Privacy fences hide the yard — and the math. Overlapping boards, third rails, wind load, and gate posts that hold double the weight: this calculator counts them properly for board-on-board, shadowbox, and tight-board styles.
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FAQ
With 5½ in boards and a 1 in overlap, each board covers 4½ in, so you need about 2.7 boards per foot of fence — roughly 21–22 per 8 ft bay per side. That's why board-on-board runs a third more wood than a standard board fence.
Both overlap boards by about an inch. Board-on-board keeps all boards on one side (flat look out, posts and rails visible in); shadowbox alternates boards front and back, so both sides look finished and air passes through. Material counts are the same — shadowbox just alternates sides during install.
Yes. Overlapped boards are heavy, and a solid face catches real wind. Three rails per bay hold the boards straight and distribute the load. The calculator always uses 3 rails for privacy styles regardless of height.
Installed wood privacy runs $35–$70/ft depending on height, style, and region; the calculator's material math lands around $19–$26/ft for 6 ft board-on-board at starter prices. The gap between those numbers is your labour, overhead, and margin — price it, don't guess it.
An 8 ft solid fence is a sail. Moving from 8 ft to 6 ft post spacing adds about a third more posts and concrete but prevents the waviness and post lean that warranty callbacks are made of. The calculator lets you switch spacing and see the delta immediately.
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