My family has a property in Central VIC in need of a facelift. After cleaning up the overgrown yard, I decided to build a white timber fence, inspired by the classic ranch-style fences in the US.
Posts
Thankfully one of the trickiest parts of the job was handled for me - my Dad had put treated pine posts in place many years earlier. These were spaced by approx 1800mm - perfect for the fence I had in mind. I don't have any details on the exact method he used when putting these in - other than to share the advice that these should as deep as possible for added stability.
Rails
The farm had plenty of recycled timber laying around - including some old treated pine planks which were originally hiding the foundations of the house. The planks were approx 150mm x 25mm, similar to these. I sanded these down before cutting them to size, and followed the advice in this video when spacing these out, before attaching them with these screws.
Paint
I then gave the entire fence two coats of white exterior paint. We used rollers for the planks - but found the posts to be a bit of a nightmare (I'd use some form of spray if doing this again).
Gates
To finish the job, I decided to try my hand at a pair of gates to match the fence. I again took inspiration from the classic American ranch style here, and found a common design I was keen to emulate. I used a thicker treated pine for this job (140mm x 35mm), securing the timber with cup head bolts. (I pre-painted the timber before assembly to avoid getting paint on the bolts)
Hinges
Given the weight of the gates, I searched for the most heavy duty hinges I could get my hands on. I decided the 'hook and eye' style hinge was most appropriate for my needs, with a 'through-post' style gudgeon. Along with the strength of this style, it also offers to ability to make post-installation adjustments to ensure the gates are level and swinging correctly. I tracked down three brands in Victoria which were suitable for my purpose: (I went with Gallagher)
Finished product
Now I just need to paint the house to match...... 😁
