Project · Security-Widefield
290 ft Cedar Privacy Fence with Posts Set Through the Driveway in Security-Widefield
A full privacy fence around a corner lot: cedar rails and pickets on steel posts set in concrete, four gates, and 15 posts set right through the existing concrete driveway. Built in 3 days.
The challenge
This is a corner lot, so the fence had to cover a long run: the street side along the sidewalk, the driveway side and the property lines in back, about 290 feet in all. The owners needed gates in several places, and part of the fence line ran straight across an existing concrete driveway that they did not want to tear out.
What we built
- 290 ft of cedar privacy fence. Cedar rails and dog-ear cedar pickets around the lot, a solid privacy screen from the street and the neighbors.
- Steel posts set in concrete. Every post is steel and set in concrete. Steel does not rot at the ground line, which is where wood posts usually fail first. Why we build on steel posts.
- Four gates. Three single walk gates and one double gate, so the owners can get into the yard from every side they use.
- 15 posts through the driveway. Where the fence crosses the existing concrete, we cut a hole for each post through the slab and set the post in concrete below it, instead of breaking out the driveway.
- Done in 3 days. One crew, start to finish.
Setting fence posts through a concrete driveway
When a fence line runs across concrete, there are two usual options: break out a strip of the slab and pour new concrete, or surface-mount the posts with bolted base plates. Breaking out concrete is slow, messy and leaves a patch. Surface-mounted posts are only bolted to the top of the slab, and on a 6-ft privacy fence that catches the wind they are the weak point.
On this project we cut a hole through the driveway at each of the 15 post locations, dug below the slab and set each steel post in concrete, the same way as the posts in the yard. The driveway stays in place, and the fence is anchored in the ground along its whole length, not just where there is dirt.
Building a fence in Security-Widefield
Security-Widefield is south of Colorado Springs, near Fountain and Fort Carson, and much of it is older: many of the homes around this project date back to the 1960s. That means mature trees, existing concrete, old chain-link and wood fences between yards, and property lines that are not always where the old fence was. Corner lots are common, and a corner fence has to look good from two streets. Before we build, we walk the line with the owner, plan gate locations around how the yard is actually used, and work around trees and concrete instead of removing them.
Related: Fence installation in Security-Widefield · Fence installation in Fountain · Fence installation in Colorado Springs · Steel vs wood fence posts
Fence line crossing concrete?
Driveways, patios and sidewalks do not have to be torn out to put a solid fence in. We will look at the whole fence line and tell you how we would handle each section. The estimate is free and on-site, and you usually get a written quote the same day.