Board On Board Fence Calculator

Understanding the Board-on-Board Fence Design

A board-on-board fence, also known as a shadowbox fence, is a popular style of privacy fence that offers a more visually appealing look than a standard solid fence. The design involves attaching pickets to both sides of the fence rails, alternating their positions. This overlapping pattern completely blocks the view from a direct angle but allows for some airflow and visibility when viewed from the side. This feature makes it a "neighbor-friendly" fence, as it looks the same from both sides.

Key Components of a Board-on-Board Fence

• Posts: The vertical supports set into the ground that provide the main structure.
• Rails: The horizontal boards that connect the posts and to which the pickets are attached. Typically, there are three rails: top, middle, and bottom.
• Pickets: The vertical boards that create the fence face. In a board-on-board design, these are attached in an overlapping pattern.

The Board-on-Board Fence Calculator helps you estimate the number of pickets and other materials required for your project, saving you time and money by ensuring you purchase the correct amount of supplies.

How to Use the Board-on-Board Fence Calculator

Using the calculator is straightforward. You need to input the total length of your planned fence and the dimensions of your chosen materials.

1. Fence Length: Measure the total linear distance you plan to fence. Enter this value and select the appropriate unit (feet or meters).
2. Post Spacing: This is the distance from the center of one post to the center of the next. A standard spacing is 8 feet, but it can vary.
3. Picket Width: Enter the actual width of one picket. Common widths are 3.5 inches (for a 1x4) or 5.5 inches (for a 1x6).
4. Overlap/Gap: For a board-on-board fence, this value determines the overlap. A common choice is to overlap by 1 inch on each side of the back picket. For example, if you are using 5.5-inch pickets, an effective coverage per pair of pickets might be calculated with a specific overlap in mind, which is handled by the calculator's logic. Our calculator uses a simplified approach by considering a gap value; for a true board-on-board with overlap, you can think of the "gap" as a negative value in some contexts, but our tool adjusts based on a standard assumption of picket placement. For a true privacy effect with overlap, the calculation becomes more complex, but the tool provides a solid estimate for the number of pickets.

After entering these values, the calculator will provide an estimate of the number of posts, rails, and pickets needed for your project.

Practical Example

Let's say you are building a 100-foot-long board-on-board fence using 6-foot tall, 5.5-inch wide pickets. You plan to set your posts 8 feet apart.

• Fence Length: 100 feet
• Post Spacing: 8 feet
• Picket Width: 5.5 inches
• Intended Overlap: 1 inch on each side. The "effective width" of the back picket becomes 3.5 inches (5.5 - 1 - 1). The front picket covers the gaps. The combined coverage for a pair of pickets is slightly less than their combined width. A simplified calculation might be to assume one picket every 4.5 inches on average.

The calculator would first determine the number of sections:

100 ft / 8 ft = 12.5, which is rounded up to 13 sections.

This means you will need 13 + 1 = 14 posts and 13 * 3 = 39 rails.

To calculate pickets, if we assume an average spacing that accounts for overlap, say a picket is placed every 4 inches on center, you would need:

(100 ft * 12 inches/ft) / 4 inches/picket = 300 pickets.

Our calculator simplifies this by using the widths and gaps to determine pickets per foot, providing a reliable material estimate.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)