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This fence was built with angled boards. The guy who did it said that would help with wind resistance. The fence is about 90 feet long, and the part of it down the fence line gets hit pretty hard when there are heavy winds. (The area closer to the camera in the first pic is sheltered more because of the houses.)

The second image shows how the boards were angled. The fence is about 7 feet tall.

The posts are metal.

Will this style of fence help with wind resistance? I'm not sure how angled boards, versus boards that are side by side, will make much of a difference, since the wind will be pushing against the fence no matter what. There are no gaps to allow air through.

Edited because someone said in the comments that it looked like he was building a shiplap fence, but after looking up shiplap fences online, it doesn't seem like it was a correctly built one. This Imgur album shows how the boards were put on. They're not wedge-shaped, and they weren't made to fit together -- they're basic fence boards that you would normally put flat against the rails.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vj2UE.jpg

fence line

enter image description here

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    I don’t see how lapping the boards would make any difference at all since there are no air gaps. I have not seen this done before and would think it would cause the boards to cup more than the ones that are nailed flat edge to edge.
    – Ed Beal
    Feb 23, 2016 at 20:01
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    Looks like cargo cult carpentry. This is a fence built by someone who once saw a wind-damage resistant fence and has copied the look without understanding why.
    – A. I. Breveleri
    Feb 23, 2016 at 21:05
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    It seems like you would need gaps between the boards to allow some of the wind through to relieve the strain. Otherwise it is just a big sail.
    – ArchonOSX
    Feb 23, 2016 at 21:15
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    @A.I.Breveleri : Cargo cult carpentry! I like that. Very funny. I assume the boards should have had gaps between them to allow air through? I also assume it would be possible to do that while maintaining privacy. Also, given the height of the fence, should I be concerned that heavy winds could knock it over, since there's more surface area to push against? The previous fence was 6 feet high.
    – Brad Cook
    Feb 23, 2016 at 22:28
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    For simple wind resistant fence, I've seen most people do a staggered vertical louvre with the boards staggered on either side of the horizontal stringers with a gap on either side about 3/4 the width of the slat. Angled louvre is a little more difficult to mount, one way is to have angled dadoes in the horizontal stringers that cap the slats top and bottom, leaving an air slot between the slats. The stuff in the picture is just goofy.
    – Fiasco Labs
    Feb 25, 2016 at 2:53

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If you mean will it block wind, then yes & quite well. If you mean will it hold up in the wind, as you indicate in comments, then yes it will but not long. However, the construction problems you mentioned don't have me convinced either that the boards will stay on past 5-years. Amongst many other components, due to that haphazard nailing.

2 other concerns are that it's seated on the ground & the bottoms (& up to 3') will rot out & look like termite damage in under 10-years...wetness wicking already witnessed by the camera. And, being over 6' tall is likely a local code violation. Which, frankly is a good thing because it's your only possible avenue of recourse in getting it removed or at least done a little closer to right.

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  • When you say "yes it will but not long," can you give specifics? RE the fence height: Our county has an eight-foot height restriction, from what I saw on their web site. Thanks for answering.
    – Brad Cook
    Feb 25, 2016 at 17:59
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    8-feet, baby that's a new one on me...without zoning variances. Yeah, I agree with you on the construction & the installation is poor to boot. If he couldn't manage to get the surface nails right (should be aluminum or stainless steel recessed below the surface), then did he even use bigger nails or screws to attach any panel to each other or to the posts? After seeing his work very minimally, I have to question all of his work. Did you want a different look or why didn't he go with standard pre-fab panels that are done right?
    – Iggy
    Feb 25, 2016 at 18:10
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    Oh, oh, oh. Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed & try not to think about the construction & such. The posts are the real pain, so if the panels develop problems you can pop new ones in yourself...the big stores deliver. Enjoy it while it lasts & maybe you move out before there's ever an issue & maybe it lasts. Sometimes we're too critical here & other times we're not critical enough.
    – Iggy
    Feb 25, 2016 at 18:41
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    Huh? Really? Wow, what an idiot! Well, if needed in the future you would just cut each section out as needed, since his cross members might run on 3 posts instead of 2. There's definitely enough nails that you wouldn't be affecting any other part of the fence. Even if he also only has 1 connection at each post instead of 2 (1 on either side of the post), you would easily address that with some screws or nails. But yeah, that guy's a real winner.
    – Iggy
    Feb 25, 2016 at 20:07
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    Yep, cross member rails are what actually constitute a panel, so you'd actually just take that whole panel out for full replacement. On the other hand, also yes, individual boards can be replaced as needed & even an entire panel's boards can be replaced as long as the cross members are still solid. Thirdly, yes again, boards butted against each other is the best way because it allows the above replacements most readily. But, there's every gap, space, orientation, overlap, overlay, applique, inlay, cut-out & just plain cross members design you can imagine. His isn't standard, but it's common.
    – Iggy
    Feb 25, 2016 at 23:02

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