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Get Prepared For a Spring Fence by Planning Now |
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You may think that the best time to think about putting up a fence or maintaining the fence you have are the months between March and November. I would argue that now, December through February is the optimum time to plan a fence as well as to look and access the damage your fence incurs during the harshest time of the year.
by PeterZeitlin
You may think that the best time to think about putting up a fence or maintaining the fence you have are the months between March and November. I would argue that now, December through February is the optimum time to plan a fence as well as to look and access the damage your fence incurs during the harshest time of the year.
Making plans is harder when there are more distractions. The colder months have always been useful for planning and taking stock, so consider walking around the area you want to fence. Look for possible issues, such as property lines and tree roots. These will be trouble later, but they can be easy to spot on bare winter ground.
Forget about the digging and concrete post setting for now. The ground is too hard and it's cold outside. But you can measure. Research the kind of fence you need for your space. Would pre-built panels get the job done faster, or is it really more of a scratch job. You might even find that you could do a little of both to get what you want.
You will want to consider the materials available for fencing in your part of the country. Remember that not all types of wood are suitable in all climates, due to issues with water or insects. Your local library, the internet, as well as various books and magazines all offer good advice as you conduct your research.
Next, consider your budget, and determine what materials options you can afford. In the event that you need to use cheaper materials, leave enough budget for a good all-weather sealer to apply to the wood. This will increase its lifetime of service, but is also a pretty time-intensive step.
Fence post caps are another excellent way to protect your fence investment. While being a decorative finishing touch, post caps and finials also help to keep the ends of posts from being penetrable by water and insects. Post caps can be installed in the winter months without too much work, but most companies recommend that you use an adhesive to affix them, so keep in mind the glue setup properties in cold, wet weather.
Frozen water is a real enemy of a wood fence. As water penetrates a post and freezes, it expands, causing cracks to form, which later become harbors for damaging termites or insects. Wet Winter weather is a great time to walk and inspect your existing wood fence, looking for signs of frozen rain damage.
Though wood is definitely still the most preferred type of fence there are other options as well that include metal fencing such as wrought iron or aluminum and vinyl fencing. Though metal tend to be made up of open slats, the vinyl more closely resembles what you can get in a wood fence whether that be a picket or privacy fence. Whatever you choose to use, now is the time to make plans for the coming year.
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