About two years ago we had a storm in our area that took down half the fences in our yard. In fact, fences were blown over throughout our entire county. Shrubs were damaged, plants were crushed and our privacy disappeared. It didn't take us long to make the needed repairs. You might not have windstorms in your area, but if you have a fence, here are a few good things to know:

First, all fences have pretty much the same basic components... vertical posts set in the ground with concrete, horizontal rails that traverse between the posts that hold fence boards or pickets. (Fence boards usually are installed together to produce a solid barrier. Pickets are smaller boards that are spaced apart for an open look.) Both are good at keeping out pesky critters, but the solid fence works better.

A couple of rules:
Generally speaking you won't need to get a building permit to build a fence. However, you should check with your local building department to find out more about local fence-building rules. They do exist. In our area for example, fences cannot exceed 6 feet in height and must not protrude into a side or front yard setback. Front yard fences must not exceed 3-feet or so and must look a certain way. In some areas community approval is required before a fence can be altered or built. Rule of thumb: don't spend your money on fencing material until you find out what the rules are.

Materials:
Certain types of wood are better for use outdoors than others. Pressure-treated wood is best, but cedar and redwood also are quite good. Practically any kind of wood can be used for a painted fence. Keep in mind that painted fences must be regularly recoated to maintain a waterproof surface and to ensure lasting quality of non-weather-resistant woods such as fir and pine. A good alternative to painting is heavy body stain. With stain there is no worry about chipping and splitting. However, recoating is required every several years. Even the best outdoor woods will last longer and look better if protected with a wood preservative. We have always used an oil-base product. Water-base products just don't last. It also is important to know that water doesn't bead on a properly treated wood surface. The television commercials you see are deceiving. Wax makes water bead on wood. That's because wax seals the surface causing it to be smooth... and the water beads. What you really want is an oil-base product that gets down into the pores of the wood. A wax job will last for about three months to six months whereas oil will last for a year or two. Wax evaporates into the air over four times faster than does oil. In other words, the wax will disappear in no time.

Fasteners should be weather-resistant too. We suggest stainless steel or hot dipped galvanized (not electro galvanized) nails or construction screws. Construction screws are the ones with the really wide threads that go most of the way up the shaft of the screw.

The person selling it to you might refer to it as a new polymer or PVC or by some other exotic name, but it's all still plastic. Don't get us wrong; plastic is becoming very popular for fencing. We don't feel that plastic will last as long as wood, but we are pretty sure that it will be far less difficult to maintain for the time that it does last. No paint or preservatives required, no nail pops and no splitting.

Prefabbed Sections:
Some home centers and hardware stores offer pre-assembled sections of fencing. Lots of work can be saved here, but there are a few things you need to be aware of. Many of these neat little assemblies are destined to fall apart almost immediately after they are installed. Here's why. The connectors are not truly weather-resistant. They might look galvanized, but could be the cheap kind. Also, the wood used might be especially sensitive to attack by sun and water. Be careful. You can end up with planned obsolescence at your front gate. Again, all you have to do is be certain that the sections are made out of redwood, cedar or pressure-treated wood, and that the connectors are guaranteed to be water-resistant.

Regardless of the type of fence you build, you will need fence posts and they will need to be installed in concrete. Here are a few tips:

• The hole should be about 10 to 12-inches in diameter and about 2-and-one-half feet deep.
• Fill the bottom of the hole with about 6 inches of drain rock.
• Set the post on top of the rock (not in it) and pour the concrete around it.
• The concrete should be at grade - yes, it should show - and it should be crowned so that water will shed away from the post. Water must not puddle around a fence post.

We like our fence posts 6 to 8-feet apart. Six-foot centers render a stronger fence, but cost more. For gates 4 feet wide or larger use 4x6 or 6x6 posts in 4-foot deep holes. Make sure that the holes are at least 16 inches in diameter. The better you build your fence, the longer it will last.