Are you looking for a reliable Katy fence company to build your wood fence? Check out our blog post for tips, guidelines, and step-by-step instructions!
Our Katy fence company will discuss building your wood fence before we do. We want you to understand your HOA guidelines clearly. Most of our area does not require a fence permit unless your property is within the 100-year flood plain or you have specific height requirements. If you have hired a reputable Katy fence company, they will be aware of the rules and, if necessary, help you file a permit.
Permit Requirements
Height: Most wood fences are six feet tall for the backyard, but you will need a permit if you want a fence that exceeds 8 feet tall.
Floodplain: If you have lived here for a while, there is a 100-year floodplain; if your property is within this area, you will need a permit. The floodplains are an area that would be flooded in case of significant rainfall. If you suspect you may live in this area, then check out this map. https://www.hcfcd.org/Resources/Interactive-Mapping-
Tools/Harris-County-Flood-Education
Boundary Lines: Wood Fences must be built on the boundary of your neighbor’s property, known as the boundary or property line. Before constructing a new one, you should have collected evidence showing where your property starts and ends. Often, the City has the Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) who can look up the property lines. If not, a land survey might be a good idea so you know precisely where your property lines are to ensure you’re not crossing over them.
Once you have determined whether you need a permit, you will also want to call 811, a free service, before digging. Underground lay subsurface utilities include water mains, gas, cable, electrical, and sewage. When you place, the local utility companies will come to your location and, with a machine, tell where the lines are and then use paint to spray paint on the ground and flag it, so you know where to dig. Orange is for cable; yellow is for water and sewage; red is for electrical and gas. Many times, electrical is run above ground overhead. If this is a do-it-yourself project, this service will help to guarantee that your project is safe in the long run. If you hire a contractor, they should handle this call, provide you with a ticket number, and use white paint to signal to the utility company where they plan to dig. Once you have done all the necessary planning, it’s time to construct your wood fence. DIY, here is a list of the tools you must have.
Shovels- pointed and sharpshooter.
Rock bar- to break concrete and rocks.
String line: Stretches between posts to ensure the fence is straight.
Impact or Nail gun: Depending on whether you use nails or screws. Our Katy fence company always uses decking screws because they do not pull or pop out when the wood expands or contrasts, giving you extra durability.
Level: This is to level the post and braces. We also recommend adding a top, middle, and bottom brace. This adds to your wood fence's sturdiness, quality, and longevity. Houston- level up!
Skill saw: This will cut the boards and top of your post.
Compound miter chop saw: This will allow you to make angled cuts to ensure the boards fit together accurately.
Saw-saw: This will remove the old boards; sometimes, you must use your saw-saw to cut small notches.
Other tools are a tool belt, measuring wheel, tape measure, pry bar, hammer, speed square, carpenter pencil, and other essential tools.
Pro tip: While we do not have the time to cover how to use all the tools in this guide, we suggest that you rent as many of them as you can to cut down on the cost of your project.
Measure and Mark The Layout
First, take your measuring wheel to determine your wood fence's length. Make sure you have room for your gates. Then, take your paint or marker and outline it (this helps to do before calling 811) so you will know how much lumber you will need. The average wood fence is approximately 150 linear feet and six feet tall.
Remove the Old Wood Fence
Next, you will remove the existing fence using the saw-saw, shovels, and rock bar. Cut out the sections in halves using your saw between each fence post. To remove the post, take the shovel and dig around it with a shovel, then use the rock bar to break up the concrete at the bottom so you can pull the post out of the ground. If you can’t get the fence post out of the soil, you can move it over, but you must cut the old post off below ground level. Once the old fence has been removed, we load the material into the truck to haul it to the city dump (city trash will not pick it up)
Construction
If you do not have an existing fence to remove, there will be a somewhat different process. We will start by staking off the corners where we plan for your fence to go. Then, using a string line, we will wrap each stake and pass the string back and forth between the stakes. Make sure the corners are squared by using a square level to ensure the two sides of the corner create a 90-degree angle. In addition to that, you may also square the corners by measuring the sting. One side should measure three feet, and the other should count four. To determine if the corner is square, measure the distance diagonally between the two markets and compare it to five feet.
Drive the stakes into the center post. After squaring your corners, measure out lengths of eight feet or fewer along the string line and then stake those areas to designate the place for your supporting fence post. If you have a fence length not divisible by eight, you must split it into smaller pieces. For instance, a fence that’s 24 feet long would require two middle posts to produce three 8-foot sections, whereas a 25-foot-long section would require three intermediate posts that are 6.25 feet in height for each section to seem even and structurally sound. You will want to do this for each section of your fence.
Once you know how many sections of fence you have and where your supporting fence post needs to be, it’s time to dig, but make sure never to search until you’ve received clearance from calling 811.
Post Holes
The fence is only as structurally sound as the post. You will need a shovel, drill, or post-hole diggers to create your post-holes. We make many holes with post-hole diggers or shovels to avoid hitting the underground wires or sprinkler system. Each hole must be a minimum of two feet deep to give the post stability with how much weight is coming out of the ground. Our ground is generally clay or sand, so we recommend that once you have the hole dug, slam the post into the ground several times to compact the soil so that the post has something solid to set on rather than using gravel. Gravel will invite water into each hole, similar to how gravel around drain tile works. Gravel would be the path of least resistance for the water.
Then, after you are sure the clay or soil sand is packing, put your post into the hole and adjust it until the post is straight. Check the corners to ensure they are still square by using a level or measuring tape to secure the post rests at the right height for your wood fence.
Concrete Footing
Pour a 50-pound bag of fast-setting Quikrete concrete into the hole while keeping your post firmly in place and pouring the concrete inside until it’s 2/3 complete. Mix the concrete with a stir stick as you add the water to the top of the container. Allow sufficient concrete time to dry (approximately 45 minutes), then add the soil back to the hole once the concrete is dry so there are no gaps.
Next, you will want to stretch a string line between the corner posts to ensure that everything is level and that you maintain a straight line. Finally, if you are adding kicker boards or rot boards to the bottom, you will want to cut them to size as you attach them to the front of the 4x4; you will place your level on the top of them to ensure they are straight. Then, measure up and mark the top of the post so you can cut off the post at the desired height for the top of your fence. Once labeled, you cut them off with your skilled saw and then cut and attach the top rail to the top of the 4 X 4. Then, you will miss and connect between the 4X4 and the middle brace. The bottom brace will go behind the kicker board between the 4X4 post and be screwed together using decking screws. We build wood fences in Houston with a top, middle, and bottom rail, or brace, so the minimum distance between each brace is at most 24 inches apart. The bottom brace should be 2” higher than the rot board. Now, attach the pickets.
Depending on your chosen design, the approach may vary to achieve your desired look. A board-on-board is the most requested wood fence. In this design, the boards are attached to the support boards (using decking screws) with a space of less than one board between each pair of boards. After the first board has been positioned, use a level to “plum” (vertical level) it. After that, fasten the panel to the wall using screws. First, install a spacer, then attach the second board to the support boards. Then, mark and measure your first board on your second level and set it into place using a level. Repeat the process down the length of your fence using the same spacer for the top and back rows of boards. This process keeps everything straight and consistent.
Installing Gate
The last thing you want to install is your gate. This is an essential step in the building process. Here is something you will want to consider:
Materials: You will want your gate to match the material you used. This is one of the reasons we don’t use Z or metal frames. These frames are a real eyesore and unnecessary when you construct everything onsite.
Measure & Cut: You will measure the opening where the gate will be, including the top, middle, and bottom, to get an idea of how wide your gate should be.
Then, you will subtract an inch from these measurements to give you gate space to open and close. Next, you will cut two pieces of lumber to the width of the gate and an additional two pieces between 35” and 48” long for the sides of the gate.
Once you have the materials cut, you want to screw them together with 3 1.2 “decking screws drilled into each board to create a box. Next, install the two pickets to the side of the gate where you want your hinges to go, and attach the hardware to the arms of the gate braces. Now hang your gate and continue to place the pickets to align with the top of the picket on the post with the latch attached.
Once you have installed the hinges on the gate and post, enclose the box with pickets before mounting the latch onto the post and the locking bar onto the gate.
Check the gate for proper alignment with the fence and that it swings freely—any necessary adjustments to the hinges or latch. We also recommend adding the final touches by staining or sealing to protect the wood fence from outdoor elements while giving it beauty and longevity.
Katy Fence Company Since 1999
Are you looking for a helping hand with your wood fence? Then give our Katy fence company a call today. Emerson’s has been in business for over 20 years, providing you with free quotes and on-site inspections. Call our Katy fence company pros to start your project today at (281) 545-7740.
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