5 Ways To Prepare Your Yard For A Fence Installation
Whether it's for privacy or security, a fence can increase the value of your home. Installing a new fence requires a bit of landscape preparation to make sure everything goes well.
1. Get a Survey
A property survey is best performed before a new fence is installed, especially if the new fence is not replacing an old one. Accidentally installing a fence into your neighbor's property or across a municipal easement can end up costing you later if you must move the fence. A simple survey will verify the property line and prevent possible neighbor disputes later.
2. Mark Lines
It's not uncommon for underground lines to be near the fence installation area, whether those lines are running to your home or your neighbor's. Gas, water, and even electricity lines can sometimes be located underground. Hitting these with a posthole digger can lead to devastating damage, as is the case with a broken water line, or a dangerous situation, in the event it's a gas line. Call the utility company before installation day so they can mark the lines.
3. Flag Sprinklers
Chances are you want all of the sprinklers inside the fence line with the grass that needs to be watered, and you definitely don't want any sprinkler head sitting just beneath the fence. Take some time to walk around the yard and flag all of the sprinkler heads. Not only will the flags help your installer properly lay out the fence line, but it also ensures that no heads are damaged by the posthole digging and fence installation.
4. Move Plants
Putting in a new fence can result in the disturbance of some of your border landscape plants. Fortunately, you can save the plants for use in other parts of the yard. Shrubs and flowers can usually be moved successfully. Carefully dig around the roots the day before fence installation, then slide the shovel beneath the plant and lift it out of the ground. You can keep it in a pot until the fence is in and then replant it along the fence line, or you can relocate the plant to a new area.
5. Trim Trees
Trees near the proposed fence line can be another challenge during installation, particularly those with branches that droop lower than the proposed height of the fence. Schedule tree pruning prior to fence installation. This way the lower branches can be trimmed off so that the crown is lifted sufficiently to not interfere with the fence installation.
Contact a fence installation service for more assistance.
