Fencing / Horizontal Cedar
Horizontal Cedar Fence in Cowlitz and Clark County
A horizontal fence looks clean and modern, and it asks more of the build than a standard picket or board fence. Long boards move, and the posts carry everything. Here is how I build one so it still looks straight in five years.
How I build it
Posts: Pressure-treated 6x6, 6 feet on center.
Footings: 18 inch round concrete pad, 24 inches deep, poured to grade.
Post connection: Standoff bracket on the pad.
Boards: Cedar boards run horizontally, fastened directly to the posts.
Framing: No rails. The posts carry the boards.
On a standard fence the rails tie the boards together and hold them straight. On a horizontal fence there are no rails, so every board spans from post to post and the posts are doing all the work. That is why the post size and the spacing matter more here than on any other style. A long cedar board that is not held tight will bow, and you will see it from the street.
Cedar moves as it dries and as the seasons change. Boards that run flat and long show that movement as cupping and gaps in a way that short vertical boards never do. Holding the spacing to 6 feet keeps the span short enough to stay flat, and fastening each board to every post keeps it from wandering.
The post is also the most visible part of this fence. On a vertical fence the posts disappear behind the boards. On a horizontal one they show at every bay, so the 6x6 and the clean bracket detail are part of how the fence looks, not just how it stands.
The same pads and brackets keep the post bottoms off the concrete and out of the ground, which is where posts rot first. The pads go in first and cure before any framing goes up, so it is a separate step on site.
Included
Pressure-treated 6x6 posts
Poured concrete pads and standoff brackets
Cedar boards, fastened to every post
Hardware and fasteners
Not included
Old fence removal and haul-off
Gates, which are scoped separately
Staining or sealing
Clearing shrubs or brush from the fence line
Want this fence on your property?
Call for a free estimate, or send photos and get a Project Sketch first. Call (360) 431-9382.