With or Without WireDepending on what it has to hold
Boundaries & FrontageProperty lines and open land
Pool ApplicationsWhere the configuration suits it
Custom AvailableNot limited to stock systems
What It Is
The most familiar fence on the East End, and the most variable
Post and rail and board fencing covers a wide range of construction. Two, three or four rails. Boards run flat or set on edge. Rails face-mounted or mortised through the post. Wire behind it or nothing at all. They all get called the same thing, and they are not the same fence.
Property Boundaries
The most common use. An open fence that establishes the line without walling anything off, and reads correctly on larger properties where a solid fence would look wrong.
With Wire
Welded wire behind the rails turns an open fence into a barrier that will hold dogs, keep children in, or meet a pool-barrier requirement. From a distance the wire disappears and the fence still reads as post and rail.
Built to Order
Stock post and rail comes in fixed sizes with rails fixed to the face of the post. Where the property warrants it we build the fence instead — heavier posts, rails mortised through them, detailing at the post tops. The Remsenburg fence was built that way: pressure-treated, 6x6 posts, mortised, rounded post tops.
Photo Gallery
Real Post & Rail / Board Fence Installations
Real Sunrise installations showing custom crossbuck work, traditional board fencing, split rail, round cedar, gates, wire infill and changing grades. Tap a card to see the rest of that job.
2 photos
2-Rail Round Cedar Post & Rail with WireSouthampton, NY
2-Rail Round Cedar Post & Rail with WireSouthampton, NY
4 photos
Custom 3-Rail Board FenceBellport, NY
Custom 3-Rail Board FenceBellport, NY
Custom 3-Rail Board FenceBellport, NY
Custom 3-Rail Board FenceBellport, NY
4 photos
3-Rail Board Fence & GateSpeonk, NY
3-Rail Board Fence & GateSpeonk, NY
3-Rail Board Fence & GateSpeonk, NY
3-Rail Board Fence & GateSpeonk, NY
3 photos
Pressure-Treated 3-Rail Board FenceSouthold, NY
Pressure-Treated 3-Rail Board FenceSouthold, NY
Pressure-Treated 3-Rail Board FenceSouthold, NY
3 photos
2-Rail Split Rail FenceBellport, NY
2-Rail Split Rail FenceBellport, NY
2-Rail Split Rail FenceBellport, NY
2 photos
Split Rail Fence with WireSouthold, NY
Split Rail Fence with WireSouthold, NY
3 photos
3-Rail Split Rail Fence on a Sloping PropertyOyster Bay, NY
3-Rail Split Rail Fence on a Sloping PropertyOyster Bay, NY
3-Rail Split Rail Fence on a Sloping PropertyOyster Bay, NY
3 photos
3-Rail Split Rail FencePatchogue, NY
3-Rail Split Rail FencePatchogue, NY
3-Rail Split Rail FencePatchogue, NY
Split Rail GateSt. James, NY
6 photos
Custom pressure-treated post and rail fence at a Remsenburg NY home
Rails mortised through 6x6 posts, with the post tops rounded off.
The fence carried across the open front of the property.
A long run following the property line.
The run seen in perspective across the lawn.
The fence at the driveway entrance.
5 photos
Cedar 3-rail board fence and custom double driveway gate in Bay Shore, NY
Cedar boards on 5×5 pressure-treated posts, running the length of the property.
The double gate closed across the driveway, continuing the three-rail line.
The fence line following the landscaping along the property edge.
8×8 pressure-treated gate posts, diagonal bracing and agricultural-style hardware.
8 photos
Wide landscape view of a pool-code-compliant post and rail wire fence in Aquebogue, New York
Corner perspective showing the scale of the enclosure and a matching access gate.
Custom gate construction carried through with the same rails and wire.
Straight-on view highlighting consistent rail height and transparent wire infill.
Close perspective of the wire infill and horizontal rail layout.
Matching gate positioned along the residential side of the pool enclosure.
Extended run following the side of the property while preserving visibility.
Wide corner view illustrating the complete custom-built perimeter.
6 photos
Custom pressure-treated crossbuck fence with wire infill in Westhampton, New York
The long run shows how the repeating X-braced sections carry through the open landscape.
A street-side view shows the fence as part of the property frontage.
The corner view shows the crossbuck pattern continuing through a change in direction.
A closer angle documents the pressure-treated frame, X-braced boards and dark wire infill.
A wider landscape view shows the fence sitting low and open against the property.
8 photos
Finished presentation of the custom board fence at the Remsenburg home; only the lawn was digitally finished.
The matching original job-site photograph shows the fence installation before the lawn was digitally finished.
A street-side angle shows the long three-rail rhythm, capped posts and open relationship to the house.
The front elevation shows the fence proportion against the house and the consistent capped-post detail.
A long perspective documents the continuous cedar fascia boards and evenly spaced 6x6 posts.
The corner perspective brings the cedar post caps and layered rail-and-fascia construction into view.
A wider property view shows how the custom board fence frames the frontage without visually closing it in.
A wide view records the full streetscape relationship between the custom fence and the home.
Real Installations
Featured Post & Rail / Board Installations
See post and rail and board fencing we've built on real Suffolk County properties.
The three questions that settle most post-and-rail projects.
Does it have to contain anything?
If the answer is dogs, children or a pool, you need wire. If it is purely a boundary, you do not — and the fence looks better without it.
How close will people be to it?
A run along a back property line, seen from a distance, does not need the same treatment as the fence along the driveway, where every visitor walks past the post tops. That is where custom construction earns its cost.
What is the property doing?
Post and rail suits open frontage and larger lots. On a small lot it can look like a fence that is not really trying. Wood and cedar fencing may be the better path.
Related
Where post and rail sits in the range
These are wood-based systems, so they sit next to our custom cedar and wood fencing — but they are a different category, built differently and chosen for different reasons. If what you actually want is privacy or a solid custom wood fence, cedar and wood is the page to read. Where the fence encloses a pool, it also has to satisfy the barrier requirements covered on our pool fence comparison page, and our Aquebogue installation is an example of exactly that.
Verified Customer Feedback
Reviews from real Sunrise customers
See what customers say about working with Sunrise from the first conversation through the finished installation. Reviews are collected and verified through NiceJob.
Not on its own — an open rail fence has gaps a dog will go through. Welded wire fixed behind the rails solves it without changing how the fence looks from a distance.
Can it be used around a pool?
Sometimes, and only with wire. Rails on their own leave gaps a pool barrier requirement will not accept, and height, spacing and gate hardware all have to work out on the specific property — so it is not a given on every job. Where it does work it looks like our Aquebogue installation.
What is the difference between stock and custom?
Stock systems come in fixed sizes with rails fixed to the face of the post and square-cut post tops. Custom means the fence is built for the property — heavier posts, rails mortised through them, detailing at the post tops. The Remsenburg project shows the difference.
Cedar or pressure-treated?
Both are used. Pressure-treated is the workhorse and takes a stain. Cedar costs more and weathers to grey on its own. Which one suits depends on the property and how you want it to age.
By Purpose
Post and rail sits alongside the rest of our custom wood work
Post and rail and board fencing is wood construction, so it overlaps with cedar and wood fencing — but it is chosen for different properties and built differently. Where it encloses a pool, wire and barrier requirements come into it.
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