Board Fence Design and Install

[GardenGekko]

Hello everyone - I am planning to install a fence this spring around my garden / orchard, which is adjacent to my house. My goal is to have a fence system that will deter deer and other small critters, but will also look good. I am thinking about installing a woven wire fence, and then overlaying a 4 or 5 board fence on top of the posts in the areas that can be seen by the house and driveway. I want the fence to have a nice farmhouse look, without being too high. I realize the higher the better for deer, but I don't want an 8' fence next to the house. I have read that having a second barrier can be a good deterrent. Supposedly deer can jump high or jump far, but can't jump high AND far. They supposedly can't see in three dimensions so can't judge distance. So i am thinking about using a temporary / portable electrified wire fence 18" and 30" above ground, 36" on the outside of the real fence to "train" the deer for the first year or two.

A few questions on design and install: (i) my sense is that it would look strange to have the wire fence higher than the highest board, so how tall can you make a 4 or 5 board field fence before it looks weird? My sense is that most are around 48", and some are stretched to 60". What about 72"? (ii) when digging holes with PHD, is it better to dig all the holes that can be done in one day and then set the posts, or dig-set-dig-set? (iii) our soil is a "gravelly loam", which means nice loam with lots of rocks anywhere from cigarette pack size to an occasional grapefruit size. Will a tractor mounted PHD handle that type of soil? Would a post driver work better? (iv) aside from having the posts at the proper spacing for board fence, is there anything else to consider when installing board fence over wire?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice on these questions or anything else related.

 

[Gary Fowler]

If I were building a dual material fence like you state, I would put the wire on top and the boards on the bottom. The wire would be less wind load than a board fence so the support post would not have to be as sturdy.
Solid wire fence would be easiest to put up and cheaper than adding boards either top or bottom. A properly installed "hurricane fence" (woven wire as you call it) 10 feet tall should keep out any deer and should look good.

IF aesthetics is your bag for around the house, you could put up a board fence using two 5 foot or 6 foot tall boards. I think 6 foot fence boards are standard length available at lumber yards everywhere. You would need very sturdily anchored post to hold a board fence that tall.

 

[GardenGekko]

Thanks Gary for the reply. I probably should have said "in front of" instead of "on top". Posting a picture of what I mean in case the way I described it originally was confusing. Thanks again!

 

[3Ts]

Your attachment isn't working.

As for digging the post holes, it depends on the soil and how likely it is to collapse. I dig a hole, set the post and move to the next one.
In addition to the woven wire, there is also a black plastic mesh that does not block your view.