Pine and cedar fences built with ground-contact posts and coated fasteners, so they hold up in Georgia humidity.
The standard wood fence in Georgia. Southern yellow pine is strong, takes stain well and costs less than cedar. It is treated to resist rot and termites, which matters here. Expect it to shrink and twist a little as it dries during the first few months.
Naturally rot resistant, lighter, straighter and better looking up close. It costs more. A common middle ground is cedar pickets on treated pine posts and rails, since the posts are the part in the dirt.
Unsealed wood weathers to gray and grows mildew faster in our humidity. New treated pine needs to dry before it will take stain, often a couple of months. Cedar can be sealed sooner. A penetrating stain every few years keeps either one looking right and slows the splitting.
A well-built treated pine fence typically lasts 10 to 15 years here, and cedar somewhat longer. Posts usually decide it. Fences with poorly set or wrongly rated posts can fail in half that time.
Usually the finished side faces out, and some HOAs require it. Board-on-board avoids the question because both sides look finished.
Yes. A 6 foot privacy fence also blocks the view that sets off barking. For diggers, we can add a buried wire apron along the bottom.
No. Give treated pine time to dry first. A simple test: sprinkle water on a board. If it soaks in, it is ready. If it beads up, wait.
