Drive through any North Texas neighborhood and you’ll see two privacy fence styles over and over: side-by-side (pickets butted edge to edge) and board-on-board (overlapping pickets). Here’s what actually separates them, and how it affects your material list.
Side-by-Side: The Standard Build
Pickets are installed edge to edge in a single layer. It’s the most economical style and goes up fast. The trade-off: all wood shrinks a little as it dries, so small gaps open between pickets over the first seasons. For most backyards that’s cosmetic, but if total privacy matters, it’s worth knowing up front.
Board-on-Board: Full Coverage That Stays Full
Board-on-board overlaps each picket over the gap between the two behind it. Even after seasonal shrinkage, there’s no sight line through the fence. It also reads as more substantial from both sides — a ‘good neighbor’ style with no bad side. The cost is more pickets per foot and more labor, so budget accordingly.
What It Means for Your Material Count
Board-on-board typically requires roughly half again as many pickets as a side-by-side fence of the same length, plus the same posts and rails. Some builds also add a rot board along the bottom and a cap-and-trim detail up top, which changes the list further. Bring us your fence line measurements and style, and we’ll build the takeoff with you.
Which Should You Choose?
If budget leads, side-by-side in a quality cedar picket is a great fence. If privacy and street presence lead, board-on-board is worth the extra material. Either way, cedar pickets keep the fence straighter and better looking over the long haul in Texas heat.
Ready to get started? Visit Dallas Cedar at 4233 Forest Lane in Garland or 2110 W Division St in Arlington, or call us to talk through your material list. We deliver across the DFW metroplex.