Horizontal Slat Fences in Dallas, GA

Horizontal fence gets judged on straightness more than any other style, because the eye follows the line of the boards down the whole run. That means post spacing is tighter than a standard vertical privacy fence, since horizontal boards need more support behind them to stay flat and not bow between posts over a few seasons of Georgia heat and humidity swings.

Board choice matters more here too. Cedar resists cupping and warping better than pressure treated pine when boards run horizontal, since a horizontal board sits flatter and holds water differently across its face than a vertical picket does. Pine costs less and can work fine, but it needs to be dried and installed carefully, with attention to which face goes out, or you end up with boards that cup and open small gaps within a year.

Gaps between boards are a design choice, not a mistake, tight gaps read as full privacy while a small reveal between boards still blocks the view from the road but lets more air move through, which matters around a pool pad or a patio that traps heat. We frame these fences with a metal post system or doubled up wood posts on longer runs, since sag between posts shows up fast on a horizontal line in a way it never does on a vertical picket fence.