6 Mistakes You Should Avoid When Building a Wood Fence
When building your own wood fence, you could make the most costly or worst mistake…
1. Failing to locate underground utilities.
You’d be surprised at how many utilities are actually buried underground in your house. The consequences of hitting one of these underground utilities could range from thousands of dollars to replace the damaged utilities to bodily harm and death if you accidentally hit a buried electrical line.
Check it out for yourself. Do yourself a favour by locating your underground utilities before building your next wood fence.
Another common mistake is…
2. Not burying your fence post deeply enough.
Getting your fence set at 2 feet is important in order to get underneath the frost line and to also prevent heat from pushing the fence post up in the future. You have probably noticed a lot when looking at a straight line of fence that the top is not straight. It more closely resembles a go-kart track (YIKES).
Set your post to a height of at least 24 inches or more, depending on where you live in the country and the type of weather you are regularly exposed to.
3. Using pre-built fence panels available at local home improvement stores.
If you do this, you are not able to contour the pre-bought fence to the ground. Instead, what you will get is an end result that looks like it was stair-stepped. This is not a great look, aesthetically speaking, and it certainly does not end up looking like it was custom-built for your yard. Why not save yourself a headache and have the fence built on-site, allowing you to follow whatever terrain your individual yard has.
The most crucial part of any fence is its gate. You’ll be entering and exiting your yard in the same manner with your family. In order to come and correct it, it’s also one of the most common reasons for contract callbacks. Due to the posts’ impending tilting, warping, or twisting, this is necessary. In the end, it won’t be possible for the gate frame to remain squarely on the ground.
4. Avoid using wood supports and frames.
A fence that uses steel posts, steel hardware, and steel frames is more likely to swing true and correct for a long time.
Related Article: How Can a Wood Deck Add Value to Your Home?
5. Constructing a 4 foot to 6 foot fence transition improperly
Adding this step really doesn’t require any extra time or effort to make the fence look that much more unique.
Building a transition from 6 feet tall down to 4 feet tall over an 8 foot wide section will give a nice gentle slope and ultimately leave the fence looking like it was custom made for the yard as opposed to a “cookie cutter fence” that has just been picked up from a local hardware store.
Unfortunately, this is very common to see: when the 6 foot tall fence wall ends, the 4 foot tall fence will immediately begin without any type of transition. By building a perfect transition, you will give your yard that professional, clean, and custom look that everyone is looking for.
6. Not painting and sealing your wood fence
When you have invested so much money and time in building a wood fence, why would you not want to make it look great and last for years to come?
By making sure not to skip this step, you are ensuring years of life for the wood fence as well as years of enjoyment for your yard for you and your family. That polished, clean look is what every yard should aspire to.
Whether you are building a new wood fence or having a new fence installed, avoid these top 6 mistakes and you’ll end up being the wood fence expert in your neighborhood.
And you can call us to do all of this. We are professionals at repairing wood fences. We will serve as your partner for all of your wood fencing requirements. We have a lot of experience with all types of fences. Our team at M&Y Home Fix & Repair Wood Fences uses quality materials for your wood fence installation.
