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I'm interested in installing a wood privacy fence myself. I've watched a bunch of tutorials and feel pretty confident with the process except for one thing. Everything I've seen talks about squaring up the corners, however, my lot is not square. How do you do corners that are less than 90 degrees (corners B or D) or more than 90 degrees (corners A or C)? I'm also a little stumped about what to do with corner C. Would the post go on the outside of the fence?

enter image description here

Update: Thanks everyone for your input. There were a lot of comments about building a fence on the easement. The permit was previously approved even with the fence going over the easement. However, I've reached out to the utility companies and they said I might not be able to put the fence on the easement but they were going to review my plat of survey and maybe come do a site visit. So, I called my village permitting department and they said that it's my property so I can put the fence there regardless of what the utility companies say. That response seems a little strange to me, so I'm not sure what the outcome will be. My backdoor neighbor already has a fence along the back of my lot so I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. I would consider using their fence instead of building my own, but it's a two rail split rail fence and won't really do a good job at keeping the dog in.

Final update: I ended up cutting across the diagonal from B to D without any removable sections. I feel like it ended up pretty good for a first attempt. Thanks, everyone for your help! Here's a photo of the final product: enter image description here

katsalcoatl
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  • Why block the easement? Don’t they need access... – Solar Mike May 22 '21 at 08:29
  • There are some utility boxes in that corner that open onto my property. There's a sticker saying that I have to keep 10 feet of space from the side that opens. – katsalcoatl May 22 '21 at 11:53
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    Use the angles best for your land. I would put the C post on the side best for mounting fence. You do know you need the free utility service to find buried pipes/cables before digging. – crip659 May 22 '21 at 13:50
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    @cochi That 10 foot space is so they can do switching. Your permit will probably be turned down for encroaching in the easement. The 10 foot easement is so trucks can get in to replace the utility boxes. They can knock down your fence and not be responsible for fixing it. – JACK May 22 '21 at 13:52
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    At a minimum, I'd make the fence section between B and C easy to remove. But @JACK is right: they can drive over it without consequences. – Aloysius Defenestrate May 22 '21 at 14:10
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    @AloysiusDefenestrate And also the section of "A" that crosses the easement. – JACK May 22 '21 at 14:16
  • install two 10' movable panels, basically gates that get seldom opened ... hinges at B and D ... also put one at A – jsotola May 22 '21 at 19:13
  • Thanks, everyone for your input. Regarding the easement... The permit was previously approved even with the fence going over the easement. However, I've reached out to the utility companies and they said I might not be able to put the fence on the easement but they were going to review my plat of survey and maybe come do a site visit. So, I called my village permitting department and they said that it's my property so I can put the fence there regardless of what the utility companies say. That response seems a little strange to me, so I'm not sure what the outcome will be. – katsalcoatl May 23 '21 at 03:06
  • @jsotola, just to clarify, you recommend putting 10 foot removable sections at A and BCD where the fence crosses the easement? – katsalcoatl May 23 '21 at 03:07
  • @cochi one panel at BC, hinged at B ... one at CD, hinge at D (this panel could also be made non-movable, without a hinge) .... one panel at A, similar to BC – jsotola May 23 '21 at 04:25
  • @cochi hows this progressing? SE automatically froze the chat room because we haven't been using it. Another can be made when you are ready. –  Jun 17 '21 at 03:22
  • Hi! It's been going well. I think I waited too long to get started because lumber prices have been going up a lot from when I priced it out originally. I'm hoping to wait just a little bit longer and see if maybe they come down before getting started again. – katsalcoatl Jun 18 '21 at 16:57
  • Yes that is always an issue. So you have a materials list. What plan did you go with? Inside corner ( makes for a sturdier fence when double gat is planed over easement) Or straight across diagonally? (Either way I think you'll want beefier end posts on the hinge side) –  Jun 20 '21 at 17:08
  • I'm leaning towards cutting a diagonal but also putting a gate in for easier access to the box. – katsalcoatl Jun 21 '21 at 21:11
  • Looks good from here! Thanks for coming back with an update. However, per site rules, that would be better suited as an answer (self-answers are not only accepted, they're encouraged) than an edit to the original question. – FreeMan Nov 03 '21 at 12:34

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Any code I'm aware of doesn't allow permanent structure to block easement. And by privacy you are speaking of stockade style fencing? Just want to be clear.

But your questions: Place post C on the outside or two on the inside if you insist with each placed flush with end of that section of fence.

For acute angles use scrap to shim angles, or one post per side of angle as close to end of fencing.

For ease of installation and aesthetics, unless there is a particular reason you need a complex corner, I would eliminate post (corner) C completely and consider fencing the angle from B to D. If C is the 10' clearance then set B and D farther away from that corner and don't sweat the minimal real estate lost.

fence detail

  • Your suggestion still has non-90 degree angles. The OP wants to know how to handle them. – Mattman944 May 22 '21 at 14:22
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    True. One question at a time. Per design put the post on the inside of the corner, as mentioned in earlier comments. –  May 22 '21 at 14:31
  • I skirted the question unintentionally because I saw there seemed to be bigger issues qith this. –  May 22 '21 at 15:51
  • Thanks, @GWarner! The privacy fence I'm planning to install is with 6 ft dog-eared pickets placed really close together. I really like your idea of eliminating corner C. This way seems a lot more do-able. I previously came across a post for doing the wider corners that I was planning to follow but they made it sound like shims aren't necessary. https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/114889/how-to-do-a-45-degree-corner-on-a-privacy-fence – katsalcoatl May 23 '21 at 03:11
  • @GWarner Also, regarding building a fence on the easement... The permit was previously approved even with the fence going over the easement. However, I've reached out to the utility companies and they said I might not be able to put the fence on the easement but they were going to review my plat of survey and maybe come do a site visit. So, I called my village permitting department and they said that it's my property so I can put the fence there regardless of what the utility companies say. That response seems a little strange to me, so I'm not sure what the outcome will be. – katsalcoatl May 23 '21 at 03:11
  • @cochi You are welcome! And shimming wouldn't be necessary at first. Using longer screws is fine but over time the more 'airspace' the more room for the wood to warp. I would at least look at adding angled scrap behind the angled stringers. If needed I am editing my answer to add a simple picture what I mean. –  May 23 '21 at 14:18
  • It might be wise to consider a gate or even a readily removable section. Care to estimate the length of my suggestion? Prefabricated stockade will likely need a a post or two along there. But this is getting beyond the original question. –  May 23 '21 at 14:30
  • @GWarner I'd guess that B to D section would be about 18 feet long. – katsalcoatl May 23 '21 at 22:45
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Squaring the corners

In the context of a wood fence "squaring up the corners" means to me to ensure the post is plumb and that it is rotated at the "right" angle to match the fence design. Assuming a post with square cross section, when building a 90 degree corner the post would be rotated so that its faces are perpendicular to the rails coming into that post.

Because your corners are not 90 degrees you could rotate the post so that one rail will be perpendicular or split the difference across the two directions. In either case the ends of the rails would be cut at an angle to match the face of the post.

A sliding T-bevel is a tool that may come in handy for transferring the angle from the field to the chop saw/miter box. (Thanks to Home Depot for the photo)

sliding T bevel

Thoughts about the easement

If you're in the USA your use (rather, the utilities' use) of the easement-encumbered space is probably governed by state law. Law in my state provides that the public utility must repair at its own expense things such as a fence, grass, low-lying vegetation, irrigation, and concrete which it might disturb while working in the public utility easement. If a property owner places other improvements in the easement the property owner does so at his own risk. A utility which disturbs a tree or a shed in an easement, for example, has no duty to repair or replace that thing.

Check the laws applicable in your area. The utilities themselves, your municipality, or a state public utility commission may be of help. Or you could try searching the state code yourself to learn the specifics. We can infer from the plat map drawing that your lot is an interior one on a block of maybe 18 other lots. In my opinion it's extremely unlikely that a utility is going to want to drive any truck down the middle of the block, especially since you mention that there are no overhead utilities. In the unlikely event they needed to perform work back there they'd much prefer to park on the public road out front and access your rear yard via the 11 foot opening on the left side. You'd likely be within your rights to deny them entry there, but if you did they could instead have their way by traversing along the easement.

Honestly... if it were me I'd build the fence with the BCD corner included into the lot and in such a way that the fence can be readily disassembled. Building a portion of it as a gate is a clever way of doing that but might be more work than is warranted. "Easily disassembled" might just mean using hardware to mount the rails and pickets such that at most two pickets have to be removed and then the whole panel can be lifted away intact.

Greg Hill
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  • Good post. Let's see if the OP will want help with that removable fence section, –  May 22 '21 at 15:08
  • Thanks! Regarding building a fence on the easement... The permit was previously approved even with the fence going over the easement. However, I've reached out to the utility companies and they said I might not be able to put the fence on the easement but they were going to review my plat of survey and maybe come do a site visit. So, I called my village permitting department and they said that it's my property so I can put the fence there regardless of what the utility companies say. That response seems a little strange to me, so I'm not sure what the outcome will be. – katsalcoatl May 23 '21 at 02:56
  • I'm also curious about different types of removable fence panels. Do they still need to get trucks through if the lines are underground instead of above? (I'm thinking bucket trucks.) I've tried searching for different ways to do this but I've only come across [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/5uMBvi7gBW6ezHNt6) sort of hardware, but that would leave a gap in the pickets. Were you thinking I should try to do a removable post, too? Removable posts seem a lot more complicated so I'd rather avoid that if possible. – katsalcoatl May 23 '21 at 03:00
  • In the case where I split the difference across the two directions, how do you go about determining what angle to miter the rails? I had been thinking of following the directions on this previous post: https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/114889/how-to-do-a-45-degree-corner-on-a-privacy-fence – katsalcoatl May 23 '21 at 03:00
  • @cochi if the rails are screwed to the posts, then the pickets screwed to the rails, you should only have to remove the pickets at the posts where the rails attach, then remove the rails from the posts & remove a complete fence panel to give them access. If you make one or two sections a full 8' in width, that should be more than enough for any reasonable road-going vehicle to drive through. – FreeMan May 24 '21 at 16:15
  • Good point! I didn't think about it like that. It seems like a simpler solution. Maybe I'm overthinking it a bit. – katsalcoatl May 24 '21 at 16:32
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I ended up cutting across the diagonal from B to D without any removable sections. I feel like it ended up pretty good for a first attempt. Thanks, everyone for your help! Here's a photo of the final product: enter image description here

katsalcoatl
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