Horizontal Fence Design And The Golden Ratio...

Fence design is an interesting challenge. We have been pondering a fence for some time and are getting closer to finalizing the design. We wanted a fence that makes use of design and is more of an artistic architectural statement, something modern and something we have not see elsewhere. With so many fences out there how could we differentiate our fence as designers? One way is to use the Golden Ratio and rethink the use of materials. In Oregon you can legally only have a 6 foot fence and since this is a privacy fence we wanted to use all 6 feet. We wanted the fence to look nice from both sides since the neighbors will see the fence as much as we will. We want a living fence and yet need a fence sooner than later, as growing a fence can take many years in most cases.

"In mathematics and the arts, two quantities are in the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one."

One factor that often comes up to the surface is cost. Here again is where design comes in. To make the fence visually different we decided to differ from the usual 8 foot spacing between posts and go with 6 foot spacings. Pickets (1x6x6) are inexpensive and come in 6 foot lengths where 8 foot boards cost way more, at least in our area. We also went with horizontal for a more modern look and this also works perfectly with the 6 foot width. This will require more posts (but not very many) and the savings more than made up for this. We also eliminated the need for 2"x4"x8' horizontal "stringers" that are normally required to hold the vertical pickets up at the top and bottom and sometimes the middle too. Cedar 2"x4"x8' boards are quite expensive and make it difficult to have a fence that looks the same on both sides. Another nice detail is less sag as 8 feet is a lot to span while holding up all those pickets.