Before the First Post Goes In: What Happens on a Fence Project

Most of the work on a fence project happens before a single hole is dug. The estimate, the boundary question, the permit and the utility marking all come first, and skipping any of them is how a simple install turns into a dispute with a neighbor or a broken water line. Here's the sequence Privacy Fence follows in Northwest Arkansas, so nothing on the day surprises you.

Step one: an estimate, in person or online

Privacy Fence offers free on-site estimates, and it prefers to see your project in person before giving you a number. Standing in the yard shows things a phone call can't: the slope, the trees, the gate location, where the AC unit sits. Alan, who does our estimates, can also include staining in the quote.

If you want a number first, the online design tool lets you enter your address, draw your fence on a satellite map, pick a style, and get an instant quote on the spot. Many people use it to compare styles and rough layouts before the in-person visit, and the quote it gives you is a good starting point for that conversation.

Come to the estimate with a short list: where gates should go, how tall you want the fence, whether you plan to stain it, and anything you want hidden, like an AC unit or a trash area. The more the estimator knows, the more useful the number is. Privacy Fence doesn't publish set prices, because the lot, the slope, the style and the gates all change the answer.

Step two: know where your property line is

A fence belongs on your land, and the crew builds where you tell them. When boundaries are unclear, Privacy Fence recommends finding your property pins or ordering a survey. Pins are the markers set at the corners of your lot. If you can't find them, a surveyor can. The cost of finding the line is small next to the cost of moving a fence that was built in the wrong place.

Step three: permits and HOAs

Rules about fence height, placement and permits differ by town, and neighborhood associations add their own. Privacy Fence handles the entire permit process for you once your project is awarded, so you don't spend a morning at city hall. If you live under an HOA, mention it at the estimate so the design fits from the start.

Step four: Arkansas 811

Before digging on every job, Privacy Fence contacts Arkansas 811 (ARUPS) to have underground utilities marked. Gas, electric, water and communication lines run through yards where nobody expects them. Calling 811 is how a post hole stays a post hole.

Install day

Once the permit is in hand and the utilities are marked, the crew arrives with the materials for your fence. Privacy Fence builds every fence on site, so each section is measured and fitted to your yard rather than delivered finished.

Posts go 24 to 36 inches deep, and most residential fences are finished in one to two days. You don't need to be home while the crew works. Privacy Fence builds with its own materials, and it doesn't use customer-supplied materials, because they almost always turn out to be missing something.

• Posts set 24 to 36 inches deep in wet-mixed concrete.
• Rails and pickets fastened with hot-dipped galvanized nails.
• Gates hung on 6x6 hinge posts with three hinges and 4-inch screws.
• Old fence material loaded out and taken away.

If a fence is being replaced, the old one comes down and goes to a Class 4 construction-material landfill. Privacy Fence never burns old fence material. One Google reviewer noted that the crew left their yard spotless, which says something about how the job gets finished.

Warranty and repairs

Every fence Privacy Fence installs is backed by a 1-year workmanship warranty, and select ornamental metal fences include a manufacturer's lifetime warranty passed through to you directly. The company has been serving Northwest Arkansas since 2003, and its fence repair team handles storm damage, leaning posts and broken gates if something goes wrong later.

Financing is available through Lyon Financial if you'd rather spread the cost out, and Privacy Fence also takes cash, check, and the major credit cards. Ask about it at the estimate so the plan fits the budget from the start.

The easiest first step is the estimate. Call (479) 751-7894 to schedule a free on-site visit, or use the online design tool to draw your fence and get an instant quote today.