Not everybody knows their ways around the house. building fences aren’t quite the easiest thing to do either and luckily for most of us, there are plenty of fence companies to choose from.
As with anything else, working with a fence company isn’t always smooth sailing. Not only that the fence company has to do all the physical work, but there are so other things that it should address. But do you know what a fence company is supposed to do?
- Fence estimator visits
Any respected company is going to divide the outside staff into two: the estimators and the builders. In the case of large fence companies, the estimators don’t spend much time with the builders. The estimators have to…estimate and move on to the next project.
The estimator is going to take a look at your house exterior. If you cannot synchronize your schedules, an estimator may come to your property and take a peek unsupervised as well. however, more and more companies don’t send the estimator when you’re not at home. Most of the time, you don’t want to let them unsupervised.
The estimator is going to use a long measuring tape/wheel-type measuring device and run it all the way the fence. They’re going to talk to you about the material, the style, the property line and so on. They may write up a contract right there on the site or they can mail it to you later on.
- The wait
Even if the estimator comes to you rather fast, it’s going to take the builders a lot longer to get to you. It can be somewhere between 4 to 6 weeks but don’t act surprised if it’s even longer than that. It depends on the company, your needs, your location and many other aspects.
The weather may not be great, the company may run short on workers or they don’t find the materials for your fence. Sometimes the excuses are real, sometimes they’re not. Either way, they’re going to delay the building of your fence.
Remember that you need to place an important upfront deposit, signed contract and a fence permit from the homeowner (assuming you’re not the one). Each of the involved parties may cause a delay.
- Pay attention to the utility lines
As you’re waiting, the fence company should call a company to mark the yard so that they can stay away from the utility lines when digging. Should they not do it, you need to address and make them solve the problem asap.
- Installing the fence post
Surprisingly or not, a couple of week before an open “window” of time, the fence company is going to get in touch with you for installing the posts.
The crew is rather small and they’re going to dig post holes, setting the posts in concrete. The whole process runs rather fast. Don’t worry if the posts look rather high. Most of the time, they’re going to be cut down to size later on.
The crew is going to come back after a week for installing stringers (the horizontal pieces), the gates, the fencing materials and everything that your fence needs.
Building a wooden fence on your own? What do you need to know?
If you’re going with a wooden fence, you should think about the lumber you’re going to need for the job.
It’s a great thing if you’re going to build the wooden fence on your own, but do you know what you need for the job? Not all lumber is good for the fence so here are things to keep in mind.
- Specialized lumber products
You may find specialized lumber products that work for various types of wood fencing. Latticework is one of them.
Latticework is, in fact, an open framework that is made of strips of wood, metal or other similar material that is overlaid/overlapped in a regular pattern. If you want a crisscross to look, go with a diagonal orientation. Want a checkboard pattern? Go with straight up and down and straight across. You often see it on decks, porches and gazebos.
Latticework requires better work on the landscape as it works as a privacy screen. Having some vines growing on it definitely helps. If privacy isn’t important to you, you may still use it as a support for vines.
The individual strips of lumber for lattice come in different lengths. They’re pressure-treated, taking the use for a long time.
- Only use rot-resistant materials
You cannot use any type of lumber for your wood fencing. As it’s exposed to the elements, you need to use rot-resistant lumber. Cedar is a common option for the outdoor projects as it’s pressure-treated lumber. You need to paint or stain the lumber for preserving it too.
One can only assume that the fence is going to be visible to the public. This is why you should also pay attention to the overall appearance. most people go with cedar simply because it looks better. however, pressure-treated lumber is cheaper, whereas cedar is pricier.
If you’re going with the pressure-treated lumber, you should wear a facial mask, work gloves and goggles. It’s not a natural wood and it contains many harmful preservatives that you don’t want to have in your body.
Most wooden posts are 4×4 lumber and around 8ft long (some of this length is going to be underground). Panels come in 1.25in thickness and 6in width and their length have to match the height of the wood fencing. Lumber dimensions for the rails are various and you can select according to the style of wood fencing that you use. Sometimes, you can even use the same lumber for the rails and the panels too.
One final thought
Once your fence is done, you shouldn’t worry about taking care of it for a long time. however, more often than not, your fence needs some fixing. You don’t have to replace the whole fence every single time something gets broken.
No matter the brand of your fence, you should consider the fence repairs too. No idea where to begin with? Pick up your phone and dial 970 445 1081, or visit : http://www.fencerepairgj.com/ . You’re in for a great deal!
