I’m in the process of having contractors come in to give estimates on replacing the ugly chain link thing in my yard with a white PVC privacy fence. I’ve received some conflicting information on what to look for, so I thought I’d ask around on the Dope. Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer up. Here’s what I’m interested in knowing about:
I’ve seen fence material with a metal insert along the bottom rail that’s supposed to act like a stiffener and prevent sagging. The guy pitching me on this material (obviously) swears by it. Another contractor says the metal does nothing to prevent sagging and that I should go with his material, which has a beefier, thicker bottom rail. (8 inches vs. 6 inches). What’s better? Metal insert or no metal insert?
Someone else told me that I should look for a guarantee on both the material and the labor that comes from the manufacturer. This sounds odd to me, since I don’t know of too many companies that would risk exposure when they have no direct control over installation methods, etc. None of the contractors I’ve seen thus far have guarantees from the manufacturer that cover labor. They’ll cover the labor of fixing something through the company, but not the manufacturer.
How far should posts go into the ground for a 6-foot fence? One contractor says 3.5 feet, the others are saying 2.5 feet. Is the 3.5 feet overkill?
Anything else I should know about PVC fences or their installation in general? (BTW, I do know that there’s a pretty big difference between the recycled stuff and the new stuff.)
Immediately contact your local weather bureau to find out the winds you are likely to encounter. Vinyl fencing ends up rather widespread above 50knots. Kinda like a Garage Sale on the Ski Slope.
Well, the winds here aren’t regularly hurricane-force or anything like that. (Although Long Island is probably overdue for a big storm…)
My property backs up against a greenbelt that borders a major highway, and most of the houses near me are on 1/3-acre plots. So the houses are pretty close together and I have a lot of trees behind me - I don’t think wind is going to be much of a factor. But thanks for the tip anyway.
If it’s anything like the PVC fence my neighbor put in a few years ago, plan on spending lots of time washing the green crap off of it. That will depend on the weather where you live, things tend to get wet here quite often and there are lots of trees.
I’ve been warned not to use the pressure washer currently gathering dust in my garage to clean the fence. It supposedly will take the finish off.
However, a cleaner like Simple Green, a scrubber sponge and a garden hose supposedly will do the trick nicely.
Really, though, I’m interested in knowing more about how to choose the right material. Anyone have any tips on whether the metal in the bottom rail will really help prevent sagging? Or should I use the contractor recommending the material with the thicker bottom rail?
I don’t know anything about it but there’s a house in the neighborhood with it and it looks like their sprinklers spray the fence and it has turned the white fencing a rust color. It’s definitely water spray and not paint because it only covers the fence in a certain pattern.