Installing picket fencing

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Radio interview source: Tim Long, director of Internet sales, Fence Center

Whether you want to corral your children, surround a garden, or define property lines, a picket fence is a wonderful way to add value to your home and make an architectural statement at the same time.

Wooden fences have a long history. The primary woods used for this purpose are western red cedar, northern white cedar, whitewoods, and treated woods. However, Tim Long is director of Internet sales for a fence company, and says vinyl is replacing wood as the picket material of choice. It's less maintenance and easier to put together.

"The type of material that's most popular with fence contractors is what's called routed and notched material that comes unassembled and then you assemble it on the job site," Long says. "Everything's done by computer so all the rails already have all the holes drilled in the top of them, and they actually lock into place inside the rail as opposed to being mounted to the outside of the rail."