Best Place To Buy Split Rail Fence

Split rail fence is timeless, beautiful and economical. It is the most popular fence in our area because it adds rustic charm to any property, serves many purposes, and has been around since colonial times. It adds distinction to your property and is very popular for use with horses and large animals as well as dogs and small pets (just add our welded wire).

best place to buy split rail fence

Today, most homes with a split rail fence are in the countryside. The suburban areas are slowly picking split rail fencing up as a way to add more charm to the curb appeal of a home. The primitive design of a split rail fence can give your home and yard a more rustic look, which is gaining in popularity. But there is more to love about a split rail fence than just the look.

Trying to determine if Split Rail fence is right for you is all up the eye of the beholder. Every fence has pros and cons. If you want the rustic look of a split rail fence then you can easily trim to fit most dimensions. If you are looking for something a little more polished but still rustic then a Ranch Rail fence might the right decision for you.

A split-rail fence, log fence, or buck-and-rail fence (also historically known as a zigzag, worm, snake or snake-rail fence due to its meandering layout) is a type of fence constructed in the United States and Canada, and is made out of timber logs, usually split lengthwise into rails and typically used for agricultural or decorative fencing. Such fences require much more timber than other types of fences, and so are generally only common in areas where wood is abundant. However, they are very simple in their construction, and can be assembled with few tools even on hard or rocky ground. They also can be built without using any nails or other hardware; such hardware was often scarce in frontier areas. They are particularly popular in very rocky areas where post hole digging is almost impossible. They can even be partially or wholly disassembled if the fence needs to be moved or the wood becomes more useful for other purposes.

Split rail fences were made of easy to split, rot-resistant wood. Traditionally American chestnut was the timber of choice until chestnut blight eliminated this tree. Currently, most split rails are made from cedar. Whether of chestnut or cedar, these logs were cut to a length of 10 to 12 feet (3.0 to 3.7 m) and split down the length of the log. Each half was then split into quarters, then eighths and so on until the rails were of a usable size. A log may produce from four rails from an 8-inch (20 cm) log to over a dozen from larger logs. The rails are stacked on top of one another. Most split rail fences have the rails stacked in an interlocking zig-zag fashion that is self-supporting, easy to create, easy to repair, and easy to disassemble.

Some timber fences have the rails stacked directly on top of each other and secured with double fence posts (one on either side of the rails). This made a more permanent and compact fence but remained easy to repair.

A buck-and-rail, or buck-and-post, fence is a timber fence which is a three-dimensional, A-frame, rail fence. Each section of fencing consists of two standing vertical A-frames between which are four to seven horizontal rails or poles, the number depending on the height of fencing wanted. In modern fences, the length of the rails is approximately 10 feet (3.0 m). Except for at the end of the fence, each A-frame is used by two horizontal sections, one to the right, and one to the left. For the enclosure of livestock such as cows and sheep, a four-foot (1.22 m) high fence using four rails is sufficient. Taller fences of 6-7 feet (1,83-2.13 m) are required for big game such as deer and elk, as the three-dimensional quality of the fence discourages jumping over it; a 9-10 foot (2.74-3.04 m) wire fence would be needed for the same purpose.[2]

Buck-and-rail fencing was ubiquitous in battlefields in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, because of the proximity of forested land and their ease of construction. These split rail fences were a major source of firewood for both the Union and Confederate armies.[3]

Buck-and-rail fences are ecologically positive, in that while they do the job of keeping larger animals in or out, smaller wildlife can pass through them easily, and they can be readily climbed over by people. Furthermore, being made of timber, they are less intrusive on the landscape, and, over time, naturally breakdown.[2]

In the United Kingdom (and increasingly in suburban America) a different style of split-rail fence is used. This is not free-standing but consists of vertical posts placed in the ground, having holes (mortises) in each side into which the roughly pointed ends of split rails (usually of sweet chestnut) are placed. No zig-zagging is necessary. This style is commonly used as decorative fencing, or for horse-keeping. Such fences are a specific type of a more general form, called post-and-rail fences.

In Canada an attempt was made to patent several cedar fence designs. These styles became known as Patent Cedar Fences, also called Patent Fences or Patent Rail Fences. The use of two rails to form a cross, having a top rail, bench rails and lower heavier rails, allowed it to be free standing, withstand heavy winds and take up less fence bottom than the zigzag or snake fence.[4][5]

For DIY projects, pallets are a common go-to, especially to build a yard fence. They start as flat transport structures to make stacking and lifting large objects easier. They can be broken down into slats or kept complete for the project. Since there are typically minimal spaces between the slats, pallets make for great yard fencing that require little assembly. We like this option as it is recycling at its best.

Perhaps the biggest reason to get a split rail fence is how cheap it is. Because of the large gaps between rails and posts, a standard split rail fence takes significantly less material to build than other fences. Fewer resources mean a cheaper fence.

Split rail fences typically consist of dull, rounded posts and rails that are very safe for everyone. Spooked livestock that charge into the fence are less likely to be injured. So are any children who decide to climb the fence.

Most homeowners nationwide pay between $1,782 and $3,923 to have a professional contractor install a split rail fence. These fences come in wood, vinyl, composite, or metal. Across materials, the national average split rail fence cost is about $2,853.

Many fence installers will charge by the foot for materials and labor. For a split rail fence, expect to pay an average of $20 per linear foot. Depending on the specific material and height of your fence, that cost could be as low as $11 per linear foot or as high as $29 per linear foot.

Looking for an easy and inexpensive way to outline your property? A split rail fence, aka ranch fence or post-and-beam fence, might be your solution. Here is what you are looking at roughly for the cost of a split rail fence.

A typical homeowner wanting a border for their front yard (a common use of split rail fences) can expect their budget to fall within the typical range of $1,782 to $3,923 (for an estimated average cost of $2,853). However, project specifics such as size, material, and accessibility can drastically skew those numbers.

On the other hand, a homeowner looking to fence in a small area, like a vegetable garden, will find split rail fencing to be an extremely affordable option, especially if they use cheaper materials. For a simple wood split rail fence, you may only pay around $799 total for labor and materials.

A small front yard of 500 square feet will need about 69 linear feet of fence to line the whole thing. Using the national average split rail fence cost ($20 per linear foot), the total for a small front yard project would come out to about $1,380, including labor costs and materials.

Remember that your fence could be cheaper, about $11 per linear foot, or more expensive, about $29 per linear foot, depending on the exact type of split rail fence you use.

It would take about 135 linear feet of fence to surround a mid-sized 2,000-square-foot yard. You can expect to pay around $2,700 on average for a project of this size. Most residential split rail fence projects will likely be closest to this one in size and budget.

For a large 3,500-square-foot front yard, you would need approximately 180 linear feet of split rail fence. This project, professionally installed, would cost about $3,600.

When we start talking about livestock containment fences or other projects that need to cover particularly large spaces, we get into some more intimidating numbers. This is where the affordability of a split rail fence really comes in handy, since the cost of a more expensive fence for projects of these sizes would be astronomical.

Completely surrounding a quarter acre takes about 416 linear feet of fence. According to the national average split rail fence cost, that comes out to about $8,320 total, including professional installation.

For a half-acre property, you would need around 592 linear feet of split rail fence, which would cost you something like $11,840. For a full 1-acre property, those numbers jump up to 836 linear feet of fence and an overall cost of $16,720.

Though the size of your project is definitely the biggest indicator of cost when it comes to split rail fencing, there are other factors you should consider while budgeting. What material do you want for your fence? Do you need to include wire mesh to keep out small pest animals? How many gates do you want to install? 041b061a72