevent the decay of the lower part of the shtaketin. To protect the erected wooden fence from destructive effects, you can use colorless mastic, sealant, antiseptic impregnation or ordinary oil paint.
