Getting ready for spring – fencing
There's more to building a good-looking fence than just grabbing some boards and putting them up. It takes planning – and cutting corners now will mean tears, heartache and further expense down the line, so do your homework now and you can relax with a fence that will last for years.
Check your local planning laws. Most fences are permitted to be six feet high, but some communities restrict the height for aesthetic purposes and some new build estates don’t allow fencing for a number of years. Putting up an inappropriate fence can lead to the cost of taking it down again AND a fine from your local council!
Draw a diagram of your property; indicate dimensions, posts and gates. Be absolutely sure where your property boundary is. Many disputes have arisen from questions about whose side the fence is on.
Talk to your neighbours. Your fence will become part of their garden and you'll have an easier time building it if you can access the build area from both sides. Besides, you may get lucky and they'll share the cost with you. Remember they may have precious plants on the fence line and if you damage them, you’ll have enemies, not neighbours, for life.
Consider how existing plants and trees will affect your fence planning. Will you have to cut down that thirty foot magnolia or can you work around it? Remember that roots eventually become a problem if you place posts too close to them.
Decide what purpose you want the fence to serve. Do you want privacy or security? Should it be decorative or confining? Pick what is called a picket fence if you just want to show off your house and mark your boundary. These come prefabricated. Alternatively, you may want to consider the lapped type - it's woven like a basket – but be wary, because the panels tend to shrink a bit with hot weather. You can keep prying eyes out with a board fence which offers the good privacy and is difficult to climb. But there’s one consideration, it's also the most expensive to build. For the ultimate in privacy, style and durability, consider an interlapping board fence. This fence has vertical boards which hold up well in windy areas, and look good from either side.
Fence photograph by gail548, used under a creative commons attribution licence
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