Are you in need of fence repair or replacement on your property, or are adding an entirely new fence, and are anxious to get the project underway? While you can have this done fairly quickly, there are important points to consider before you hire a fencing contractor. Arming yourself with knowledge and being prepared for the nuances of residential fencing will help you avoid problems during and after construction.
1. Ensure Your Fencing Contractor Has Liability Insurance
The first thing you want to do when talking to fencing contractors is confirm that the company you want to hire has a general liability insurance policy. A reputable contractor will be able to easily produce a Certificate of Insurance for their policy upon your request.
Why is general liability insurance important? Let’s say the contractor is walking around the side of your house with a ladder, they trip, and the end of the ladder goes into a window of your house. This would be covered under the contractor’s insurance policy, and you don’t have to make a claim with your Homeowner’s Insurance policy. At Integrity Fencing, we issue a copy of our general liability insurance attached to our bid.
Be aware that not all contractors have general liability insurance. This is very important protection to have when people are working around your home.
2. Confirm Underground Utilities are Located and Marked
This is another important step to take prior to any construction on your property that involves digging into the ground. Underground utilities must be located and marked so the contractors are aware of where utilities are before digging.
Your contractor should contact the appropriate utility companies prior to construction and have them come out to your property to mark the locations. This is a free community service that anyone can use—the number is simply 811. In the Denver Metro Area, your contractor will talk to companies like Comcast, CenturyLink, Xcel Energy, and Denver Water for utility locations on your property. While you as the homeowner can call to do this, every contractor has to pull their own record of this utility locate, not just the homeowner.
Some underground lines are within 18 inches of the surface. They are easy to hit, and something like an internet line could be knocked out; a major inconvenience to people working from home. If a fiber internet line is hit, it is extremely expensive to repair.
You might hear your contractor say they need to “pull locates”. This means identifying utility line locations. As you can see, it’s extremely important that you ensure utility lines have been located before any fence repair or replacement starts.
You will know this has been done when little flags and paint marks show up on your sidewalk and lawn.
3. Identify Property Lines Before Fence Repair or Replacement
A common issue that arises with residential fences is property lines. A misstep here can lead to a host of issues that can escalate to a legal situation. Your fencing contractor needs to know exactly where your property lines are prior to starting work.
Newer houses will have the property lines marked by a pin on the sidewalk, and then it’s easy to also find the rear pin at the back of the property. Integrity Fencing has a metal detector on hand to locate property pins. But with older properties there is most likely not a pin to locate, and some investigation will be required. The homeowner will need to find a plot plan with their county assessor’s office. Sometimes, the county office may refer to the city office, it just depends where the plot plan was filed.
If the property is quite old, and there is question about the accuracy of the plot plan, a foolproof way to identify property lines is to call in an Improvement Location Certificate (ILC) survey. This will give you all the accurate, and legal, property pin corners, which are needed to lay down fencing. There is a cost associated with this service, but not as much as a full-on land survey.
A good rule of thumb to follow for fence placement is: if both neighbors share in the cost of the fence, the fence can be built on the property line, splitting the two properties. If one neighbor is paying for the fence, it should be built six inches inside the property line. This ensures the fence is well within the property line and helps avoid disputes later, especially if the neighbors change over. Another rule of thumb is: when a fence is torn down, put it back where you found it.
4. Mark Sprinkler Heads in Yard Before Digging for a Fence Project
Help your contractor out by marking sprinkler heads anywhere near where the fence is being constructed. It’s best to do this with flags. This is all part of the preparation and knowledge that helps avoid potential issues when building a fence.
5. Remove Debris and Obstructions from Around Fence Line
You will want to remove anything from around the fence line prior to your contractor’s arrival. Clear at least two feet on each side of the fence. This includes trash, tree branches against the fence, decorative items or bird houses hanging on an existing fence, and generally anything in the way of the fence building.
Assess to see if trees that are close to the fence need to be trimmed back. If you are putting in a brand-new fence and there’s a tree in the way that you want to save, the contractor can put a box around it with the fence.
Preparation Makes for a Smooth and Safe Fence Repair or Replacement
By following the steps listed above, you are covering the necessary bases before starting a fence project. Taking safety and legal precautions can save you a lot of angst, and even money, down the road if something were to go awry.
