Types

• One Aspect of Planning: Planning the Dip
  
  Several types of planning can be used to layout a fence. One type requires a site level and a rod man. By placing the level at a pre-determined spot and placing the rod at different spots around the perimeter of the proposed fence line, a height of the fence can be determined. This will tell you if the fence posts will have to be a certain height to meet the lay of the land. Most people will simply mark the starting point with a wooden stake and use heavy string to mark the perimeter of the fence.
  
  

Size

• Sizes Vary the Plans
  
  Size affects fence planning in a profound way. If the fence is to have substantial height, then planning will call for more support in the ground. If height and length are factors, even further planning is needed due to wind shear and other aspects that will test its strength. If the fence is a simple picket fence around the garden or front yard, planning will involve much less work as far as ground preparation goes, but might require detail planning if the pickets will be of a personal design.
  
  

Function

• Protection
  
  A beautiful tree at the corner of the front yard needs protection from the traffic that whizzes by every day. The planning of a fence such as is needed here will have to be different from the privacy fence around the back yard. This will have a function that is unique in itself and will require planning that involves protecting the tree from the constant barrage of wind created by the cars and trucks that pass by.
  
  

Features

• Feature: Angled Fence Posts
  
  In the planning stages of a fence, many ideas will be suggested for the features of the fence. Some will include cutting the top of the posts at an angle to keep water from pooling up on them. The pickets of a privacy fence may need to be dog-eared for a stylish look. The features of a picket fence are usually personal in nature and require planning down to the smallest detail. Curves along the top of the fence, pickets placed inside and outside of the rails, and caps on the fence posts are all features that will affect the planning stages of a fence.
  
  

Geography

• Geography Affecting a Fence
  
  That slope in the back yard needs a fence to keep critters out of the garden. The geography of this fence means thinking differently in the planning stages. The fence that the city puts up next to the street in an attempt to animals out of high traffic areas also mean different thinking is required. If the geography is something other than relatively smooth, it will involve more thought and planning. Some of the ideas will entail the depth of the hole for the post as well as the way the post is set.