Fencing serves a dual purpose of enhancing privacy and security while adding an aesthetic touch to any property. Among the various materials used for fencing, wood stands out as a classic and versatile choice. With its natural beauty, durability, and timeless appeal, wood fencing styles have been embraced for generations.

This article explores the world of wood fencing, delving into the different styles and designs that can transform a simple enclosure into a striking feature that complements any landscape. Whether you’re seeking a rustic charm, a contemporary look, or a traditional feel, understanding the variety of wood fencing styles available will enable you to make an informed decision that best suits your preferences and needs.

Deciding on the Fence Structure

First things first. When you decide on building a fence, you need to figure out what type of structure you want. Things to consider when you plan on building a fence:  

• Height 

What height should the fence be? Will it be required to keep animals inside? If so, how high can these animals jump? 

• Strength

How strong should this fence be? How much force will it be taking from animals trying to get in or out? The strength of a fence for a game farm and a domestic area will vary widely. This is due to the fact that the fences will have to withstand different forces. 

• Length

How long does the fence need to be to be able to serve it’s purpose? For example, a fence surrounding a property will have to be much longer than a fence that needs to close off a specific area of the garden. 

All of these factors play a major role in deciding which fence style you will use as will be explained once we delve into the different designs.Furthermore, each design structure will most likely make use of different fencing materials. Some will require much stronger and thicker timber poles, while others will be smaller. 

Therefore, we suggest you read through these styles and see what you will require before deciding on your final fencing style. 

Different Fence Designs and their Fencing Materials

Let’s get right into it. Firstly, there are two main types of fences that we will be looking at. Firstly, the designs that  only require wood, nuts and bolts. And secondly, fencing that makes use of wooden poles as support structures rather than the fence itself. 

Continuous / Closed Off Fence

This is a fence that is perfect if you are looking for privacy. It can be build with smaller or bigger wooden poles, depending on the strength that you need. 

It is created by trying wooden poles together in a long line, leaving no gaps in between as can be seen in the photo below: 

Building this type of fence will require a lot of manpower to dig the wholes deep enough for each pole. Furthermore, this fence will be strong and long lasting when build with CCA Treated Poles. You can discuss sizing with a sales agent to determine what size you need for the required strength.

This type of fence can also be manufactured from smaller poles called lathes. This type of “fence” will act more like a divider for small animals or simply for privacy. It can also be used for decorative effect like seen below: 

Furthermore, the same style, just cut shorter can be used as a small fence for garden beds. Additionally, this style of fence can be used for smaller livestock like goats, chickens etc. that do not exert a ton of force onto the fences. 

Horizontal Open Fence

This fence is usually used as a guideline to direct people where to walk. You are most likely to see them on dense forest trails, on the beach and other nature reserves. It is not meant to physically keep people and animals in or out as it does not have any security to it. 

However, these fences can act as a barricade to keep bigger animals out in certain cases like livestock etc. 

Examples of these fences can be seen below:

As briefly mentioned above, these fences can act as a fence for larger livestock that cannot jump, for instance cows. We recently did a post discussing 

the construction of livestock pens and feeding pens in detail. Advising on sizes and things to keep in mind when building a fence like this. 

You can check the post out at : Construction of Cattle / Kraal 

For these fences, you will need CCA Treated Poles to withstand all sorts of weather and other wood deterioration factors. You can see the sizes, lengths and prices on our online quotation system here. 

Fencing Materials for Wire Fencing

Last, but not least, you can combine traditional elements like diamond wire fence, and make use of CCA Treated Poles as your corner and support posts. This is a cost-effective way of enclosing your yard. You can use normal round Wooden Poles or our stylish square-cut wooden poles. 

Furthermore, these fencing materials can be used for Electric fencing as well. You can read our cost comparison price on a previous post here: Steel vs. Wood as Fencing Material. (Spoiler: Wooden Poles works out cheaper on initial costs and maintenance cost, read post to see breakdown of costings)

This is a common fencing style for residential and agricultural fencing solutions. Few benefits of using Treated Wooden Poles instead of steel posts include:

• More Affordable.
• Less chance of theft. 
• Less maintenance.