It actually was not complete in this picture. The fence is in the mountains in Los Gatos Ca.. Lots of wildlife and a lot of deer. See how the posts are extended in the picture, 2' above the top rails (2x4s) we installed black vinyl barb-less wire every foot to the top which is 8'. I do not have a picture of when we finished that part of this fence as I just looked. Here is some information that is interesting: we could have run the wire 3' above the solid Howard wire fence. A deer will not jump through an opening. Ill attach a pic of a true deer fence. 8' is the magic number. I build a lot of vineyard fences and deer will get over a 7' fence if they see something that looks tasty. A true deer fence galvanized is what is called graduated wire. The holes on the bottom are 2x4"s and as it gets higher the hole size graduates to 3"x 3" the 5"x 5"s. And you dig down about 6"s and bury the wire in the ground. A trick I picked up in the hole we cut the wire on the bottom of the fence every few inches and pull it away from the fence in the hole. It keeps rabbits and other critters from digging. Once they hit the sharp side of the wire they give up fast. It really does work. The bottom pic is another fence with barb-less wire on top. Dogs will not jump that fence with the barb-less wire and a squirrel, well as you know a squirrel can get into about anything it wants. Their squirrely..lol. When you see an animal climbing across a telephone wire....they go where they want. There is another method for keeping squirrels out but its not a fence. This is a 6' welded wire fence to keep dogs and small animals in or out. But deer will jump it with ease. The fence below has barb-less wire as the first fence had. Click on the picture to see the barb-less wire. By extending the tops 2" you can turn a 6' horse fence into an 8' deer fence. Using welded wire as shown in another post on top. As for snakes the only thing I have find that works in the 30 years is snake wire. Thanks for pointing that out in the pic. Have a wonderful life!

If you dig up a galvanized post that's been in the ground for a while, you'll likely find that it's rusted below grade, with the degree of rust correlating with the degree of time spent in the ground. It has a limited lifespan. You can probably get twenty good years out of pressure treated wood posts, and if that's the look you want, I would go with that rather than galv. posts clad with thinner wood. Keep in mind that there are different degrees of pressure treating. Wood with a nominal dimension greater than 4" is usually treated for ground contact. That with a nominal dimension of 2" is not. It is made only for above ground applications. You can also make the fence more sturdy and the posts last longer if you use PT 6 x 6 instead of 4 x 4. Of course, it will be more expensive, but it will look more expensive and last longer. Hard to comment on the trim and cap question without seeing details and knowing parameters of the fence job. Personally, I would not add details if they guaranteed a shorter life span of the product. Conversely, I would add them if they increased longevity.

Why the cable rail fence as opposed to something more restrictive? How tall will it be? How widely spaced would the cables be? Is there currently some sort of fence? If so, what type, height, and do the dogs jump it? Those breeds would certainly be physically capable of jumping a 4’ fence but whether they would actually jump it would depend somewhat on their temperament- e.g. we regularly dog-sit a friend’s big collie-mix. It used to pop over a 4’ chainlink fence to play with the neighbour’s G. Shepherd-mix. Their dog never jumped into our yard, nor did a G.S. behind us- although she ‘talked’ to the collie-mix often. After a confrontation a couple of years ago between our miniature poodle and a coyote who jumped into the yard, we hastily rigged up a fence extension to 6’. That keeps the collie-mix in our yard and has (so far, knock-on-wood) kept the coyotes out. The coyotes would be physically capable of going over the 6’ fence but it at least seems to discourage them. On the other hand a neighbour used to have a beagle and that thing did not find a 6’ fence any barrier when he wanted to wander off! A Golden Retriever we used to have would not step over a 6” iron fence intended to keep her out of the ‘wet corner’ bed because she recognized it as something telling her not to go there even if she physically could easily step over it. Most other dogs we’ve had here ignore that fence...! So you need to understand your dogs’ personalities to assess whether the fence you envision would be an effective barrier for them!

Probably a little late to respond, but here’s our two cents. Rainscreen Siding is exactly that. Siding. Not a fencing profile. Utilizing a stainless steel Rainscreen Clip system with aluminum channels or posts will create a galvanic reaction between the steel and the aluminum causing corrosion and ultimately the failure of the system. Even if using wooden posts and rainscreen clips at the end of the three foot span... why employ an expensive clip system when you could accomplish the same effect using a shiplap profile and screws. Don’t get me wrong, love Rainscreen and sell a lot of it...., but just not for this application. Wood stability primarily comes from the ratio of thickness to width. The thicker and narrower the more stable it will be. Factor into the ratio the length of the board and the frequency of fastening and that will ultimately determine how resistant to cupping and bending the material will be. In this instance, 5/4x4x3’ should be perfectly adequate to accomplish what you’re trying to do. You have at least three good options. Later this week I’ll post some pictures of a 2x4 vertical fencing project we’re just finishing up that will give you an idea of just how stable this material can be. Option1: If still using the aluminum posts slide the boards into the channel and screw through the channel into the wood (add some silicone around the screw head to create barrier between the steel and aluminum to cut down on the galvanic reaction. For added security you could essentially add a furring strip on the back side of the fence at the halfway point in between vertical posts and secure it to each board to help keep the boards aligned. Option 2: Use 4x4 Cumaru wood posts and cut a dado out on either side of the 4x4 to slide the horizontal 5/4x4x3’s down into. Screw on a 45 through the board into the posts. For added security you could essentially add a furring strip on the back side of the fence at the halfway point in between vertical posts and secure it to each board to help keep the boards aligned. Option 3: Use 4x4 Cumaru wood posts and simply face screw the boards to the face of the post. For added security you could essentially add a furring strip on the back side of the fence at the halfway point in between vertical posts and secure it to each board to help keep the boards aligned. End checking. If purchasing from a reputable supplier, every board will come with Anchor Seal applied to the ends. As Mark suggests, if you cut a board you will need to reapply the anchor seal to cut down on end checking. It’s very inexpensive and easy to apply. End splitting caused by screws. Always always always predrill every screw hole whether in the middle of the board or near the ends. The hardness of the wood will cause splits to open if not predrilled. Try and set your holes at the ends at least a half inch back from the edge. Would love to see some pictures of what you ended up doing!