A shadow box fence features an alternating picket design that’s eye-catching from both sides, which your neighbors will appreciate. Learning how to build a shadow box fence isn’t any more challenging than constructing other types of wood fencing—plus, it’s one of the most structurally sound privacy fences you can build. If you’re up to the physical demands of installing a fence, you can save by taking on this project.
Prepping to Install a Shadow Box Fence
Before starting your shadow box fence installation, you need to check a few boxes to ensure you won’t run into problems with local zoning regulations or your HOA.
Review Your Local Building Codes
Many municipalities and homeowners associations have guidelines for fence building. These rules can regulate fence height and the type of materials you can use to build it. If your neighborhood has an HOA, you may need to submit plans and receive approval for your fence project before breaking ground. Save yourself the inconvenience of a zoning or HOA violation letter by checking building codes and HOA rules first.
You should also check with your municipal government to see if your fence project will require a building permit. This step will add a week or two to your overall timeline, so be sure to factor it in ahead of time. Getting a permit for building a wood fence costs between $50 and $100, on average.
Identify Your Property Line
The last thing you want to do is spend time and money installing a fence only to end up dismantling and moving it because you built it on your neighbor’s property. Avoid this by locating your property line before starting. You can find this invisible boundary by searching for the metal pins property surveyors use to mark property lines.
You can also use your deed, which includes a legal description of your plot measurements, geographical features, and landmarks. If all else fails, reference your property survey or hire a surveyor to complete one. Don't guess or estimate; even if you and your neighbors agree on the fence location, the next owners may not be so cooperative.
Decide on a Picket Style
You have some design options to consider when planning your shadow box fence. Dog-eared pickets are a popular alternative to the flat-topped variety for shadow box fences. This style of picket lops off the corners at the picket tops, breaking up the straight profile of the fence line.
Though they require more work and are a little more complicated to build, you can opt to install a shadow box fence with concave or convex arches between the posts. This undulating pattern creates flowing lines that are more decorative than a flat-topped fence.
Plan and Mark Your Fence Layout
Grab an extra set of hands and get to work mapping out the fence in your yard. Drive a stake in at each fence corner location using a mallet, then add a few stakes intermittently along the fence perimeter.
Have a helper hold a spool of line string while you extend it from one stake to the next, pulling it taught and looping it once around each stake as you go.
Next, mark your post holes using spray paint. Begin with the corner posts and then move along the fence line from there. Add a post at intervals that match the width of your shadowbox panels. If your plan calls for 8-foot-wide panels, then your posts should measure 8 feet apart on center. Be precise with your hole locations, and mark each spot with a large “X” so it remains visible as a point of reference while you’re digging.
While an 8-foot distance between each post is fine, you can go with a shorter span to produce a sturdier fence. If you opt for the shorter distance, remember you’ll need to purchase more posts. You’ll also be digging more holes and mixing more cement.
Dig Out the Post Holes
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Depending on how large your fence is, you’ll likely be doing a lot of digging. A 165-foot fence with 8-foot-wide panels will have around 20 posts. While you can certainly dig all those holes with a post-hole digger and a shovel, you’ll save time and effort (and a post-project trip to the chiropractor) by springing for a gas-powered auger rental, which costs about $90 a day.
Whether you choose a shovel or an auger, dig to the right depth and diameter. A good rule of thumb is to dig to a depth that’s one-third the height of the fence. So, if your fence is 6 feet tall, your hole should be 2 feet deep. Since you’ll add 6 inches of gravel at the bottom of each hole for drainage, you’ll need to dig to a depth of 30 inches.
Make the diameter of each hole between 10 and 12 inches, which will allow you to add enough concrete to create a sturdy base for each post.
While digging those holes, soak the bottom 2 feet of the posts in a sealant that contains copper naphthenate. You can accomplish this by standing up the posts in a bucket of sealer three or four at a time for about an hour. It’s extra work, but it will help prevent the parts of the fence posts that are underground from rotting.
Set the Fence Posts
Begin by filling each hole with a 6-inch layer of gravel, which will help drain water away from the post and prevent wood rot.
After mixing the concrete, place each post in the ground and have someone hold the post plumb while you pour in the concrete. Add concrete until it’s about 4 inches below ground level. Don’t fill the entire hole with concrete, or it will be visible after you're done with the fence installation.
You can’t count on the posts to stand up perfectly straight while the cement dries, so you’ll need to create braces for them. Nail two pieces of scrap one-by-twos about a third of the way up the sides of the post so that they extend diagonally to the ground about 1 foot or so from the post’s base.
After positioning the braces, check once more to ensure the post is plumb before moving on to the next hole. While this process can seem tedious, especially if you're installing a lot of posts, you’ll be happy you took the extra time to make sure each one is standing up straight when it’s time to install the fence panels. After the cement is dry, pack soil into each hole until it’s level with the ground.
You’ll install three rails (also called stringers) that run from post to post to support the fence pickets. If you’re building a 6-foot-high fence, mark the location for the first stringer 10 inches off the ground, the second one 33 inches off the ground, and the third one 56 inches off the ground on each post.
To make the process go faster, mark these measurements on a one-by-two, then use it to transfer the measurements onto each post.
Attach the Rails to the Fence Posts
Install each two-by-four stringer horizontally so that both sides of the rail are flush with the outside face of the posts. Have your helper hold up one end of the rail while you fasten the other using two 3 1/2-inch wood screws and your power driver. Hold each screw at a 30-degree angle so that the screw goes through the rail and into the post.
With the rails in place, it’s time to make your fence look like a fence by installing the pickets.
Start at one corner of the fence. Place a 2-inch-thick block of wood on the ground under the location of the first picket. The block will serve as a spacer and buffer. If the pickets come into contact with soil, they’ll be much more likely to rot.
Place your first picket on the spacer block and against the rails. Check that the picket is level and plumb, then attach it using either two nails or screws at each of the three rail locations.
Before you install the next picket, you’ll need to create a simple jig that will act as a spacer. Make the jig by nailing a scrap piece of wood to the back of a two-by-four. Hang the jig from the top rail of the fence using the piece of wood you nailed to it. Slide the jig against the first picket you installed, then slide the new picket up against the jig and attach it.
Continue this process as you move down the length of the fence for perfect 3 1/2-inch spacing between each picket.
Repeat the Process on the Other Side of the Rails
After completing one side of the fence, move to the other side. Starting at one of the fence corners, center the first picket over the gap created by the pickets you already installed on the other side of the fence and attach it with fasteners. Use your jig to install the remaining pickets as you did with the first side.
Stain and Seal Your New Shadow Box Fence
Photo: Thomas Winz / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Given the time and effort you put into installing your fence, you’ll want to go the extra mile to protect it from the elements by staining and sealing it.
When you can stain and seal your fence depends on the material. If you chose cedar or redwood, stain the fence right away to preserve its rich deep red color. If you went with pressure-treated pine, you’ll have to wait about two months for the wood to dry out before it will accept stain and sealer.
After sealing your fence, add post caps to the fence posts or cut off each fence post top at an angle with a reciprocating saw to prevent rain from collecting on the cut ends and soaking into the wood.
Building a Shadow Box Fence Yourself vs. Hiring a Pro
Building a shadow box fence isn’t a complicated project, but it is physically demanding as it requires you to dig many holes, mix and pour concrete, and hang rails and pickets.
If you don’t mind doing the labor, you can save by doing the work yourself. You’ll pay between $5 to $10 per linear foot in materials for a shadow box fence made of pressure-treated pine, plus the cost of a gas-powered auger rental.
If you hire a local wood fence builder to handle your fence installation, you can expect to pay between $10 and $18 per linear foot for the cost of a privacy fence installation, depending on where you live and the complexity of the fence design.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for a fence between neighbors depends on where the fence falls in regard to the property line. If the fence is completely on your property, you’ll have to pay for its installation, maintenance, and repair—even if it’s close to your neighbor’s side. If the fence falls directly on the property line, each neighbor is responsible for its costs. It’s a good idea to know your property lines before building a fence. If you want to build a fence on the property line, you must consult with your neighbor to work out a plan on who pays and how much.
How long a wood fence lasts depends on the type of wood and its style. The design of a shadow box fence makes it more durable than other fence types because the alternating pickets disperse the weight across the rails. As a result, you won’t have to worry as much about sagging or failing pickets. However, remember that the hollow design of a shadow box fence makes it more difficult to apply the sealer, which is crucial to extending its life.
There are pros and cons to using each type of fastener. Since screws have threads, they won’t pull out of the wood like nails. However, nails are faster to install, especially when using a nailer. Nails are also more flexible than brittle screws, so they won’t shear off as easily when the wood expands and contracts with changing temperatures and humidity.
