Home Improvement Blog Improving Your Home And Your Life

You have a plot of land you wish to enclose. First you need to ask yourself for what purpose. If to retain horses or livestock, you might need to consider an electrified fence. For domestic pets such as medium or large dogs, a chain link fence might be your best bet. Perhaps you simply wish to liven up your yard or establish/highlight property lines for your neighbors.

Regardless of the original purpose, always buy a fence at least one level stronger than you would image necessary. A sturdy fence will never be a poor investment, cheaping out always will be. Fences can last from 5-100 years depending on the materials used, the extent to which they are installed, and of course, the environment they protect. The best material to use for a lasting fence that combines functionality and aesthetics in my opinion is cedar.

Over the years, split rail cedar fences turn a beautiful soft silver while its structural integrity holds strong. If a rail is broken by a charging bull or other intense force, simply replace the damaged rails rather than having to re-due any posts or even worse, an entire section as you might with other fences.

If you have a tighter budget, consider vinyl fencing. Typically three rails high, vinyl fencing is a great solution for retaining large animals only (as a dog or cat can easily run under). Vinyl fencing gives a little when leaned on as opposed to wood or metal. One neat feature about vinyl fencing is the customization abilities. Being a simple assemble with no specific holes or grooves, vinyl fencing can be cut down to any desirable length making a curved edge possible as well as a lower one if you cut down the posts. Vinyl fencing however is best installed with cement poured in around a foot and a half deep. This is quite an undertaking and if indenting to install the fence yourself, the best way to dig is with a Little Beaver Earth Auger which should not be hard to rent.

Plastic Fence Installation:
If installing a PVC, vinyl, or fiberglass fence, you’ll need to secure with cement. Mix on site as you have the need to keep from wasting mix if it dries up. Dig the hole about five inches larger around each side of the post when in the ground, making about a 15” diameter hole. The depth of the hole should be a minimum of 16” deep. Depending on how high you want your posts to stick up, dig deeper as desired, but not never shallower than 16”. Put the posts in before pouring any concrete, making sure the bottom of the hole is flat and adjusting the depth so the top of the post is level with all previous posts.

When the post is in place, apply pressure on the top to keep it from shifting as you gently distribute shovelfuls of mixed concrete. Fill the hole up to five inches from the surface of the ground to allow grass to grow of top in the future. Before joining the rails into the slots, pour two or three shovelfuls of concrete down the center of the post to further secure its position. Connect the rails before the concrete has hardened to for easy of installation.

Any Fence:
Regardless of the fence type or materials, always establish a line from your start to end point. Walk along the line and mark where your holes will be dug ahead of time to ensure a consistent line and proper spacing. Keep in mind slopes, creeks, boulders, and too hard or soft of ground will create detours in your fence line and ought to be well thought out before laying even the first post.

Never dig all the holes at once. Only dig the next hole as you have installed up to it. It is easy to get off track which skews all the future holes, so doing them as your rails extend to as you build the fence ensures a perfect hole location.