How to install a fence: property line, gates, posts and slopes
Confirm the property line and the permit, call 811 before you dig, set the gate and corner posts first, space the line posts from the panel maker’s instructions, then set the posts in concrete and hang the panels and gates.
A line drawn on a plan is not a property survey: find the pins or get a survey. Call 811 a few working days before digging and the utilities mark their lines free of charge.
Worked example
Example: a 48 ft run with a 4 ft gate starting 16 ft from the first post, and line posts no more than 8 ft apart.
This example gives 8 posts on the plan.
- North boundary: Δx = 48 × cos(0°); Δy = length × sin(direction).
Other calculators for this job
Every step of a fence project: measure, the list, what it costs and the quotes.
Confirm where the fence may go
Find the property pins or get a survey, check the permit and any homeowners’ association rules on height, style and setback, and call 811 so the utility lines are marked before anyone digs. 811 does not mark private lines such as sprinkler pipes, a gas line to a grill or a cable to a shed; find those yourself. Put these steps in the contractor’s scope too.
Choose the whole system
Wood pickets, vinyl panels, chain-link and wire fence each need their own parts. Name the product, height and finish, and the matching end, corner and gate posts. Put gates, hinges, latches, brackets, caps and any post inserts on the list; a count of panels alone misses them.
Place the gates and corners first
Mark each straight run, its direction and any change of grade. Set the gate post spacing from the gate and hinge instructions, and note how far each gate sits from the start of its run. Moving a gate changes how many full and cut panels fit on each side, and the fence layout planner shows the new split when you move it.
Space the posts from the panel maker’s numbers
Barrette Outdoor Living’s Veranda vinyl fence instructions set the post centers from the panel and post sizes, then explain how to shorten an end panel. Use those numbers only for that system: a panel’s nominal width is not the opening between posts, and another fence has its own hole sizes.
Dig and set the posts
A common rule is a hole about a third as deep as the fence is tall, and below the frost line where the ground freezes; the panel maker and local code set the actual depth. The concrete calculator’s post-hole shape gives the bags. On a slope, decide whether the panels rack to follow the ground or step down in level sections; it changes the gap under the fence and the cuts.
Hang, check and clean up
Follow the maker’s order and let the concrete cure before hanging gates or leaning on the posts. Check that the posts stand plumb and in line, the panels fit, and each gate swings and latches. Keep the layout and instructions with the receipt. A full quote also covers taking out the old fence, hauling away the soil from the holes and repairing the lawn.