Fences and Gates - 6' wood fence spacing question

I have three runs of fence, 716", 804", and 716". I am building my fence by hand without using the premade panels. What I am wondering is what spacing should I use? I have 8' 2x4's, so should I use ' spacing and have short sections in the corners, or should I make them shorter and uniform.

If I do 8' spacing, do I account for the 4x4 with my spacing or do I just space the posts holes exactly 8' and just cut the 2x4s to fit?

I am planning on digging my holes 33" deep, putting 3" of gravel in bottom of hole for drainage, then sinking the post 30" into the hole, and then setting them with concrete.

Is that ok to have the posts only 5'6" tall and attach the three rails and 6' dogear panels to the posts? The dogear panels would extend past the posts 6". I was thinking of doing it this way so the post is buried a little deeper allowing the fince to be a little stronger.

Your answers, comments, and critisism are greatly appreciated! This will be the first fence I build myself!

Thank you!

I did this same thing last yr. I bought rough cut lumber had them cut me 1"x6"x12' boards that were planed down so they were smooth. Then I bought all my 4x4's and 2x4's at lowes. The whole cost was a fraction of the cost to those cheap panels or outragous vinyl fencing. I did the shadowbox design. 330 feet of fence for less than 1100 dollars.

I did not put gravel in the bottom of the post holes though. I did treat the bottom 36 inches of each post w/ roof tar to help prevent rot and all that jazz. My holes ran 33-36 inches deep. Just depends on where you live and the frost line and what not. I then dumped about 1/2 to 3/4 of a 50lbs bag of cement in the hole and filled it with water. Spraying after I dumped in a little, then dumped more in, etc. (you get the drift)

Now my span from post to post ranges from 7' to almost 9' due to stupid tree roots!!! I had a lot of trees I tore out so, there were left over roots. The one section I do have about a 1.5 inch sage in it, but all in all everything is holding up after a yr of it being installed. Took me all summer to do it.

I installed all my posts first. Then went around and installed all my stringers, measuring between each post to get the exact length. Then started putting the pickets/boards up. The height was different b/c of uneven land.

Do you plan on making your panes first? Also are you butting your boards up against each other?? How big are the boards. Don't forget to put in gates if need be? I have a huge 8', that took some thinking, using turnbuckles and what not. Then I have 2 roughly 4' gates.

Here are some pictures.

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s126/cplank00/DSCN0426.jpg

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s126/cplank00/DSCN0435.jpg

Your fence looks great! I wish I would have decided to go with the rough lumber and plane them down. $1100 is a great deal, for my roughly 215' of fence material and 60, 80lb bags of crete it cost me $1400! I kow alot of crete, but I can always take it back.

We went with the pressure treated 6"x6' dogear pickets, and were planning on spacing them 1" to allow some wind to get through and not feel completely closed in, but now I am seriously considering the shadowbox design.

I won't be building the panes first, I just plan on putting the stringers up, then each picket one by one.

I have read that I should really be burying my posts 3', do you think that 2' 6" would be enough? And would the posts be ok if they were 6" shorter than the 6' dogear pickets?

I have read that I should really be burying my posts 3', do you think that 2' 6" would be enough? And would the posts be ok if they were 6" shorter than the 6' dogear pickets?

Thanks for the compliment. Wish I would have done a couple things differently(this is how you learn), but as long as it lasts me about 5 or 6 more yrs I will be very happy.

It just depends on where you live. I think I remember seeing IOWA?? You should be able to find out what your frost line is from a local contractor/friend/ or even your local township office. My uncle has his own excavating business, so he helped w/ that. It is a 4 inch difference from here in the city limits to the country where he lives about 12 miles away.

About the questions above, I am not sure I understand the last one. Are you asking about the posts being 6" shorter than the pickets? If so, seems like it would be ok. Just as long as you have room for your stringers. I cut mine flush w/ the top of the pickets. I am going to be buying toppers this yr and put them up.

If you do decide to do a shadowbox you need to space them closer than I did. Just depends on how much privacy you want. I spaced mine around 3" to 3.5". I can't remember. I used a piece of scrap wood to make sure they were spaced right and a level on each picket.

How many holes do you have to dig?? I have to recommend an eazy auger. You can rent one for about 70 bucks a day. If you have a truck, you tow it home from the rental company, un hook from your truck and wheel it around by hand. Need a friend and some beer and your good to go. Took us about 2 hrs for almost 40 holes or so. That was a beer every 5 to 7 holes. Would have been done sooner. :)

Well I hope I helped a little. Good luck and take pics as your going along. Post them on here. Would love to see them.
Chris

HAving your pickets 6" above the top rail is fine.

I prefer uniform panel sizes for all panels. I think a short panel at the end says "inadequate planning". Just my thoughts. Good luck with your project.

isiginamo,

You have 2 runs that are a bit less than 60' and one that is 67'. I would reduce the post spacing to about 7' at each end and the center to make everything appear uniform. I would resit the temptation to stretch the spans to 10'. It would take a few extra posts, but it would certain look better.