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Fence Gaps and How Far Apart They Should Be


Adding a fence can bring up the overall visual style of your home. It also adds protection and privacy for your home’s residents. If you’re planning on installing a fence around your home, then you may be aware of how its spacing depends on your personal preference. The fence gap may also depend on a few other things such as the guidelines of your local homeowner’s association, or even the weather. As your most trusted fencing and roof replacement company, we only want what’s best for you and your family, so safety and privacy should be your top prioritiy. Here’s what you need to know.

Types of Fences

As far as fencing options go, there are two mains styles that you need to consider. One is the solid fence style, which is used for complete privacy. The other is known as an alternate board or shadowbox fence, which offers privacy while offering air ventilation. A board-on-board style is a popular option for homes since both sides of the fence can be attractive to some people. So, what should be the best spacing for your home?

What’s Best for Your Home

One sure way to find the right fencing gap for your home involves a little math. A professional roofer can easily do this for your home, but if you still want to make sure by yourself, then here’s what you need to do.

1. First, you need to measure the distance between your neighboring fence posts. If the posts are spaced consistently, then you can use the same spacing dimension. For instance, you want to install a picket fence, so let’s say the space between posts is 90 inches.

2. Next, you add the picket width to your desired dimension to find the unit width. Let’s say the picket width is 4 inches wide, and you’re planning to space them around 1.5 inches apart, so the total unit width is 5.5 inches. To determine the number of pickets needed for the section, divide the post spacing by the unit width, so 90 inches divided by 5.5 equals 16.36. At this point, you can round it up or down to the nearest number, so it’s 16 pickets in this case.

3. Now you need to calculate the total area occupied by pickets by multiplying the number of pickets by the picket width. So that’s 16 pickets times 4 inches equals 64 inches. Now subtract the picket area from the post spacing to find the total area remaining for the spaces (90 inches minus 64 inches equals 26 inches).

4. Finally, divide the remaining spaces by the number of pickets plus one, so that’s 26 divided by 17 pickets equals 1.52 inches. This is the precise width of each space between your pickets, as well as between the pickets and posts.

Whether you’re looking to have a new fence replaced or need assistance for your storm damage to roof insurance claims, Carolina Home Specialists is the company you can rely on. To learn more, call us today at (336) 740-9915 or contact us through our online form.

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Fence Gaps and How Far Apart They Should Be

Carolina Home Specialists is a premier exterior home improvement service company serving the Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Chapel Hill communities in North Carolina. We also serve many surrounding communities.

If you’re in the Triad area and need a design consultant, please consider reaching out to our local roofing, windows, siding, gutters, decking, and fencing installation specialists. We’d love to help!

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