The rustic picket fence is at the top of the ranking of creative ideas for the picturesque natural garden. You can easily make the historical version of the picket fence yourself with little effort and for little money. These instructions explain how to build the natural fence yourself.
How can I make a natural fence myself?
To build a natural fence yourself, you need sweet chestnut stakes, wooden posts, support posts, tools and galvanized wire or wood screws. Mark the route of the fence, fasten the posts in the ground and fix the stakes to the posts with wire or screws.
Material and tools for a picket fence
Made from local wood, the picket fence is the most natural version of a fence for the farm and natural garden. We would therefore particularly recommend oak or chestnut wood, as it lasts 15 to 25 years even without impregnating agents. You can build a 10 meter long and 120 cm high natural fence yourself using the following materials and tools:
- 1 fence element made of untreated sweet chestnut stakes
- 6 to 8 posts, pointed at the bottom, 75 to 100 mm in diameter
- 1 to 2 smaller support posts per corner post
- Crowbar, sledgehammer, saw
- Spirit level, string, wooden sticks
- galvanized key screws (€371.00 on Amazon), screwdriver or cordless screwdriver
- galvanized wire or wood screws
Please saw the support posts for the corner posts at an angle beforehand so that they can be screwed flush later.
Construction instructions for a picket fence
Mark the exact route of the picket fence in advance with a string that you stretch between two wooden sticks. The orientation aid guarantees precise alignment of the post and fence element. How to build the natural fence correctly:
- Use the crowbar to loosen the ground for the corner posts
- Drive sharpened posts 150 to 200 cm apart into the ground with a sledgehammer to a depth of 50 cm
- Check the vertical alignment of the wooden posts with the spirit level
- Screw corner posts with 1 or 2 support posts
- Roll out the picket fence element and lean it against the wooden posts
- Fix the first batten with wire or screw
- Align the fence element again with both hands
Now take the spade and stick it between the post and the stakes to use pressure to stretch the fence into the correct position. This allows you to easily connect stakes and posts together using wire or wood screws. By the way, the wooden slats are allowed to touch the floor, as oak and chestnut wood are particularly robust against external influences.
Tip
Give your natural fence the finishing touch with matching plants. Permanent summer bloomers, such as the black-eyed Susan or lavish sweet peas, transform your self-built picket fence into an authentic eye-catcher.
