Introduction
You need to think about plenty of things before building your fence. From its purpose to the permits, you’ll need to get from local authorities. That’s why it’s best to search for a “fencing company near me” and hire professionals for the job. However, before that let’s check out how you can choose the best fencing materials.
The Considerations
- Goal – Before you build any fence, you need to think about its purpose. The same holds when you’re considering fencing materials. For instance, if the fence is just for vanity and for adhering to the regulations set by the local HOA, you don’t need anything too expensive or strong. A simple and expensive white picket fence should do the job. You can get away with cheap wooden slats since they are just meant to make your property look good and increase curb appeal.
On the other hand, if you want a privacy fence or something to confine your kids and pets without your property’s safe bounds, then you need something that’s very strong. Regular wooden pickets from packaging boxes won’t do the trick. You’ll need to consider aluminum or timber as fencing material and may need support structures made from concrete to increase their strength and resilience.
If security is your main concern, you’ll need something that can deter people from entering your property. That means apart from being strong, the fence material needs to delay intruders and make it really hard for anyone to break into your property lines without your permission. For that, you may need to consider steel or wrought iron fencing.
- Local regulations – You may own your home and choose to make any improvement inside your home without the approval of third parties. However, any improvement you’re trying to do to your landscape or outside the walls of your home may be subject to regulation. You’ll need to read up on the local laws and figure out what’s prohibited. For instance, some HOAs have regulations about fence height.
While backyard fences don’t have a lot of restrictions, fencing at the front is limited to a height of 6 feet in many localities. This is done to preserve the aesthetics of the entire neighborhood and prevent depreciation of property value. While this regulation makes sense, some don’t. That’s why you need to check up with your local authorities about the fence plan and material restrictions that may apply. You don’t want to build out of code. Otherwise, you may be slapped with hefty fines.
- Maintenance – Maintenance is another great factor that should be considered while choosing fence materials. While people don’t mind spending a lot of time in their garage fixing their car, cleaning their tools, or just growing some plants in the garden. Most aren’t willing to spend a lot of time on fence maintenance. If you can afford to hire fence repair companies twice or thrice a year for this purpose, maintenance isn’t your concern.
However, most people don’t like to indulge in fence maintenance. If you’re on that list, you better stay away from wood. Even the highest quality timber that has been pressure treated requires more maintenance than most other materials. They have a high tendency to rot and break. If you want low maintenance, you may want to stick to metal or vinyl fencing.
- Weather resistance – Weather resistance is indirectly related to maintenance and should play a major role in deciding the fence materials. If you live in a warm climate, wood may be a great choice. It has fewer chances of getting damaged in a warm and dry climate. On the other hand, vinyl fencing is less than ideal in hot weather since it is susceptible to cracking. Vinyl is usually ideal in temperate conditions.
If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow during the winter, wood is the worst fencing material. It can easily absorb the moisture from the snow and the concrete foundation that’s used to support wooden fence posts can get damaged. For cold weather, steel and galvanized aluminum fencing is the best choice. They can endure several harsh winters before you need to repair them. Basic maintenance gets the job done.
- Cost – When you consider fencing material, your budget is the most important factor. You need to make sure that the upfront cost of the fence material you choose fits the budget. Vinyl is one of the cheapest fence materials compared to timber, steel, and aluminum. If you want to keep it dirt cheap, you may stick to a picket fence that can be DIYed easily after a few tutorial videos.
However, you also need to factor in the long-term cost of fence ownership. While a privacy fence made from wood is cheaper than an aluminum fence, it comes with higher maintenance costs. The cost of long-term ownership is higher, and you need to figure out if you’re willing to pay for it. You have to pay for fence maintenance in the long term since many HOAs fine homeowners who don’t maintain their fences in good condition.
- Aesthetics – You also need to figure out aesthetics while building a fence. If beautification is very important to you, metal and wood fences are the ideal choice. While the vinyl fence has improved over the years and can mimic the look of wood quite well, it still seems fake when put beside a real wood fence.
On the other hand, wood and metal fences look gorgeous when you choose the right design and paint them in an interesting style. Wood fences can even seem majestic if you choose the right stain and style.
Conclusion
You need to consider a lot of things while choosing fence materials. From the purpose of the fence to weather resistance and more. Make sure to use the above-mentioned factors to figure out the right kind of fencing material for your home. To build your fence, you can search for “fencing company near me” and leave it to the professionals.
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