# How did you make your cemetary fence?



## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

One of our projects this year is to make a cemetary fence and I'm impressed with all the creative fences I've seen but I don't know where to begin. I'd love some advice on what to make it out of and to see some pictures too.


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## Homestead Haunt (Jun 15, 2006)

I made mine out of 1x2s and 1/2'' PVC....there are several how tos on the Monster pages!


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## guitarist155 (Sep 25, 2007)

i made mine the same way


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## harrison36 (Sep 4, 2007)

same as above, 1x2's and 1/2"pvc. this year plan on adding decorative tops from decorativeiron.com


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## Mr. Halloween (Oct 7, 2007)

i used one inch pvc with a rubber coated metal chain...very cheap!!


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## Rikki (Aug 14, 2006)

I made mine following these directions, basically the same as everyone else but using garden edging as the top (requires a little more work in the measuring department). I just left mine solid black and made it a bit taller.

Haunters Hangout Simple Fence

Here's mine:







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## Great Pumpkin (Aug 23, 2007)

I got mine at Menards for $7.00 per 15' roll. It is a picket fense, just over a foot high.


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## charles f (Sep 22, 2007)

B Scary said:


> One of our projects this year is to make a cemetary fence and I'm impressed with all the creative fences I've seen but I don't know where to begin. I'd love some advice on what to make it out of and to see some pictures too.





I would suggest that you begin with something simple just to get started. 

Just start with one or two sections. In the simplest form you only need one 8-foot piece or 1/2" furring strip to make one 4-foot section. Cut the furring strip to size and mark out where you want to drill the holes for the PVC pipes (I like 6" between the pipes, but some prefer 8. Whatever you like!) Keep the holes straight--they need to line up reasonably well when you slide them onto the pipes.

When the holes are done I just put a small screw in two pipes about 6" from the bottom. The screws support the furring strip. Slip the furring strip down onto the two pipes ("bars"). Then you can just slide the rest of the bars into the rest of the holes. I don't fix anything together permanently--the whole thing comes apart in minutes and is easy to store.

You put on the upper piece of furring strip the same way--it just rests on the screws in the PVC bars. You can connect the sections with metal connecting plates available at Menards, etc. Mine holds up just fine. Paint it black and you have a simple fence that looks real. You can then dress it up any way you want.

Try it out--just starting will give you a hundred ideas on ways to do it better!


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## netsirk (Oct 6, 2004)

I also wanted to start easy...so I got a garden fence from Lowes for about $16-$18 and just painted it black and stuck some of the small styrofoam skulls on the tips. Over the years, I just keep adding more fence. Plus the nice thing about the picket fence, is it is "cheaply" made, so over time, my posts come loose and gives it more appeal


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## Muffy (Sep 25, 2006)

Here are a few pics of our fence. If you are going larger its a project that definately takes a little time. We wanted a tall fence so our panels are 5ft. tall. We started out with a 16x24 ft. cemetery. Ours also was made with 1x2's & 1/2 " pvc. It consisted of fence panels, I think 8, 2 large pillars, 2 small & the gate. 

We got pretty behind in the 2007 season, so the finials did not get put on & we did not make enough pillars. Also the tops of the pillars did not get done & our lights did not get attached to the pillars. We are trying to expand & do some more work on our cemetery this season so it will be ready for the 2009 season when we hope to build a hearse to go in there. I 'm sure if there is one thing we could all agree on.....the cemetery project seems to be a ongoing work in progress!lol

Good luck on yours & please post pictures so we can see how you are coming along.


Muffy


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

Thanks everyone for all the help. I'm off to Home Depot for supplies. I'll post some pictures when I'm done.


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## jkcoop (Oct 11, 2004)

We got real rod iron pieces at a recycle place. So ours is "real" of sorts. It's heavy to deal with and store, but sturdy because there for a while the elementary bus stop was in front of our house. The kids would hang on the fence looking at the graveyard while waiting for the bus.

My husband screws it into the side of the pillars. This year at the recycle place we found black metal arches. So we will hopefully be making that work on the entrance.


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## Scottish Scarer (Jan 5, 2008)

I have not finished mine yet, but I used my son's cot 

Yep, that's right, the wee fella got big, so I got a big hammer and smash, bang wallop, some extra wood, nails, black paint and hey presto.

Mrs SS was well chuffed  until I told her what is what made out of


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## Stranger With Candy (Oct 29, 2007)

I'm working on mine right now. I started using PVC and connectors but it got pricey,fast!! (for me,anyway..I don't have the tools to drill holes etc) So this year I have opted for 1x2's and garden stakes. Doing it this way it is going to cost me 6 bucks per 8 foot of fence and I need 48 feet worth. I've only made 8 foot so far  But it looks good!


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

jckoop -- I had a chance to check out your photos and you are truly an inspiration. Your cemetary is amazing...it's all amazing. 

Wow..just wow!

How did you do the body bags -- I so need to have those this year.


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## jkcoop (Oct 11, 2004)

B Scary said:


> jckoop -- I had a chance to check out your photos and you are truly an inspiration. Your cemetary is amazing...it's all amazing.
> 
> Wow..just wow!
> 
> How did you do the body bags -- I so need to have those this year.


Thanks!

Okay - funny story behind the body bags.....the bags are just clear trash bags from Home Depot - the really large kind, and we poured fake blood in.
Now the bodies....

We really wanted to get mannequins but those are expensive! So we went to an adult sex shop for blow up dolls. My husband and I together - which probably made the whole thing funnier. She kept asking us what features we wanted....we kept telling her, just the cheapest you got - basic model! We told her what we were using them for - don't know if she believed the story or not.

Anyway, we did have trouble with them not holding air. They kept deflating. So this year he is going to fill it with the stuff that keeps tires inflated. We'll see how that works.

After Halloween I took them in the shower to get them clean. That was a bit weird also .


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

jkcoop said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Okay - funny story behind the body bags.....the bags are just clear trash bags from Home Depot - the really large kind, and we poured fake blood in.
> Now the bodies....
> ...



That is TOO funny! Maybe a trip to the "adult store" for some Halloween props will help me entise my dear hubby to help me with my ever growing "halloween to do list!" The slabatorium is a definite!


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## jkcoop (Oct 11, 2004)

B Scary said:


> That is TOO funny! Maybe a trip to the "adult store" for some Halloween props will help me entise my dear hubby to help me with my ever growing "halloween to do list!" The slabatorium is a definite!


Halloween - bringing couples together!


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## Oldsguy350 (Jul 8, 2008)

jckoop -- That graveyard is AWESOME!! Ya'll do a really good job. Now about the fence, I followed what everyone else is saying. Now I did put screws through each of the pvc pipes through the 1x2 boards. You have to store it in the 8 foot sections but it is real sturdy. A bunch of people used the skull whistles for the fenials but the manufacturer stopped making them for now. You may want to use something like these. 

Ornamental Wrought Iron and Decorative Iron at DecorativeIron.com

I was thinking of adding a few more sections to mine. I got lucky and found a couple dozen skull whistles on ebay so they are still out there. 
All the sections on my fence are 5 1/2 ft high and 8 ft long. I spaced the PVC 8 in apart and it works fine keeping the kiddos out. I also made an 8 ft tall gate for the driveway. I just pound 3 pieces of rebar in the ground for each section and that helps hold it in place. The pvc slips right over it. Well good luck on it. 

Here's mine:


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## Stranger With Candy (Oct 29, 2007)

very nice!!


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

Oldsguy -

Your yard looks great. Love the fence and gate. Thanks for the heads up on the whistles. I've been searching and couldn't find them so your link was very helpful!


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## jkcoop (Oct 11, 2004)

Oldsguy350 said:


> jckoop -- That graveyard is AWESOME!! Ya'll do a really good job. Now about the fence, I followed what everyone else is saying. Now I did put screws through each of the pvc pipes through the 1x2 boards. You have to store it in the 8 foot sections but it is real sturdy. A bunch of people used the skull whistles for the fenials but the manufacturer stopped making them for now. You may want to use something like these.
> 
> Ornamental Wrought Iron and Decorative Iron at DecorativeIron.com
> 
> ...


That's great! Do you have an automatic gate opener attached to that?  We need a gate on ours - we just seem to run out of time every year to get it done since we get so side tracked with other projects.


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## icetross911 (Aug 8, 2008)

My suggestion for the fence is to keep it in 8 foot sections (makes storing the fence during the off season much easier). 

Now, on my travels this time a year I stop by the local 84 lumber, Lowes, Home Depot and look for fencing that is eaither damage or for sale - I buy it and make the fence. I have 8 - 8 foot fence sections that cost me under $50.


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## Haunted Host (Aug 25, 2007)

My cemetery fence is similar to many of the others, but I used 1/2" CPVC rather than 1/2" PVC. It's thinner and a little more flexible, so it made it easier to work with and my sections are lighter. Here's a daytime shot of my fence...


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## Rikki (Aug 14, 2006)

HH, I really like how you made your posts different heights. It really added more dimension to the fence.

And Icetross, very nice picket fence! It certainly looks like something you'd see outside an old run down house/cemetery.


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## Haunted Host (Aug 25, 2007)

Thanks Rikki! I wish I could say the idea was all mine, but I first found it here. I made my own dimensions and did many things differently, but the overall look I got from that website.  I think that the design gives it a more gothic feel which is really the basis of all my decor. I really should weather my fence, but I've chosen not to yet... that might come in a future year.


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## rockplayson (Jun 7, 2008)

I'm afraid to make my own fence. But It's something I'm going to try this year.
Thanks for all the ideas dudes.


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## KimilyTheStrange (Aug 14, 2008)

I wanted to build the fence like Host has but didn't have the funds for it due to needing 120' of fence. I love wrought iron!! (Ok, I love the 'look' of wrought iron too, heh)
So instead we are using old cedar fence that is roughly 20 years old. When we replaced our cedar fence, on one side of the property, we kept all of the cedar fence panels to use in different projects. We had mainly 6' fence but some 4' tall fence sections as well.
We are taking the 1" x 6" x 4' boards and cutting them lengthways into 3 pickets. The 6' boards, which are also 1" x 6", we also cut into 3 sections longways to use as the rails for the fence.
I have to make 30 sections, which will be 6' length each, and I have 6 sections done, so far. So far the only thing it is costing us is the price of the staples my dad is using for his air stapler, to put it together. 
I will take pictures today and post them.


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

Kimily .. Can't wait to see pictures. The fence sounds great. Looked at your prop pictures and love the candles! Would you mind sharing the "how-to" ? What type of glue did you use for the wax? 

Thanks.


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## KimilyTheStrange (Aug 14, 2008)

Jimmy did a How-To for the Candles that you can find here http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/68856-pvc-flicker-candles.html

He (and I) used Hot melt glue for the dripping wax. 

I totally forgot to take my camera over to my parents, where we were building the fence, and I was too tired to remember to snap shots before I off loaded it at my house, soooooooo no fence pic's yet. I will get some before Oct 1st... hopefully!!


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## SpectreTTM (Jul 7, 2004)

I used PVC and I heated the bars up with an Electrical Heating Element.


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## guitarist155 (Sep 25, 2007)

SpectreTTM said:


> I used PVC and I heated the bars up with an Electrical Heating Element.


how did you attach the fence to the larger pvc and did you make or buy the skull end caps?


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## Tish (Aug 5, 2008)

I love all these fences. We are taking down our white picket fence and replacing it with a real wrought iron fence, fairly soon, I hope. (Any home improvement people out there? You might know that these projects never really end! You just drag it out forever...) If we don't get it done by October, I might want to make one of these. I think they look great. Now, here's a dumb question. Why don't you leave it out all year long? Is it because they won't hold up to the elements well? I would be seriously tempted to leave one out all year.


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## SpectreTTM (Jul 7, 2004)

The Skull Caps were originally Skull Flask Lights. I Epoxied them onto 2" end caps.

I attached the Fences to the Posts with 1" L Brackets.


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