Building a DIY privacy fence can alleviate the challenge of living close to neighbors or busy public areas. Partition fences installed directly on property lines mark the division between homes but don't always provide privacy. But an aesthetically pleasing privacy fence is tall enough and has enough solid infill material to protect privacy on both sides while still being able to mark boundaries. Learn how to build a board-and-stringer or panel DIY privacy fence with these steps.
Best Materials for a DIY Privacy Fence
Wood continues to be a popular material for privacy fencing. Fence wood, usually cedar or pine, is plentiful, relatively inexpensive, and simple to work with.
Wood-composite and vinyl are good materials for privacy fences, too. Bamboo, chain link, and wrought iron fences contain too many spaces to provide privacy.
A wood privacy fence can be built either from individual fence boards and stringers or from pre-fabricated wood panels.
Board-and-Stringer Privacy Fence
Constructed from scratch, a site-built DIY privacy fence is composed of three horizontal stringers between two vertical fence posts. Attached to the stringers are parallel vertical fence boards, sometimes called pickets.
A site-built fence is about one-third less expensive to build than one made from pre-fabricated panels. It easily adapts to ground contours. A variation, called a shadow box privacy fence, alternates fence pickets on both sides of the stringers.
Pre-Fabricated Panel Privacy Fence
A privacy fence can be built from large, 8-foot-long by 6-foot-high pre-fabricated wood panels, eliminating the need to add stringers or nail up individual fence boards. Tongue-and-groove fence boards fit snugly from side to side, closing all gaps between boards.
Pre-fab panel fences are less tedious to build and go up faster than site-built fences. But they can only be installed on flat ground. Also, the fence boards can become gapped over time.
Tip
Vinyl and wood-composite fence materials are excellent choices for a privacy fence because neither material will shrink over time to cause gaps between boards. Vinyl fences are mostly limited to white or other light colors and cost $130 to $150 for each section. Wood-composite fences feature a realistic look, a wider range of colors, and cost $350 to $600 for each 8-foot by 6-foot section. Both estimates exclude the cost of gravel and concrete.
How Much It Costs to Build a DIY Privacy Fence
On average, a board-and-stringer fence costs about $175 for each 8-foot-long by 6-foot-high section. To cover the same area, a panel fence will cost $230 (or about 30 percent more).
If you can find a good source of free pallets, a DIY wood pallet fence can be one of the cheapest options for a privacy fence. Pallets come in a few sizes, but the most common standard dimension is 48 inches by 40 inches, which means it can be on the short side for a fence.
| Board-and-Stringer Fence | Panel Fence | |
| Fence panel | N/A | $155 to $175 |
| Fence boards | $70 to $75 | N/A |
| Four-by-fours | $32 to $40 | $32 to $40 |
| Two-by-fours | $27 to $36 | N/A |
| Fence rail brackets | $3 to $6 | N/A |
| Concrete | $15 to $18 | $15 to $18 |
| Gravel | $10 to $15 | $10 to $15 |
| TOTAL | $157 to $190 | $212 to $248 |
When to Build a DIY Privacy Fence
A DIY privacy fence can be built in all seasons, as long as the ground is not frozen and can be penetrated by a hand clamshell-style digger or motorized auger.
Before You Begin
Obtain a Fence Permit
Your area may require a permit for fences over a certain height, such as 6 feet, or it may require a permit for all fences. Due to the complexity of local fence regulations—not just fence heights but materials, setbacks, and fence types—it's often worth speaking to the local permitting and zoning office even if you don't think that a permit is required.
Adhere to Codes
Local fence and building codes and zoning often cap the height of privacy fences at 6 or 8 feet. Some municipalities strictly limit the fence to 6 feet. Other places allow 6-foot fences with additional 2-foot architectural features like trellises that have minimal infill. Some areas allow solid fences up to 8 feet high.
Mark Your Services at Fence Location
Critical services such as electrical cables, gas, or water may run through the intended privacy fence site. Call 811 to have a locating service sent to your property to mark the lines.
Safety Considerations
Have the fence site marked by a locator service before you dig the post holes. If building a panel fence, have an assistant help you carry and fix the panels in place. Panels can weigh upwards of 100 pounds and are unwieldy to handle.
What You'll Need
Equipment / Tools
For all projects
- Post hole digger: manual or motorized auger
- Fence level
- Speed Square
- Tape measure
- Circular saw
- Hammer
- Drill
- Wood stakes
- Chalk snaplines
- Mason's line or twine
- Plumb bob
- Shovel
- Ground spacers
Materials
Board-and-Stringer Privacy Fence
- 51 fence pickets, 5/8-inch by 6-inch (nominal) by 6-foot
- 9 pressure-treated two-by-fours
- 4 pressure-treated four-by-fours
- 18 galvanized metal fence rail brackets
- Galvanized nails or deck screws
- 6 bags of ready-mix concrete
- 3 bags of landscape gravel
Pre-Fabricated Panel Privacy Fence
- 3 fence panels
- 4 pressure-treated four-by-fours
- Galvanized nails or deck screws
- 6 bags of ready-mix concrete
- 3 bags of landscape gravel
Instructions
How to Set Fence Posts
Whether building a board-and-stringer fence or a pre-fabricated panel fence, the first step is to set the fence posts.
Stake the Fence Run
- Hammer two wood stakes in the ground 26 feet apart.
- Run twine or mason's line tightly between the two stakes.
- Keep the line level.
Mark the Fence Post Locations
Use the tape measure and a plumb bob to measure and mark the locations of the four fence posts.
- Board-and-stringer fence: Mark the center of each fence post at 96 inches (8 feet) apart. Stringers are 8 feet long, so the thickness of the four-by-four will allow for some excess.
- Panel fence: Mark the center of each fence post at 92 1/2 inches apart. This measurement must be precise since the fence panel is exactly 96 inches long.
Dig Fence Posts
With the fence hole digger or rented auger, dig fence post holes to 30 inches deep or below the frost line for your area.
Rest Fence Posts in Holes
- Move the stakes and string line 1 3/4 inches to the side and restake as a guide for the posts.
- Pour 6 inches of gravel into each hole.
- Set the four-by-fours in the post holes.
- Attach the post level to the side of one of the four-by-fours.
Set Fence Posts in Concrete
- Board-and-stringer fence: Fill the hole with two bags of ready-mix concrete. Adjust the post so it is plumb. Fill the hole with water. Brace the post on two sides with scrap two-by-fours. Check once again for plumb before moving on to the rest of the posts. Make sure that subsequent posts are plumb. Maintaining distance between the posts is less critical with board-and-stringer fences since stringers can be cut to size.
- Panel fence: Since the posts need to be exactly 96 inches apart, there isn't much room for error. So, it's best to wait on the concrete for now and instead add concrete in conjunction with installing the panels.
Cut Tops of Fence Posts
- Measure end fence posts to 6 feet high.
- Run a chalk snap line across all posts.
- Cut all posts with the circular saw.
How to Build a Board-and-Stringer DIY Privacy Fence
Mark Stringer Positions
- On the two end fence posts, mark vertical positions at 1 foot, 3 feet, and 5 feet, measuring from the bottom upward.
- Run a chalk snap line from end to end at each of the three vertical positions.
- Snap the line to create a consistent mark across all four posts.
Install Stringer Brackets
- Center the metal stringer brackets on each post.
- Screw the stringer brackets into place at each marked point.
Add Stringers to Brackets
- Measure the distance between two brackets.
- Transfer that distance to a two-by-four and cut accordingly.
- Place the two-by-four stringer in the brackets and screw it into place.
- Continue for the rest of the stringers.
Install Fence Boards
- Install one fence board at the end of the stringer so it is plumb and the bottom edge is 2 inches above ground level.
- Continue installing the remaining 16 boards along the stringer, spacing the boards by 1/8 inch.
- Use two galvanized nails or deck screws per stringer (or, six fasteners per fence board).
How to Build a Panel DIY Privacy Fence
Add Ground Spacers
Lay two scrap two-by-fours flat, one on top of the other, between two of the posts.
Fit Panel Between Two Posts
- With an assistant, move the fence panel into position between the two posts with the panel resting on the ground spacers.
- Let the panel help determine the width of the posts. Center the panel on the posts.
Screw Panel Into Place
- Drive four screws per side to secure the panel to the posts.
- Remove the ground spacers.
Add Concrete to Post Holes
- Fill each hole with two bags of ready-mix concrete, then fill the hole with water.
- Force water further down into the mix with a shovel.
When to Call a Professional
If you need to build an extensive privacy fence (for example, around most of the property), a fence on highly uneven ground, or if you need to build the fence in a short amount of time, it's best to call a professional fence-building company.
How to Choose the Right Circular Saw
