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Why does nobody talk about the wind load difference between a solid and a slatted fence?
I was looking up building codes for a job in a coastal area and found a chart from the American Wood Council. It showed that a solid privacy fence can catch up to 30% more wind force than a fence with 1-inch gaps between the pickets. I always figured more gaps meant less strength, but it's the opposite for wind. Last spring, I put up a solid 6-foot cedar fence for a client and we had to use way more concrete and bigger posts than usual to meet code, which added almost $500 to the job. If I'd known, I might have talked them into a shadowbox style instead. It makes sense when you think about it, a solid wall just gets pushed harder. Has anyone else run into this with local codes, and did you switch up your designs because of it?
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the_tara19d ago
Ever think a solid fence was stronger? That wind load chart totally changed my mind.
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robin_roberts8419d ago
Ever had a fence panel just sail away? @the_tara, that chart is a real eye opener. I lost a whole section of solid stockade in a storm last year, posts and all. Now I always check the local wind load tables first.
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