Vertical Hit and Miss Fence Calculator

Estimate posts, rails and boards for a true vertical hit & miss fence — vertical boards alternate front/back with controlled gaps for airflow and screening.

Pick your board width and privacy level. The calculator sets a gap guide and shows how that affects board quantities.

Guide only. Built around standard UK garden fencing practice and stocked timber sizes.

What counts as “hit & miss”

Hit & miss means you have gaps between the boards on each face, and the boards are fitted alternately on opposite sides of the rails. That’s what creates the balance of privacy and airflow.

If the gap becomes equal to (or larger than) the board width, you’ll get direct sightlines through the fence — reduce the gap for proper screening.

Estimate the materials needed for a true vertical hit and miss fence using stocked sizes and standard trade assumptions. Boards alternate front and back with a deliberate gap for airflow and screening.

1

Fence size

Start with the overall run and finished fence height.
Finished height from ground level to the top of the fence.
2

Build options

Choose the post setup and how stiff you want the fence.
Vertical boards are fixed to horizontal rails.
3

Boards & privacy

Set the board width, board length and privacy gap.
Visible board coverage across the run on each face.
We aim for your chosen spacing, then space evenly across the full run.
Selected: 90% Gap guide: — mm Build: true hit & miss
Smaller gap = more privacy and more timber. Larger gap = more airflow and a lighter look. A sensible starting point is board width minus 10%.
Choose the nearest stock length that meets your fence height.
Both faces Quantities assume boards alternate front and back for true hit and miss screening.
Guide only Keep the gap smaller than the board width to avoid direct sightlines.

Estimated materials

A quick summary first, then the full breakdown below.

Detailed material list

Shop the materials

Shop fence posts Timber and concrete post options. Shop fence boards Browse treated timber for vertical fencing builds. Shop treated rails Rails chosen to reduce joins where possible. Shop fixings & postmix Everything needed to install the fence.

Advice & guidance

Planning guidance

In the UK, permitted development rules often allow a fence to be up to 2 metres (≈ 6ft 6in) high without planning permission in rear and side gardens.

If the fence fronts onto, or is adjacent to, a public road, footpath or highway, the limit without planning permission is commonly 1 metre (≈ 3ft 3in).

These limits are usually measured from ground level to the highest fixed point. Rules can vary depending on your council, listed status, conservation areas and local constraints, so check with your local planning authority if building near the limit.

General guidance only and not a substitute for local planning advice.

Installation tips

Set out evenly: mark post centres using the spacing shown and keep the line straight with a string line.

True hit & miss: boards alternate front and back so the gaps are visually screened from either side.

Rails matter: vertical boards rely on strong horizontal rails. Wider bays and exposed sites usually benefit from three rails or more.

Board length: choose a stock length that comfortably meets your finished fence height.

Shop posts Shop boards