We are planning to build a long fence made of reinforcement mesh for roses to climb on. It will be about 15 meters long and just under 2 meters high. We are thinking of using concrete bases and wooden posts, but the question is what is required to make it stable?
Is 70x70 sufficient or do we need to use 95x95?
How far apart should the posts be?
Is it necessary to use longitudinal rails and if so, what dimensions should they have? And where should they be placed? At the top? Bottom? In the middle? As diagonal braces? We prefer to use as little wood as possible because it gives a bulky appearance.
The question is how to make such a structure stand when it's not built at an angle. It should just be straight. The wind will blow along the fence 95 times out of 100, so it doesn't face the broadside of the wind, but exceptions may of course exist (the wind may not always blow from the west or east, but almost).
All help is gratefully received!
Is 70x70 sufficient or do we need to use 95x95?
How far apart should the posts be?
Is it necessary to use longitudinal rails and if so, what dimensions should they have? And where should they be placed? At the top? Bottom? In the middle? As diagonal braces? We prefer to use as little wood as possible because it gives a bulky appearance.
The question is how to make such a structure stand when it's not built at an angle. It should just be straight. The wind will blow along the fence 95 times out of 100, so it doesn't face the broadside of the wind, but exceptions may of course exist (the wind may not always blow from the west or east, but almost).
All help is gratefully received!
We have 15-20 m of roughly what you want to do. We have 100*100 posts, the longest about 2400. We have used both cast-in-place footings and prefabricated footings later. I think you should dig deep and cast the footings on-site according to best practices, i.e., with a layer of concrete at the bottom, rebar in the middle, casting tube, and post brackets, and make a neat finish just above ground. It always ends up a bit wobbly, so it's best to make it as stable as possible. However, it's possible to get surprisingly stable results even with prefab footings. Buy the long footings and dig reasonably sized holes, i.e., so that you have space to backfill with material, but no bomb craters, as that makes it hard to compact them again. Water when you backfill so the material settles better.
We do have one section braced by being combined with posts and a roof around a patio; a brace at 45 degrees does the trick.
Set the posts at intervals that match the reinforcement mesh you buy. We have about 2000mm between our posts, it could have been both more and less.
Keep in mind that on winter days with a lot of wet snow, the fence can become completely covered, and a gust of wind on that...
We do have one section braced by being combined with posts and a roof around a patio; a brace at 45 degrees does the trick.
Set the posts at intervals that match the reinforcement mesh you buy. We have about 2000mm between our posts, it could have been both more and less.
Keep in mind that on winter days with a lot of wet snow, the fence can become completely covered, and a gust of wind on that...
Well, yes. We've nailed studs between the posts at the top. We used 49*95, one on each side. Although it would have looked nicer with a width of 140 or 170, and also, regular exterior paneling at 22 thickness is more than sufficient. If you're building with pressure-treated lumber, perhaps 28*120 would be okay. But these crossbars don't do much for stability; the reinforcement mesh, however, really stiffens it up lengthwise. I attached the mesh with sturdy staples on the back of the posts. Not the prettiest solution, but it will soon be covered with climbing plants anyway.