Split Rail Fence Installation in Portland, OR & the Metro Area

Open, rustic rail fences that mark a big yard, a driveway or a pasture without blocking the view. Built from rot-resistant wood across Portland, Sherwood, Oregon City, Forest Grove and surrounding communities.

A split rail fence is a row of heavy posts with two or three long rails running between them, often slotted right through holes in the posts. It's the classic fence for country roads, larger lots and pastures. On the edges of the metro, from Sherwood to Oregon City to the Forest Grove farm country, it's how many owners mark a line without shutting out the view.

Rails are usually split cedar, which handles our wet weather well and weathers to a silver gray. Because the rails slot into the posts, there are few nails to rust and the fence flexes a little with frost and settling. The weak point is still the post bottom. Ground that stays wet all winter rots wood fast, so we use rot-resistant posts and set them so water drains away rather than pooling around the base.

On its own, a split rail fence won't hold a small dog. Adding welded wire mesh to the inside of the rails keeps pets in while keeping the open look. For horses, posts go closer together and rails go heavier. We'll ask what the fence needs to do before we suggest a layout.