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Table of Contents
- Overview
- What Is Split Rail Fencing?
- Advantages of Split Rail Fencing
- Materials for Split Rail Fences
- Installation and Maintenance
- Cost Considerations
- Environmental Impact
- Labeling your landscape with a split rail fence
- Conclusion
Overview
When wanting to define an edge around your property while retaining a sense of openness and rustic charm, split rail fencing is the quintessential classic. This fencing style, with its iconic appearance of horizontally spaced, rustic timber, has its roots in the tonal textures of rural Americana, but can be valuable for any homeowner or landowner. Whether the occasion is defining a front yard, enclosing a garden, or simply dressing the place up for rustic charm, split rail fencing in Raleigh, NC, can be an ideal opportunity in many properties and property applications.
Overall, split rail fencing provides both beauty and function. It provides a boundary for property and livestock while preserving the sight lines. Its practical and affordable construction options for homeowners in the Raleigh area achieve the desired rustic property aesthetic. Additionally, a consideration of split rail fencing should be given in regard to appearance; it is simple, and yet distinctive, a low-maintenance choice, and plays off the materials forming the natural landscape in the woodlands and suburban lawns. There is more than just an easy-going appearance to split rail fencing; it also displays a high degree of versatility. It can frame spaces for gardening, offer a fortified edge against uninvited wildlife pets or animals, and offer structure when considered within an outdoor space. Notable in summary, the uncomplicated and unique product, and value for the environment and pocketbook, continue to put this fencing style down as a classic.
What Is Split Rail Fencing?
Split rail fencing, sometimes referred to as zigzag or snake fencing, is made of wooden rails that are lined in vertical posts, creating an open-frame finish. This style became popular initially as it used available timber (particularly in the Southern US) with minimal tools or fasteners to build. This style of fence has been efficacious for boundary definition, livestock control, and improving rural settings for hundreds of years.
Advantages of Split Rail Fencing
- Visual Character: Split rail fencing offers a rustic appearance that is aesthetically pleasing and harmonizes well with rural and suburban landscaping.
- Cost-Efficiency: With their uncomplicated construction style, split rail fences generally use fewer materials, cost less for installation labor, and are therefore a less costly option.
- Long-Lasting: Quality woods such as cedar or locust are the best options for split rail fences, since these are both durable and insect- and weather-resistant.
- Multi-Purpose: That fencing can be utilized for different purposes including marking property lines and keeping animals contained.
Materials for Split Rail Fences
Choosing the right material is essential for split rail fences to be sustainable and pleasing to look at. The woods that are most commonly used are:
- Cedar: Naturally rot- and insect-resistant, cedar is noted for its life and lack of maintenance.
- Pine: Generally pressure-treated for longevity; a less expensive option that can stand weather.
- Locust: A natural hardwood that works best for posts, locust holds up well to decay.
It’s possible to find various strengths for each material so property owners can find rails and posts to suit their climate, appeal, and cost.
Installation and Maintenance
A split rail fence is not a difficult or complicated project to install if it is not regulated by a local ordinance, and it will also fit the needs of homeowners wishing to DIY. The general process for any type of installation is to first dig holes in a straight line for posts, and at regular intervals, and then fasten the rails firmly into holes located in the posts. Additional support can be provided to each post hole by backfilling with tightly compacted soil.
After installation, a split rail fence will have very minimal needs for upkeep. Owners personally want to inspect each section for wood rot, insect pests, and loose rails. Owners may want to apply an exterior finish to the untreated wood to extend the material’s life more regularly. Maintenance is quick and easy compared to other more demanding techniques. Home Depot has at-a-glance maintenance instructions available for split rail fences.
Cost Considerations
One of the greatest benefits of split-rail fencing is the cost, especially on large properties. Costs vary depending on the type of wood used, rail length, etc. Generally, pressure-treated pine rails will be the most economical, around $2 – $5 (and up) per linear foot, whereas cedar and locust rails usually range from $6 – $12 for the same linear foot. Posts will typically cost an additional $10 – $30 each, depending on height and quality. Split rail fences utilize lower materials and take less labor effort to install, making them less likely to cost the same amount of money if properly balanced. To put this in context read more here by clicking Rocky Mountain Forest Products.
Environmental Impact
A split rail fence system fits into park-like or eco-friendly landscaping practices. Tight-grained wood from sustainably managed forests allows property owners to shrink their footprint on the environment. The openness of the rails provides a savings in materials when being shipped, as well as providing a place for wildlife to move throughout your garden space, or even throughout the bioma – efficiently moving prey and predator through your garden. In a similar building tradition, split rail fences are made of untreated wood; thus they bring fewer toxins to the planet and decompose at a much more natural rate than processed wood, giving nutrients back to the soil.
Labeling your landscape with a split rail fence
Split rail fences define an area of your home without blocking sight from your desired area. A split rail fence outlines the contours of the small yard, or even where a resident may mark their garden, and creates may define an articulation of some native perennials, their climbing roses, or shrubbery in a finished edge to a landscape movement. The homeowner may even consider using lanterns or artisan baskets to hang on rails or posts for visual interest. With plant and decor possibilities, a rustic edge can elevate the appeal of a focal within the owners environment.
Conclusion
One of the great social stories that is now a century old and belongs to a continuous and common practice across the country; having moved from one person idyllically-recreation as a family to such functional users (or, ‘as will be referred to as an aesthetic tile’) – split rail fences remain timeless, they are still relevant, and desirable for property (boundary according or creating a border for a garden or a large area in virtue) ownership all around everywhere you get to and to define over the property public. It has low maintenance, cost, and natural beauty makes it an easy choice for cost designers or home or land managers to seek value and some appearance style.
