# Horizontal Fence Installation in Hammond, LA > Horizontal fence installation in Hammond, LA: modern slat and board fences on short spans so boards don't sag, stepped on slopes, with rot boards and steel posts. URL: https://palisadeshammondfence.com/horizontal-fence-installation/ Service Modern horizontal board and slat fences in cedar or treated pine, framed on short spans so they stay straight, with gapped or tight faces. Get an Estimate [(985) 866-3827](tel:+19858663827) Last Updated: November 1, 2026 A horizontal fence's boards span from post to post on their own, so the frame behind them is built to keep each span short. A vertical board is held by every rail. A horizontal board is held only at its ends, and that changes the whole frame. Mon to Fri 8 to 6 · Sat and Sun 9 to 2 A horizontal fence looks simple, but it asks its frame to do more than any vertical fence. [Palisades Hammond Fence](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/) installs horizontal board and slat fences in cedar and treated pine across Hammond and the surrounding towns of Tangipahoa, western St. Tammany and eastern Livingston Parish, on posts and supports spaced for long boards. Installation is carried out by licensed and insured fence contractors. On a vertical fence, every board is held by two or three rails along its length. On a horizontal fence, each board spans from support to support and is held only at its ends. That one difference drives most of the decisions on this page: post spacing, board thickness, how the fence meets a slope and how it handles water. ## What happens on the first visit The first visit walks and measures the line, gates, slopes, soil and drainage. For a horizontal fence, slope gets measured more carefully, because a horizontal fence can’t tilt to follow the ground. The fall along each run decides where the fence steps down and how big each step is. The visit also settles the look you want, tight boards or even gaps, and the board size, since both change the frame behind them. ## Why horizontal boards sag, and how the frame stops it A board spanning between two supports bends under its own weight, and more when it is wet or someone leans on it. For an evenly loaded board, sag grows with the fourth power of the span: shorten the span from 8 ft to 6 ft and the sag drops to about a third. Thickness works the other way, with stiffness rising with the cube of the board’s thickness. A 5/4 board, about 1 in thick, is roughly 2.4 times as stiff as a standard 3/4 in board. So the frame does the work. Posts go closer together than on a vertical fence, often about 6 ft, or a vertical center support splits each bay in half. Thicker boards stretch the span that stays straight. Each board gets two fasteners at every support, so it can’t cup or twist away from the frame as it dries. A board that sags in the first summer rarely comes back. Key takeaways - Horizontal boards are held only at their ends, so post spacing and center supports set how straight the fence stays. - Cutting the span from 8 ft to 6 ft cuts sag to about a third; a 5/4 board is about 2.4 times as stiff as a 3/4 board. - Horizontal fences step down slopes level, leaving triangles under each step to fill or accept. - The bottom board sits closest to wet ground and is made replaceable on its own. ## Cedar or treated pine for long boards Cedar is the usual choice because it shrinks, cups and twists less than pine as it dries, and on a long horizontal board any movement shows across the whole bay. Pressure-treated pine is stronger and less costly, but it arrives wet from treatment and moves as it dries in Hammond’s heat, where NOAA’s normals count 86 days a year at or above 90°F. Pine works best kiln-dried after treatment, in thicker boards and on shorter spans. Either way, the posts are ground-contact treated wood or galvanized steel. Steel posts suit horizontal fences well: they are straight, they don’t twist as they dry and they don’t rot at grade, and the boards fasten to wood nailers or brackets on the post. The [pine vs cedar guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/pine-vs-cedar-fence/) compares the two woods in this climate. ## Gaps, privacy and the wind Horizontal fences come tight or gapped. Tight boards give full privacy, though pine opens small gaps anyway as it shrinks across its width. Planned gaps of about a quarter to half an inch, set with spacers, look deliberate, let the boards dry on all four edges and let a little air through. Wider slat spacing trades privacy for light. Gaps reduce wind load only modestly; a nearly closed face still loads its posts much like a solid one. A tall horizontal fence on an exposed lot is planned with the same post sizing as any [privacy fence](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/privacy-fence-installation/), and the [wind-resistant fence page](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/wind-resistant-fence/) covers exposed runs. ## Slopes, water and the bottom board A horizontal fence only looks right level, so on a sloped yard it steps down one bay at a time. Each step leaves a triangle of open space under the bottom board on the downhill side. It can stay open, be closed with a stepped bottom board cut to the grade, or sit behind a low edging; shorter bays make each step smaller. Water treats horizontal boards differently too. On a vertical fence, rain runs down the board and off the bottom. On a horizontal fence, the top edge of every board is a small ledge where water sits, and the joint where boards meet the post holds it longest. Gaps, a top cap over the uppermost board and the post tops, and side trim over the board ends all help the fence dry. Hammond averages about 64 inches of rain a year (NOAA), so drying matters. ### The rot board The lowest board sits closest to soil that stays wet; USDA soil survey points around Hammond map mostly poorly drained silt loams with a seasonal water table about 9 inches down at the median point. That board is ground-contact treated, kept a little off the grade and fastened so it can be replaced alone without taking the fence apart. The [wet clay post guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-posts-in-wet-clay-soil/) covers the footings behind it. ### Fasteners that don’t streak Cedar contains tannins that react with plain steel and leave dark streaks below every screw, and modern pine treatments corrode plain steel. Stainless or hot-dip galvanized screws avoid both, and screws hold a cupping board tighter than nails. ## Where a horizontal fence is allowed In Hammond, a horizontal wood fence is treated like any wood fence: 4 ft maximum in front of the house, up to 8 ft behind it, with a $10 residential permit and the location approved from a survey or parcel map. The code calls for weatherproofed wood. The [fence permit guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-permits/) covers the steps. Covington’s historic district is different. Its guidelines place split or horizontal rail fences only in rear yards or where they can’t be seen from the street, so a horizontal fence there stays behind the house and out of street view, with the Historic District Commission’s approval first. The [Covington page](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/service-areas/covington/) has the details. ## What a horizontal fence costs No regional range is published for horizontal fences alone, so no figure is quoted here. They sit above a vertical fence in the same wood, for countable reasons: - **More posts or supports.** Shorter spans mean more posts, or a center support in every bay. - **Thicker or better boards.** 5/4 boards, cedar or kiln-dried pine cost more per foot. - **Labor.** Spacing every board evenly and stepping each bay takes longer than hanging vertical boards on rails. - **Trim.** Top caps, side trim and a replaceable bottom board add material. - **Site.** Slope, wet ground, gates and tear-out of an old fence, typically $2 to $8 per foot. For context, a typical Hammond-area range for a 6 ft pressure-treated pine privacy fence is about $15 to $45 per linear foot, and cedar privacy about $22 to $55. The [privacy fence cost guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/privacy-fence-cost/) and the [fence cost estimator](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/tools/fence-cost-estimator/) help set a budget, and [wood fence installation](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/wood-fence-installation/) covers the other wood styles. Finishing is covered under [fence staining](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/fence-staining/). ## What's included - A walk of the line, measuring slope along the run so the steps can be planned - A post layout at the shorter spacing horizontal boards need, or center supports in each bay - Ground-contact treated wood or galvanized steel posts on footings that drain - Boards in the thickness, width and species chosen, with spacers for an even gap - A ground-contact treated bottom board, fastened so it can be replaced on its own - Top cap and side trim over the board ends and post tops - Stainless or hot-dip galvanized screws, two per board at each support - The permit drawing, the 811 locate, gate adjustment, cleanup and a final walk ## Horizontal or vertical boards | | Vertical boards (dog-ear, stockade) | Horizontal boards | | --- | --- | --- | | How boards are held | Fastened to two or three rails along their length | Held only at posts and center supports | | Sag risk | Low; rails carry the boards | Real on long spans; short spans and thicker boards control it | | On a slope | Racked to follow the grade | Stepped level, leaving a triangle under each step | | Shrinkage | Thin gaps open between boards | Gaps between boards widen, so spacing is chosen up front | | Price position | Base of the pine or cedar privacy range | Above vertical in the same wood; frame and labor add cost | ## Related resources Decision Guide Pine or Cedar: Which Fence Wood Lasts Better Around Hammond? What actually protects each wood from rot and termites, why the posts under either one decide the fence's life, how the boards age in this sun and humidity, and what each costs. Learn How Should Fence Posts Be Set in Wet Clay Soil? What the ground under a Hammond-area fence is actually like, why posts rotate in it, how footing depth and type are chosen, and how a post hole that fills with water is handled. Cost Guide How Much Does a Privacy Fence Cost in Hammond, LA? What a 6 ft solid fence costs in each common material, why a closed face prices differently from an open one, and how height, corners and a shared line change the total. Learn How Long Does a Wood Fence Last Around Hammond? Why no honest figure fits every fence, which parts wear out first in this ground and climate, how sun weathers each material, and what to do to stretch the years. Decision Guide How Do You Plan a Fence Around Hammond, LA? The order that keeps a fence project from stalling: where the line is, which rules apply, how the run and gates are laid out, what gets located before digging and what the ground asks of the posts. ## From the first call to the last gate 1. First call You describe the fence, the yard and the timing, and set a visit. 2. Site visit The line is walked and measured, gates and slopes noted, and the soil and drainage checked. 3. Permit and 811 The permit drawing goes to the city or parish, and utilities are located before any digging. 4. Build Posts are set and allowed to cure, then rails, panels or fabric and gates go up. 5. Walkthrough Gates are adjusted, the site is cleaned, and you check the finished line. ## What this work looks like A horizontal-board stained cedar fence with narrow gaps between boards around a concrete patio behind a newer house A horizontal-board fence on black steel posts along a side yard with a gravel strip and small shrubs at its base ## Questions about horizontal fences ### Do horizontal fence boards sag over time? They can, on long spans. A horizontal board is held only at its ends, so its own weight, wet weather and anything leaned on it pull the middle down. Sag grows very quickly with span length, so posts about 6 ft apart, a center support in each bay or thicker boards keep the line straight. Boards that sag in the first year rarely straighten again. ### Can a horizontal fence follow a sloped yard? Not by tilting. Horizontal lines only look right level, so the fence steps down the slope one bay at a time, leaving a triangular gap under each step. Those gaps can be filled with a stepped bottom board or a low retaining edge. On a steep or uneven line, shorter bays make the steps smaller. ### Is cedar or treated pine better for a horizontal fence? Cedar is the more common choice because it shrinks, cups and twists less as it dries, which shows quickly on long horizontal boards. Treated pine is stronger and less costly but moves more, so it works best kiln-dried after treatment, in thicker boards, on short spans. Either way, posts and the bottom board should be rated for ground contact. ### Is a horizontal fence allowed in Covington's historic district? Only out of sight from the street. Covington's historic district guidelines place split or horizontal rail fences in rear yards or where they cannot be seen from the street. A horizontal privacy fence behind the house can work if it stays out of street view; the Historic District Commission confirms that before the permit. ### Should horizontal fence boards have gaps between them? That depends on whether privacy or air matters more. Tight boards give full privacy but open small gaps anyway as pine dries. Planned gaps of about a quarter to half an inch look deliberate, let the boards dry and let a little air through, though they reduce wind load only slightly. Wider gaps trade privacy for air and light. ## Related services ### Wood fences → Pressure-treated pine, cedar and cypress fences in dog-ear, board-on-board, shadowbox, picket and horizontal styles, on posts set for wet ground. ### Privacy fences → Solid and semi-private wood and vinyl fences, 6 to 8 ft behind the house, planned for sightlines, storm wind and wet ground. ### Fence staining → Cleaning, staining and sealing wood fences, new or weathered, with the finish and timing matched to Hammond's sun, heat and rain.