Most wood fences that we install, use the brown pressure treated 4×4 wooden posts and cedar pickets. Almost 90% of wood fence failure is caused by the post rotting or being eaten by termites at the ground level. Pressure treated wood is a good answer, but another option we offer is to install steel posts. Typically, the basic fence is cedar pickets but often we add a 2×6 flat cap rail trimmed with a 2×4 and bender board at the top. Tongue and grove redwood pickets are available.
One issue that is occurring more and more is that the cedar material available is wet and when it dries out, it shrinks leaving bigger than normal cracks in between the pickets. Two solutions are available. One is to overlap the pickets such as is done with siding on the house but vertical. The other is to space the pickets about 4” apart and add a second picket over the gap. Both of these solutions ensure that no crack appears between the boards and we consider them worth the extra cost if privacy is important.
Lastly, the horizontal plank fence has become popular. Note the pictures of this type of fence. This uses the more expensive “clear” redwood material but looks very nice.