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The standard height for a split rail fence is three or four feet. This height requires two to three horizontal rails, making it ideal for homeowners wanting a budget-friendly split rail fence. If you’re hoping to contain agile livestock or animals like dogs, geese, or goats, you may prefer to install a six-foot tall fence with four or five rails or a four-foot-tall fence with three horizontal rails. This will help prevent animals from climbing, crawling, or jumping through the rails.

Pickets should sit at least 2 inches off the ground to encourage groundwater to flow underneath. Pickets can sit as much as 6 inches off the ground, but setting it any higher could let pets in or out of your yard unintentionally. These are not to be confused with the fence posts anchored underground with soil or concrete footing.

While they can be closer, the maximum distance between fence posts for residential fences is 8 feet. This ensures the panels are adequately supported by the fence posts. This is usually dictated by the width of the panel, which is typically between 5 and 8 feet. While narrower panels will require more posts, they’ll be lighter and easier to work with than wider panels that are the same height.

A fence installer or homeowner should place a snow fence upwind of the desired drift area, while keeping the prevailing wind direction in mind. When installing a snow fence, its posts should be sturdy, as they will be the weakest areas in terms of tensile strength. Posts should be buried at one-third their height and placed no more than eight feet apart.