Method to prevent dry rot damage to a wood fence

A method for preventing dry rot damage to a fence, the fence comprising a plurality of posts disposed vertically into a ground surface, a horizontal support plank coupled to each pair of adjacent posts in the plurality of posts, a plurality of pickets disposed on the horizontal support plank and a pair of horizontal rails disposed on the horizontal support plank and configured to support the plurality pickets in an upright position, the method comprising:

• providing a first spacer apparatus, the spacer apparatus comprising:
• a plate comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a front edge, a rear edge opposite the front edge, and a pair of side edges connecting the front and rear edges;
• and
• a pair of end tabs coupled to the plate, each end tab in the pair of end tabs coupled to one of the pair of side edges of the plate and oriented generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the plate, each end tab comprising a first width that is less than a second width of the plate along each side edge;
• disposing the first spacer apparatus on the horizontal support plank so that the plate and pair of end tabs conform to contours of the horizontal support plank;
• disposing the plurality of pickets and pair of horizontal rails on the first spacer apparatus to create a gap between both the horizontal rails and plurality of pickets and the horizontal support plank;
• and
• removing the pair of end tabs from the first spacer apparatus.