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Landscape Design

2 Rail Cedar Split Rail

17 years ago

I am hoping to install a 2 Rail Cedar Split Rail here in WI (right on the border of zones 4 and 5). The posts that my supplier has will only go about 2.5 feet in the ground. I believe our freeze line here is around 3 feet. Will a cedar post survive that depth? Is it easy to pop back in to place? Should I search for a longer post (what length)?

Also is there any kind of recommended finishing tha can be applied to a cedar rail fence? I'm not crazy about how they weather, but my wife loves it...trying to find a happy medium. thanks!

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Comments (3)

lamcon
Original Author
17 years ago
Never mind...it's already done. This post can move down now and dissapear into cyber space. :)
Brent_In_NoVA
17 years ago
Well what did you do? When I built a fence here in Virginia a few years ago I sunk the posts 2' below ground level. I will be building a few short sections of split rail fence in the next month or so and will probably do the same. 2' does not sounds like much, but it was a lot of work and besides the power auger I also had to rent a jack hammer. A 3' deep hole seems like a killer.

- Brent
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lamcon
Original Author
17 years ago
I decided to start by trying to achieve a consistent height above ground and used that to determine how far to dig. I wanted 3 feet above ground, which left about 28" of post to bury. I dug the holes by hand (not an easy task). Then I tamped them down to help with the settling process. After positioning and hammering everything together, it was time to refill the hole...I just used the original dirt. I stepped on it, filled more and finished with another tamping. I'm hoping that will give us a good first winter experience.

It looks great and holds it's place very well. We'll be putting in the rails in the back yard next. Since we have everything roped and marked, I'm going to rent a power auger for the holes to speed up the process. Next year, we'll pull some sod by these areas and begin inserting plants. The front yard already contains a Rose of Sharon Hibiscus. The fence was designed to just hold in the hibiscus' radius.

Good luck with your fence Brent!

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