Build Your Own Fence (With a Little Help)

Fence building has long been a popular project with do-it-yourself types, and these days it can be easier than ever. Home improvement stores have rows of prefabricated vinyl, aluminum and wood fencing, and most may even write your shopping list for you if you give them the dimensions of the fence you want to build.

Fence Building: It's Work

"Easier than ever" is a far cry from "easy as pie." The how-to of fence building is pretty basic, but the labor required remains substantial, because no matter how simple it is to use the pre-fab fencing materials, you still need to install fence posts every six to eight feet. Even for a relatively small yard, say 50' x 50', that's at least 20 fence posts, each requiring a hole at least two feet deep by a foot wide, plus 50 pounds or more of gravel or concrete per hole, plus the patience required to set 20 fence posts perfectly plumb. That's a lot of work.

Save Yourself a Backache!

To save yourself significant time and effort, consider hiring a contractor to set your fence posts for you. While this is obviously more expensive than setting them yourself, it should still cost quite a bit less than hiring someone to build the entire fence. A fencing contractor should also possess the equipment and experience to get the job done in a matter of hours, not days, so that you can have your fence up in a single weekend.

And a Headache

An experienced fencing contractor should also be familiar with local building codes and utility companies. They can handle the permitting process, if required by your town, and can arrange to have the utility companies come out and locate and mark underground water, power, phone and T.V. lines.