In this industry we hear many stories about people who end up in troublesome situations when they are installing a new timber fence.
Whether they replaced it themselves or got someone in to install a new fence, most people make at least one mistake along the way.
To help you avoid the most common mistakes, we put together a list of top mistakes most people make during the fence replacing process.
- Trusting any random company or contractor
Sadly, we see this mistake made too many times to not address it first. Since Auckland doesn’t have a massive range of available fencing contractors or companies, it is so easy to fall into the trap of hiring someone with no experience or who is deceptive.
Getting a builder in to install a new timber fence isn’t a cheap project and choosing the right contractor or company can be extremely important.
We have heard a number of stories where people have hired and paid random contractors to build their fence and the guy never showed up or didn’t complete the job.
How to avoid this mistake:
Before you hire someone to install a fence for you, look up reviews of the contractor/company.
Always meet with the contractor face to face before transferring any money, including a deposit.
Ensure there is another way to contact them other than just a phone number.
Use a contractor or business recommended by a friend. If your friend had a good experience with them, then there is a high chance you will too.
Always check to see if their business is registered.
- Demolishing their fence before having a plan in place
Most people believe they have the time to build a new fence themselves. However, most people start the project and realize half way through that they don’t have the time or the project is too big for them. Then they are stuck with no fence or half a built fence for a long time, while they try and find a builder that is available.
How to avoid this mistake:
Make a plan of what equipment you will need and how much money it will cost you.
Research how to build a fence if you plan on taking on the task yourself and ask someone who has built a fence before to give you some tips.
Get a few quotes from different timber fencing companies and check their wait time. Most of the time it’s better to hire someone to build your fence if you don’t have any experience with fence building. This will save you time and stress.
- Not doing their research
A lot more goes into building a fence than you think. You need the right tools, you must work out how many palings, rails and posts you need and how many hours it will take for you to complete the work.
On top of this, you need to know how to measure up your fence line, if there are any water pipes or power cables on the fence line that you could potentially hit, how far apart to place the posts and how long you need to wait before you put the rails on the posts. These are just some of the things you must know before you start your fencing project.
We also recommend reading our blog on fence regulations and laws to see if your neighbours should split the cost of the fence and other things you may not have known.
How to avoid this mistake:
Go on google and watch many videos on how to build a fence, read articles and ask around. This will help you understand the process of building a fence and will help you decide if you can take on the task yourself or rather get someone in.
- Thinking it will take a day to build
If you watch any timber fencing installation videos, it may seem like a 20-meter fence can be built in a day but do not be fooled.
Many fences longer than a few meters can take up to three days depending on the soil texture and the weather.
Many professional timber fencing builders take three to four days to complete a rather long fence. Bare in mind, they are working on the fence most of the day. Therefore, if you have a long fence line and are only building it on the weekend or your spare time, building a timber fence will take you at least one week or even longer.
How to avoid this mistake:
Start the project over a long weekend or a work break to get the fence up as soon as possible.
Come to terms with the fact that it takes a while to build and prepare for the times you will have to step away from the fence to tend to other things.
Prepare a temporary mesh fence so that when you are busy doing other things there is a clear mesh fence for other people to see where the fence line is.
Make a schedule and set aside an hour or two a day to work on the fence to make sure the fence does not go unfinished.
- Not clearing their fence line of greenery before they get a quote
Most fencing companies require the fence line to be completely cleared before they start work. Even if you plan to clear the fence line before they building, its best to clear the fence line of any overgrown greenery, large trees and other obstructions before, so that the fencing quote can be as accurate as possible.
How to avoid this mistake:
Clear the greenery and obstruction before the quoter comes to ensure that the quoter sees what type of area they will be working with during the fence build. This should ensure a more accurate quote.
- Only starting to clear their fence line 2 days before
If you have lots of trees and greenery in the way don’t make the mistake of trying to cut, remove and dispose of everything in 2 days. Unless you have about four people working on the clearing, you will need at least a week to get a fence line cleared. Even then, if you have many large trees, vines and bushes in the way and your fence line is longer than 5 meters, you will need to start as soon as you can.
How to avoid this mistake:
Save the stress and start even a month before the fencing guys are due to arrive. This will give you enough time to clear the fence line even if there are times where other projects get in the way.
If you would like an estimate quote for our timber fencing guys to build a new timber fence for you, go to our contact page.
