 Morgan The owner of a property may have many reasons to build a fence. Here are some that have been mentioned to me: - keeping animals in (dogs mainly)
- keeping neighbors out
- to get more privacy
- reduce noise
- get some wind protection
- beautify the property boundary
In Australia we have a Torrens Cadasta for land definition and it is a legal requirement that you fence your boundaries. It is a fairly silly law these days and is not always enforced but if one neighbor desires a fence then a fence must be built and the cost shared by adjoining neighbors. As a result fences are part of the Australia culture and almost every housing block in Australia is fenced on at least three sides. The main type of fence used is the paling fence. A wooden fence of posts, rails and paling. So how do you build a paling fence that will stand the test of time.
To start with you will need to clear the path along which the fence will run. The path should be wide enough to give you room to work and provide access to your vehicles and tools. In most cases this is simply a 6' foot strip of cleared land along the entire proposed path of the fence. If you are building a boundary fence then make sure you know where the boundary is. In Australia you should get a boundary repeg done by a cadastral surveyor. They will redefine the boundary for you and place marks at all bends in the fence line. However if there are existing boundary pegs or an original fence you can simply place your terminating (end posts) in the original post holes. Check the boundary definition for any bends in the fence and replace posts at these points also. You need to get this part of building the fence right as a fence placed in the wrong spot is and expensive thing to move. Have a strategy to deal with the cleared materials from along the fence line. With an existing fence you are going to have to remove the old post, paling and wire. Most often there will be some vegetation material, rocks and dirt to move or remove as well. A good strategy is to take this rubbish to the local transfer station (trash depot) but be aware that most will NOT take wire. You will need to consider the time and cost of transporting and disposing of these materials. Clearing the fence line is simple but time consuming if you don't have the right equipment. Mechanical help is very handy and for a large job a bulldozer, bobcat or small excavators is the most cost effective way to clear the fence line. For smaller jobs a brush cutter (with steel blade), a chainsaw, crowbar and spade will do. Use the brush cutter to clear both sides of the existing fence line. Be careful of steel posts and loose wire. Cut out sections of the old wooden fence with the chainsaw to a managable size. The sections between posts are a good size but be careful of nails, bolts and all metal objects. These are very hard on your chain and a blunt chainsaw will make the job much longer. If the existing fence has wooden posts the simplest thing is to cut the posts off at the base with the chainsaw, especially if they have been concreted into the ground. Remember you will want to replace the end posts and any bend posts. Its often easier to remove a post if you have something to hang on to when pulling it out of the ground so don't cut these off just yet. Roll up any wire and stack fence sections and old post ready for removal. Dig up the old end posts and bend posts with the spade and crowbar. It the hardest part of the jobs but has to be done if your are to replace the fence directly over the boundary. Once thats done the fence line is clear ready to start erecting the new fence.
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