Aluminum is an excellent option whether you are installing a fence for the first time or replacing an old, worn-out fence. This attractive, low-maintenance material offers a wide range of benefits for yards of any size, making it the preferred choice of many homeowners. If you haven't had a fence professionally installed before, then you may be wondering what steps you need to prepare. How much will it cost? Is any landscaping required? What difficulties are your contractors likely to face?
Keep reading to discover the answers to these questions so that you are fully prepared for your new fence installation.
Cost and Time
There's good news on the cost front: aluminum fencing is an inexpensive option, especially when compared to iron and wood fences. The relatively low cost of aluminum fencing means that your materials costs will be less than they would be with most types of wood. Aluminum fence panels also come from the factory pre-cut and colored, which means spending less on preparatory labor. Combined with the lower maintenance costs, this means that your new aluminum fence will generally cost less than most of the alternatives.
Installation time can also vary depending on the size of your property and any unusual placement problems. As a general rule of thumb, you can expect professional contractors to complete 100 feet of fencing in 2–3 days. Some contractors may choose to work longer or shorter days, so make any time constraints clear to your installer.
Preparing Your Yard
One of the first things that your installer will do is survey the location for your new fence. If your yard has many steep grades, then some extra work may be required, but most aluminum fencing is rackable. Rackability is a term to describe fence panels that can be installed on an angle to accommodate grades. Rackable panels allow you to keep your fence looking flush even when it is installed on the side of a hill. Your installer will let you know if any of the hills on your yard are too challenging to work with, but aluminum fencing can accommodate most types of terrain found in a typical suburban yard.
Potential Difficulties
The best part about working with a professional installer is that experience fence contractors understand the problems that they may face during a typical installation. In general, buried utility lines (power or plumbing) are the most substantial issue that you are likely to encounter. Your installer will want any information you have on the position of lines before beginning. If you don't have this information, then it may be necessary to adjust the location of the fence so that poles can be buried to the proper depth. Aside from this issue, you can expect most fence installations to proceed smoothly.
For more information, contact aluminum fencing installation services.
The decision to put up a fence is a big one, but it is followed by several more smaller decisions. How tall do you want the fence to be? What material should you choose? What kind of gate do you want, and where should it be placed? The more you know about fencing in general, the better able you will be to answer these questions. And after browsing our website, you should feel very knowledgeable about fencing, indeed. The articles we've compiled here will shed light on the benefits of different types of fencing, the proper fencing heights for various purposes, and more. Start reading — we hope you enjoy what you find.