In the July 1994 issue, Popular Mechanics published a timeless how-to on making your own picket fence ... We opted for a cedar fence made up of 4 x 4 posts, 2 x 4 rails and 1 x 6 rough-sawn ...

While my neighbors' property lines were neatly set off by picket fences and boxwood shrubs ... overlapping their ends by 6 inches. This is where you'll dig holes for the line posts.

In Trade Secrets' street, there has been a recent rush to knock down old fences and replace them with a traditional picket ... so the spacing between pickets will be exact. Working primarily ...

The rules state only homes that are “abutting” water can have black picket fences along the rear of the property, and all other fencing must be white or tan 6-feet-high vinyl fence.