No matter how well made your current fencing is, no matter who you buy it from and no matter how well it’s installed, like anything else, it will eventually require replacing. Sometimes the reason for replacing your fencing has nothing to do with age or decay but has everything to do with a particularly severe storm or even changes happening within your household.
Whatever the reason, nothing lasts forever and that includes fences. That is why I put together some things you need to consider when the time comes to replace your fence.
Local Zoning Laws
One of the most important things to consider before replacing a fence, or building a new one, is to check your local zoning laws to see if you need a permit to replace an existing fence or add one where there wasn’t one before.
Even if you plan to use the same materials and plan to make the new fence the exact same height as the old one, you still need to get a permit before you start building your new fence.
The biggest mistake homeowners make is replacing a fence without checking their local jurisdiction and end up spending a sizeable amount of money in fees to fix this mistake. The same is true for homeowners who are required to adhere to guidelines from their local Homeowner’s Association, always check the laws and guidelines that may pertain to you, to save yourself a lot of time, money and potentially a large headache.
When replacing a fence, it’s also a very good idea to make sure the original fence was correctly set on the property line. This is especially true if you didn’t build the original fence but also a very good idea to do even if you did.
Don’t Get Zapped!
Even if you plan to replace a fence in the same spot as the old fence it’s also an excellent idea and a very good practice to contact your utility company to make sure you don’t run the risk of hitting any pipes or electrical wires when you dig. You Dig?!? LOL, see how I did that?
Considerations When Purchasing a New Fence
When purchasing your new fence, I encourage you to give your old fence a good hard look and decide how well it held up over the amount of time it was up. For example, if you need to replace a wood fence due to rot and it has only been up for a short amount of time, it may not be a good idea to put up another wood fence.
Without getting too technical, you would already know that wood fences may not be a good idea to put on your property. However, not all wood is created equal, so it may be a matter of the quality of wood that was used the first time. So, doing a little research will go a long way.
Plan for the Future
When replacing your fence, now is a good time to take into consideration any changes to your family or any anticipated changes may affect your fencing needs. Some of the changes that could potentially affect the type of fence you’ll need include:
- Recently got a dog or another animal.
- Children born or you intend to start a family.
- Nosey neighbor moved in.
- Hot neighbor moved in.
- You’re doing some major landscaping.
There are several different things you’ll want to take into consideration when the time comes to replace your existing fence. One of the most important (second to your neighbourhood’s zoning laws or community laws) is how well your original fence held up and why you need to replace it in the first place.
If you’re replacing the fence because it just plain wore out, you need to figure out why and how you can do things differently so you get the most time and quality out of your new fence.
Even though everything eventually wears out, it’s obviously very important to get the most fence for your money. A little research and planning will make sure you do.
