It might not seem like a difficult decision, but finding the right fence can be hard to do. In addition to choosing a picket style, a color, and a height, you might also be concerned about abiding by city and neighborhood ordinances. However, all of these decisions are easy if you choose the right fence contractor. A few years ago, I found a great contractor who helped us to create a beautiful, functional backyard in a few weeks. Read this blog for more information about fences, contractors, and design styles that you won't regret a few years down the road.
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Installing a fence is an ambitious but manageable DIY project. Most fences, whether they are wrought iron or vinyl, have a modular design. That is, the manufacturer makes them so most of the pieces can be attached to each other with minimal cutting or power tools. The most difficult and part of the entire job is installing the posts into the ground. In order to have a durable, sturdy fence, you need to make sure your posts are strongly planted in concrete footings. This article explains the best way to pour concrete footings for heavy wrought iron fences.
Digging the Holes
The first step is digging the hole. Of course, the difficulty of this just depends on your soil. You can use a traditional spade shovel, or a post digging shovel. Posting digging shovels are extremely convenient, but they aren't the best if you have tough dirt, especially if there are some big rocks that you need to get out of the way.
There are no set rules for how big your hole should, because it largely depends on the strength and consistency of your soil, but you should make sure your footing is plenty deep. For instance, to be safe, you can dig your hole half as deep as the fence will be tall. So, if you want a 6' tall fence, dig a 3' tall pole. This means that you will need at least a 9' tall post. But, it is important that you buy a post that is actually longer than 9' so you have some wiggle room.
Pouring the Concrete
The trick to pouring concrete footings is to mix the concrete and water together as you are pouring them into the hole. That is, don't mix them together beforehand. This is a two person job. One person can mix the concrete and water while other holds the post level. This is where it is important to have a post that is taller than it needs to be. Once the concrete dries in the post is in place, you can cut off the extra height off the top. This way you don't need to be exact when setting the post as the concrete dries around it.
As you can see, installing a fence can be physically demanding work, if only because of the labor required for the concrete footings. However, once you master pouring footings and installing the posts, you can do just about any fence.
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