• Family
  • Motherhood
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • DIY
  • Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, & Affiliates
  • Home
  • Vegetarians & Meat-Lovers: Split Table Recipes Podcast
  • Subscribe to Newsletter

A Family Lifestyle & Food Blog

Julie Hoag Writer

11 Steps to Installing Your Own White Picket Fence

January 10, 2018

Pin616
Share1
Tweet
617 Shares
11 Steps to installing your own white picket fence #diy #fence #woodworking #building #diyproject #outdoordiyproject #diyoutdoorproject #whitepicketfence #doityourself
11 Steps to installing your own white picket fence. Isn’t it so pretty! Photo credit: James Niehaus

I am excited to share this guest post by James Niehaus of Perfect Cuts and Miters with all of you! He is sharing with us the simple 11 Steps to Installing Your Own White Picket Fence. Doing your own DIY projects at your home gives you a sense of accomplishment and saves you money. Thank you James for this great article!

This website contains affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer in the top menu bar for details. Thank you!

A white picket fence is the quintessential scene for an old-fashioned American house. It represents all the ideals associated with our country like justice, freedom, and neighborly harmony.

Designing your own white picket fence is not that hard and you don’t have to pay a huge amount of money for a carpenter or landscaper to build and install one. Since these kinds of yard fences are typically short in stature, use only one color, and have a very basic design, they can be built in no time at all and with very little effort.

If you follow the steps outlined in this how-to article, you will find that building your own white picket fence will not take you very long, drain your pocket, or drain you physically by the end of the project.

Materials Needed for Installing Your Own White Picket Fence

Before getting into the actual steps, let us first discuss what you will need in order to set up your white picket fence.

Most of the materials are pretty basic and can be found at your local hardware store and even in some supermarkets. In addition to a high-quality table saw you will need:

  • tape measure
  • 2X4 Redwood/Cedar Stock Lumber (pressure-treated)
  • posts
  • posthole digger
  • string
  • gravel
  • concrete
  • screws (waterproof)
  • level
  • gate with latch
  • hinges
  • paint
  • stain
  • sealer

11 Steps to Installing Your Own White Picket Fence

Easy Home DIY 11 Steps to Installing Your own White Picket Fence. Outdoor DIY Home Project. #diy #diyhomedecor #diyproject #easydiy #easydiyhome #easyhomediy #fenceideas #fences #whitepicketfence #doityourself #home #homesweethome #homeimprovement #building #howtobuildafence
Easy Home DIY 11 Steps to Installing Your own White Picket Fence. Pin me:)

1. Measurements 

In order to calculate how much of the above materials you will need to complete your project, you are going to have to take some measurements. Some common measurements are listed below to help you with the measurement process.

11 Steps to installing your own white picket fence #diy #fence #woodworking #building #diyproject #outdoordiyproject #diyoutdoorproject #whitepicketfence #doityourself
Take measurements for installing your own white picket fence. Photo credit: James Niehaus

For standard white picket fences, you will need enough material to cover posts that are 4-feet in height. Also, figure in white pickets that are spaced approximately 2-4 inches in between each other.

The posts will be placed eight feet apart, so after you have the perimeter measured you can easily calculate how many actual posts you will need.

2. Cut Pickets

The second step requires figuring out a design for your pickets. The usual design consists of a flat piece of pressure-treated lumber with an arrow-head shape at the top.

This design can easily be accomplished by creating a template from your design idea and then using the template you created to cut the lumber using the jigsaw setting on your table saw.

3. Corner Holes 

Using the posthole digger, dig holes in the ground for the corner posts which will surround your perimeter. Each corner hole should be deep enough to drive 1/3rd of each corner post into the ground.

4. Concrete and Gravel

During step 4 you will lay the foundation for the posts with gravel and concrete.

First, fill each post hole with gravel.

Second, pour 6-inches of concrete over the gravel. Three of the six inches of concrete should protrude above the ground surface.

Lastly, let the concrete set overnight before you proceed to the next step.

5. Line Post Installation

First, run a string along the corner posts as a guide for where each line post should go. After that, dig holes for the line posts the same exact way you did for the corner posts.

11 Steps to installing your own white picket fence #diy #fence #woodworking #building #diyproject #outdoordiyproject #diyoutdoorproject #whitepicketfence #doityourself
Line post installation. Photo credit: James Niehaus

Again, after you pour the gravel and concrete into each line post hole, let the concrete set overnight before proceeding to the next step.

6. Cut Rails

Now you will use your table saw to cut 2 rails from your 2X4 pieces of Redwood or Cedar Stock, pressure-treated lumber.

Insert the 2 rails you have just cut in each post.

7. Rail Installation

First, install the bottom rails. Use your screws to attach them. After you have finished with the bottom rails, set the top rails in the same fashion.

8. Picket Installation

After you have finished setting the rails, it is time to install the pickets.

Here are the steps:

Align each picket, one by one, with each post.

Screw each picket into the rail it intersects with.

Make sure each picket stands four inches apart from the other.

Keep doing the above steps with all your pickets until they fill in the gaps between posts.

9. Gate Installation

This is perhaps the most labor-intensive part of the process as it involves more steps. That being said, it is still not that hard to do and should not take that long to complete.

11 Steps to installing your own white picket fence #diy #fence #woodworking #building #diyproject #outdoordiyproject #diyoutdoorproject #whitepicketfence #doityourself
Gate installation. Photo credit: James Niehaus

Here are the steps:

Cut 2 rails as wide as you want your gate to be. Be sure to subtract a half inch from the measurement when doing so.

Set each rail on the ground next to the fence. Each one should be parallel to the other.

Spread them out at the exact distance you want them to be.

Screw each picket with each rail.

Reinforce the pickets with a brace. The brace should run diagonally from the top left corner of the rail to the bottom right corner.

Screw each picket into its corresponding brace.

10. Latch Installation

Before installing the latch to the gate, you will have to screw the gate hinges on the front side and connect it to the post.

Install the latch to the back of the gate after you have installed the hinges.

11. Paint and Waterproof

After the fence is set up, it is time to paint your gate. You can seal or stain it as well, but if a white picket fence is what you are after, it makes sense to paint it white.

Once you have finished painting your fence, weatherproof it so that the paint does not get damaged the first sign of rain, snow, or wind storm.

There you have it! Full directions on how to build your own white picket fence in just 11 easy steps. Once it is all set up, don’t be surprised by gawking neighbors. A white picket fence is a sight to see and is the envy of any old-fashioned American homeowner.

 

James Niehaus of Perfect Cuts and Miters
James Niehaus of Perfect Cuts and Miters

Thank you James for showing us all how easy and doable it is to make our own white picket fence!

To learn more about James Niehaus and Perfect Cuts and Miters, connect with him on:

Perfectcutsandmiters.com

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

He can also be found on Google+ by searching Perfect Cuts and Miters.

Related Posts: Feel Accomplished with a DIY Wood Project

Easy DIY Ball Lights for Inexpensive Home Lighting

Easy DIY Ping Pong Ball Lights home lighting decoration with flowers #diy #homelighting #homedecor #easydiy #lighting #frugaldecorationg #frugaldiy #holidaydecorating
How to make it. Photo credit: Callum Mundine of LED World

I hope you have enjoyed learning about his home DIY project! I’d love to hear about how this fence project went for you, drop me a comment sometime:)

juliehoagwriter by Julie Hoag writer
Thank you! Click image to return to my home page:)
Follow me on Social Media
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Email
Pin616
Share1
Tweet
617 Shares

14 Comments
Filed Under: DIY Tagged: home

Comments

  1. Glenny says

    January 17, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    This is so cute! Making your own picket fence! I wish i was this crafty and good with making thing like this! I would love a picket fence myself

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      January 19, 2018 at 12:05 am

      It is cute! He did a great job! Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Steph says

    January 18, 2018 at 10:35 am

    This is a great tutorial. My hubby build our white picket fence and I love it!

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      January 19, 2018 at 12:06 am

      Yes, picket fences are a nice look, I love them too! Thanks!

      Reply
  3. Holly Lasha says

    January 18, 2018 at 11:33 am

    What a fun idea. I would love a white picket fence around my yard.

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      January 19, 2018 at 12:06 am

      It’s a great look! Thanks:)

      Reply
  4. Rachel Catherine says

    January 18, 2018 at 5:06 pm

    I can’t believe you did this! LOL! I would NEVER have the courage to do this. I’m so impressed by you!

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      January 19, 2018 at 12:07 am

      I can’t take credit, my guest writer did it. He did a great job!! I love it too! Thanks:)

      Reply
  5. Mallorie Owens says

    January 22, 2018 at 10:49 am

    Great post! Who doesn’t want that all-American white picket fence?

    Reply
  6. Delta Fence & Construction says

    March 7, 2019 at 6:40 am

    Installing a custom picket fence adds both privacy and beauty. Good article & excellent way to articulate. Keep it up.

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      March 18, 2019 at 12:27 pm

      Yes, I agree, privacy is so nice with a fence and it does add beauty. Thanks for the comment! I appreciate it:)

      Reply
  7. S Bower says

    June 23, 2019 at 1:27 am

    What is a jigsaw setting on a table saw?
    What do you use to weatherproof the fence after painting it?
    thanks!

    Reply
  8. Miriam says

    August 19, 2020 at 9:03 am

    I just subscribed because… why shouldn’t I with such a great tutorial!? Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Julie Hoag says

      August 25, 2020 at 10:01 am

      Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy all that I post.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hello & Welcome! I’m Julie. I’m a wife and a mom to 3 boys. I’m sharing Ideas for Recipes, Family Lifestyle, Travel, DIY & Pets:) I’m SO happy you are here! Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you. I’m also a YA Author of the novel “Hungry Hearts” published in 2020 with Swoon Romance/Month9Books and Georgia McBride. “Out of Control” releases in 2021.

Author Julie Hoag YA Author, Lifestyle Blogger, Food Blog, writer

About me & Contact me

Thanks for stopping by my Family Lifestyle & Food Blog!

My site contains affiliate ads. Please see my disclaimer in the top bar menu. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Search

My debut YA novel Hungry Hearts is out in ebook, audiobook, paperback, and CD.

Hungry Hearts YA novelHungry Hearts novel by Julie Hoag

Have a SPLIT TABLE at your house–Feeding BOTH VEGETARIANS & MEAT-EATERS? My Cookbook: One Dish Two Diets is YOUR SOLUTION:) Affiliate link.

Podcast:

Podcast on Spotify

Pages

  • About me & Contact me
  • Children’s Healthcare Series
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, and Affiliates List
  • Home
  • Hungry Hearts by Julie Hoag
  • Media Kit Julie Hoag Writer
  • My Memes
  • My Photos
  • My Writing Resume: Sites Published on as Julie Hoag
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Vegetarians & Meat-Lovers: Split Table Recipes Podcast

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Please see disclaimer for all affiliate information.

Tags

appetizer books boy crafts boy mom Boys crafts breakfast Christian Christmas community compassion concussion crafts crafts for kids DIY faith family family travel football gifts Goodness grief guinea pig healthcare humor Hybrid Vegetarian/Meat recipes kids Lunch Ideas Mother's Day motherhood Parenting Pets pool product review recipe salad son summer teen teen depression teens toys for boys travel Vegetarian volunteer youth sports

Archives

Published on:

Amazon, Her View From Home, Huffington Post & Featured on Huff Post Parents, Sammiches and Psych Meds, Perfection Pending, Red Tricycle. To view sites I’ve been published on, click here.

All content Copyright © 2016-2022 Julie Hoag Julie Hoag Writer LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This post was proofread by Grammarly

Freelance Writer Writing Resume

Julie Hoag Writer

Copyright © 2023 · Design by Boutique Studio ·

Copyright © 2023 · Silver on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in