In Building a Fence, when all conditions are met, everything can be in place as intended prior to beginning the project. For this reason, there are common mistakes to avoid when building a fence that anyone could fall victim to without the proper insight and information.
Give someone a set of power tools and the materials to get the job done, and most people will prefer to work on their homes on their own without hesitation. There is a caveat with this, however, in that proper instruction and guidelines must be met prior to building anything to ensure safety, legality, and correct procedures.
Building a Fence: Quality Is a Must
When it comes to constructing anything yourself, you should always take the greatest pride in your creations. Now, because this is something that has more to do with just creativity and is a part of your home, you will want to ensure that it is of the highest grade and quality that money can buy.
If you do this, then you will have a lasting addition to your home that you and your family can enjoy for years to come. Find the right wood for your location and your climate.
Not all woods are the same. Some are soft, and others are hard. Each type of wood has its own uses and utilities, so it’s important to know what the wood you’re using is mainly used for in building circles. That way, you will know that you were at an industry standard with the wood that you chose, making it the highest quality you can find.
Find the right tools to go along with your build. If you have screws, make sure they are the right length and that their properties are of a high-quality metal that will hold up for long periods of time. The last thing is, make sure to inspect your materials.
You might be purchasing the correct material, but the quality of that grade will be affected by things like cracks, splits, chips, scratches, and breaks. Do this for your tools as well to make sure that you cover everything before purchasing anything.
Treat Your Wood
Most of the time, a good majority of the lumber you buy from a lumberyard or a hardware store will be pre-treated, but you can’t just assume that what you buy will have this added benefit. Make sure you read the labels carefully and check your wood after you pick it up. Also, make sure the wood you have matches up with the label of the stockpile where you got it from.
If the wood isn’t treated, that’s not a big deal either. Sometimes you can find discounts on untreated wood simply because it didn’t go through the processing of cutting and then treatment.
This isn’t a huge blow to your wallet, as you can buy wood treatment that you can apply yourself. Whatever you do, make sure that your wood is treated one way or the other.
This is the single most important part in this step or in any wooden construct you ever make that will ultimately end up outdoors. The weather is not going to be friendly to your wood once it remains outdoors, so it will need multiple levels of protection so that it holds up and always looks its best.
This will begin with treating the wood. Not only will the weather hinder the performance and lasting of your wood, but you will also have other friends who want to infest and move in or eat your raw wood.
Beware of bugs at all costs. Without pre-treated or treated wood that you have made yourself, then you will run into a massive issue as it will only be a matter of time before the bugs make their way into your wood.
Building a Fence: Install the Right Posts
To go along with having the right materials, you should ensure that you have everything that you need and all the right pieces when building a fence. If you invest in posts that are too thin, then they won’t hold well even with cattle panel clips. They will likely snap or rot quickly, leaving you with broken and weakened fencing.
If your posts are too short, then they won’t be able to support your fence, and you will be left with a shorter fence or a fence that doesn’t perform well. You can subtract from the post if it’s too long, but you can’t add to it if it’s already too short.
Which Fence Is Best
Know the lay of the land before building a fence. In more urban areas, you can’t have a full-blown privacy fence. In most cases, the laws state that homeowners are allowed to have four-foot fences in the front yard and six-to-eight-foot fences in the backyard.
You must think about why this is, though. In most cases, you will want a clear view of your front yard and the street so you have a clear view of your area and can see people walking by. The back is more isolated, making it a perfect spot for privacy to do whatever you feel necessary in your own home.
Building a Fence: Keep It Secure
The most important thing you can do before ever going into building anything is finding blueprints that can give you a basic idea of what to do when building. That way, you can have an idea of how to appropriately build your fence or whatever you’re building without complications.
Case in point, if you build your fence and fail to secure the posts in the ground without anchors, you will eventually be in serious trouble in the following months and years. You’ll notice leaning happening in parts of your fence where the water might have collected. Also, rot might set in due to the wood not having been treated.
Check Your Zoning Laws
The last and most important thing that should be mentioned is property lines. Not knowing where your property stands could be a real problem if you accidentally build on top of your neighbor’s land.
You will also want to call ahead of time to check city ordinances and review your zoning laws, and whether you can have a fence at all. In certain situations, like neighborhoods with HOA organizations, building on your property is prohibited unless you bought the house with those constructs previously built on the property.
A build can be a serious endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be. If you study what you are about to get yourself involved in, you could potentially save yourself a lot of time and headaches.
Keep in mind that you might not be able to build a fence based on the local city and state laws and zoning restrictions—but you won’t know until you check. Without proper knowledge of your property lines, you won’t be able to build because you won’t know what you own, so this is equally as important. With that said, hopefully are now familiar with some common mistakes to avoid when building a fence so that you don’t run into any issues.
Inquisitive minds, this is for you! Contact Cat’s Claw Fasteners and reach our Head Cat Collector, Chava, at chava@catsclawfasteners.com for all your inquiries. Stay updated with our blog and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube for more!
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