Thursday, June 18, 2009

Things To Do Before Putting In A Chain Link Fence

By Carey Ewes

There are several things to do before putting in a chain link fence on a property. People put these fences in for various reasons, including that they can help enhance the security of small children and family pets, which is a good thing. They also can act as real boundary lines between co-located tracts of land. Remember to take a few simple steps, though, before installation.

Before beginning installation, though, keep in mind that most municipalities will require zoning or building permits. Some towns, for example, want fencing only of a certain height or type, so check with the local building department before beginning work.

Many of municipalities have regulations as to height of fencing, and also types allowed so check on those first. In addition, always ensure the fence will be put down on the correct property line, in cases where it'll be acting as a property border.

After the paperwork is gotten out of the way, pace off or otherwise measure - in linear feet - how much fencing is going to be needed. It'd be a shame to buy too much, or too little, fence. This little slip-up has served to aggravate many a builder over the years. Besides, once it's known how long the fence will be, an idea about where to place gates can be formulated.

In all cases, never forget to contact the utility companies, who may have power or gas lines buried beneath the ground. In fact, it's mandated by law in many states and communities that determination of any sort of utility line - including phone, cable, water, power, gas and the like - be made prior to any sort of digging, regardless of the reason, commencing. There's usually a toll-free number which can be called to find out about any lines.

This is mandated by law in many localities these days, for the safety of everybody. In most cases, there's a toll-free number which can be called to ascertain the presence of any lines. Call it before starting up.

After all of the above activities have taken place, the work involved in actually laying down a fence can then proceed. Intelligent and thoughtful preplanning that has a process for dealing with issues prior to the commencement of work can help to eliminate most aggravators that might crop up, and this can't be a bad thing. Plus, the odds of hitting a buried power line will be greatly reduced, which is an added safety benefit.

Posts need to be in a hole that is deeper than 12 inches so they can stay firmly in place. Don't just bury the posts in dirt that will not help matters - without concrete it won't work.

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