The fence that marks a line without closing it in.
Split rail is the most asked about thing on our Google profile, and on an acre lot it is usually the right answer.
Why split rail keeps coming up around here
Split rail is the fence most of the land north and west of Mooresville was already wearing. It costs less per foot than anything else that looks intentional, it goes a long way for the money, and it does not turn a five acre view into a corridor.
Split rail fence installation is the single most mentioned thing customers write about us on Google. Some of that is the look. Most of it is that on long runs the post spacing is wider, so the price per hundred feet drops in a way board fence never does.
Two rail is a boundary. Three rail is a boundary you can lean on and stock will respect. Which one you want usually comes down to whether anything with hooves is going to test it.
- Rail count and post spacing set to the run and the ground
- Posts bored and set, not driven into clay and left
- Line kept straight over long distances with a string, not by eye
- Wire mesh added on the inside face where dogs are involved
- Old rail hauled off if we are replacing a run
Adding mesh, and the reason most people do
Split rail on its own will not hold a dog, and that surprises people. The gaps are the point. If you have anything smaller than a labrador, welded or woven wire mesh goes on the inside face and the fence goes from decorative to functional without changing what it looks like from the road.
Mesh choice matters at the bottom. A dog that digs needs the wire carried down to grade and held there, not stopped four inches short where it is invisible from standing height and obvious to the dog on day two.
Fitted from the inside, the mesh sits behind the rails and effectively disappears at any distance. From the street you still have a split rail fence. In the yard you have a fence that works.
Long runs, and what goes wrong on them
A hundred feet of split rail hides nothing. Every post that is a few degrees off shows up as a wave when you sight down the line, and once you have seen it you cannot stop seeing it. So a long run gets set to a string and checked as it goes, not corrected at the end.
Ground is the other half. One customer wrote that the crew did a great job considering some of the terrain obstacles over the 500 feet of fence they installed. Rock, roots, a swale that holds water and a bank that drops away all change the post plan, and it is better to walk them at the estimate than to meet them with an auger.
Rail length is fixed, so post spacing is fixed with it. That means the corners and the ends get planned first and the line is worked back from them, which is why the walk usually starts at the awkward end of the property rather than the pretty one.
Repairing and extending an existing run
Split rail fails a section at a time, usually at the post, usually at grade. That makes it one of the more repairable fences there is. One customer had three of four sides of his split rail rebuilt and wrote that Nick had done a great job for them on more than one occasion.
Matching an existing run means matching the rail profile and the post height, and being honest that new cedar or new treated rail will not match weathered rail for a couple of seasons. It greys out. Told up front, nobody minds. Discovered afterwards, everybody does.
If more of it is bad than good, we will say that too. Patching half a fence that is going to need the other half next year is not a saving.
Got a property line to mark?
We will walk it and price it by the foot.
What 184 homeowners said
Every quote below is a real review, word for word, from our Google profile.
I got multiple quotes, and he was the best priced as well. What I am most impressed with is that they put a screw hole in one of my posts backwards when installing a gate. Instead of just leaving the screw in, they removed the entire post and put a brand new one in. As a contractor myself I wish all of my crews would take a thought to quality like that.
If you're looking for high quality fencing, with superior craftsmanship, for a fair price, then look no further. I am an absolute perfectionist when building. These guys met every expectation and then some. They showed up on time, worked hard, cleaned up their work areas daily, and completed the job within my expectations.
Nick's Fencing was a lifesaver. They fixed a fence that had been installed incorrectly by another company, something many companies wouldn't even give us a quote to repair. Nick came out on a Sunday, was extremely responsive, professional, and truly went above and beyond to make sure everything was done correctly.
We had gotten five quotes from various fencing companies in the area and signed a quote with two of those companies who then did not show up or return our calls to install. Nick was installing a neighbor's fence so I asked him for a quote and he showed up within a few weeks and installed in basically one day. Fence looks great and quality is top-notch.
Nick and his crew made quick work of our old fence in just a few short hours. Within 2 short days later we had a fence to our liking and our very active German Shepherd Olive loves the new fence. All of his crew were very respectful and did great work. Pricing is very fair.
We were in a time crunch to pass homeowners insurance inspection. He graciously came out the next day to quote and his team fit us in within that first week. Without direction, they saved landscaped bushes and worked around them. I appreciated watching his team examine the fence slats to ensure there was no warping. His knowledge about pool fencing requirements was incredibly helpful.
Free written estimate on split rail, mesh backing included in the number.
Not on its own. Add wire mesh to the inside face, carried down to grade, and it will. We fit it so it sits behind the rails and disappears from the street.
Two rail marks a line. Three rail is taller, stronger and what you want if livestock are going to lean on it. Three rail costs more per foot.
Rail length sets it, so spacing is fixed rather than chosen. It is wider than board fence, which is why split rail is cheaper per hundred feet on a long run.
Usually. We match the rail profile and post height. New rail will be lighter than weathered rail for a season or two before it greys in, and we tell you that before we start rather than after.
Yes, and deer fencing. Both are on the deer fencing and ranch rail page.
Split rail follows grade better than most fences because each section can pitch at the post. Steep or rocky ground changes the post plan and we walk it before quoting.
Yes, on the same trailer, the same day.
It depends on rail count, mesh and ground. Call (980) 248-8382 and we will walk it and write down a number.
Get a free estimate.
Tell us what you want fenced. We come and walk it and put a real number on it.