Horizontal and Modern Slat Fences
A horizontal fence runs its boards sideways with an even gap between them. It makes a narrow yard feel wider, suits contemporary and mid-century houses, and can be anything from a see-through screen to full privacy depending on the gap.
It is also the fence style most often built badly. Boards sag between posts, gaps wander, and the fence starts to look tired within a couple of winters. The difference is in the framing.
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Materials for Horizontal Fences
Cedar
Clear or knotty cedar boards, stained to keep their color. The warmest look and the easiest to repair, but it needs stain and careful board selection to stay straight.
Composite
Composite boards in metal posts: no stain, consistent color, hidden fasteners. Heavier, and the most expensive option.
Aluminum
Aluminum slat panels are light, rust-free and exactly straight, with gaps set at the factory. The crispest modern look.
Building One That Stays Straight
Wood boards run horizontally have nothing holding them up in the middle of a span, so the details below are what separate a fence that lasts from one that sags.
Shorter spans
Posts closer together than a standard fence — often 6 feet instead of 8 — or a center stiffener behind each bay, so long boards cannot bow.
Straight, dry boards
Boards picked for straight grain and fastened at every post and stiffener with stainless screws, so they cannot cup or twist as they dry.
Consistent gaps and caps
Spacers keep every reveal identical, and a cap board or metal channel on top keeps rain off the end grain.
Privacy, Gaps and Height Rules
Choosing the gap
A quarter-inch gap is close to solid; three-quarters to one inch lets light and air through but still blocks most views; wider gaps read as a screen. Gaps also let wind pass, which reduces the load on the posts.
Near the street
Many cities cap solid fences near the street at 3 to 4 feet but allow taller fences that are partly see-through. A wide-gap horizontal fence can qualify in some cities — check your city’s rule.
Mixed designs
A solid lower section with wider gaps above, or a horizontal fence on a low retaining wall, can give privacy where you sit without making the yard feel boxed in.
Horizontal Fence Cost
Installed price per foot
Horizontal cedar starts around $78 a foot installed for a 6-foot fence on level ground, against about $58 for a standard vertical cedar privacy fence — the difference is the extra posts, stiffeners and labor. Composite starts around $85.
Upgrades
6×6 posts add about $7 a foot, steel posts about $11, and stain about $7. A matching horizontal gate, built on a steel frame so it does not drop, is estimated with the fence.
Price yours
Choose “Horizontal cedar” or “Composite” in the fence cost calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do horizontal fences sag?
Wood ones do if the spans are long or the boards thin. Shorter spans, center supports and good boards prevent it; composite and aluminum systems avoid it by design.
Are horizontal fences easy to climb?
The boards can act like a ladder if the gaps are wide. For a pool or where climbing matters, use a vertical design or a narrow gap.
Can an old vertical fence be converted?
Sometimes, if the posts are sound and close enough together — but usually new posts are needed. We will tell you after looking at the existing fence.