Installing the Posts

• Fence posts should usually be placed between six and eight feet apart. Install the two end posts first, then run a line of string between the two to make sure the middle posts are in line. Mark the location of each fence post with a stake in the ground. Dig a hole at each staked location that will be deep enough for one-third of the post to be covered. Make the hole larger at the bottom and shovel in some gravel or stone to prevent water from accumulating at the bottom. Set a post into each hole and fill it in with concrete. Check the top of each post with a level and temporarily brace it with stakes so it remains upright while the concrete is setting.
  
  

Adding the Rails

• Nail 12-foot-long pieces of 2-inch by 4-inch lumber on top of the posts to make the top rails of the fence. Place the bottom rail about one foot above the ground, either using metal brackets to attach it to the side of the fence or nailing it into the post diagonally. To make the bottom plank of the fence, set a one-foot-wide and 12-foot-long fence board along the ground and nail it into the back of the posts. This will become the base where the fence pickets rest.
  
  

Attaching the Boards

• The easiest type of wood fence to install is a simple board fence. Most home improvement stores sell six-foot-high fence pickets that are either six inches or one foot wide. Set the bottom edge of each picket onto the bottom plank, making sure it is level. Nail the pickets to the top and bottom rails of the fence, allowing about one-quarter to one-half inch of space between each one. For one-foot-wide pickets, use three nails on each rail to attach the picket to the fence. Two nails should be sufficient for six-inch-wide pickets.