How to Build a Country-Style Cedar Post Fence

Measure the area you plan to fence from end to end. Railings occur in 8- or 11-foot sections, so you’ll want to establish posts roughly every 8 or 11 feet. Divide the measurement by eight or eleven, depending upon the rails used, and add one for the total number of posts needed. Each section of railing requires a post on either end.

Purchase the number of posts and rails needed. Depending on the height desired for the cedar post fence, all you may need is one rail if the fence is low to the ground. If higher, add two rails for visual appeal. End posts and corner posts are drilled differently than line posts, which are drilled all the way through. End posts are drilled halfway through while corner posts have holes on adjoining sides.

Stake out the area where you plan to put the fence using string and small stakes. Set each stake at the approximate location of the posts measured on center.

Lay out the posts and railings and connect them on the ground before digging the postholes. Each railing sits inside the pre-made hole for the railing on either side of the post and is held in place by its own weight, so no nails are needed. To ensure your posts fit with the railing, assemble the fence on the ground, and compare them to the staked posts. Ensure that you wear your gloves when you handle the cedar, as its splinters are painful and hard to remove because of their miniscule size.

Use the posthole digger to set the holes at the depth required for the height of the fence at each posthole location. For a secure fence, dig down at least a foot. Dig all the postholes first.

Place the fence posts in the holes, and secure the railing on each side of the posts by sticking it through the pre-made holes in the posts. This may require help from someone to hold one end of the fence secure. Alternatively, use a support board on either side of the fence set at an angle to keep the post in place.

Pour and then tamp down dry fence post concrete into each of the post holes with your foot or the shovel, and then level the poles with the level. Hold the level against the bottom of the post to ensure it is straight. Check that the bubble through the glass on the level sits between the two lines. The fence post concrete will wick the moisture out of the ground and harden over the next few days. Alternatively, wet the fence post concrete in a wheelbarrow as per the instructions on the bag and shovel it into the hole wet, if desired.

Cover the fence post concrete with dirt after it has hardened. Sit back on your porch with a nice lemonade and enjoy your new country-style cedar post fence.