Decisions to Make Before Your Fence Installation in Leesburg, VA
Getting a professional fence installation in Leesburg, VA is a major investment for a homeowner. It is not a job to rush into. If you are overwhelmed by the choices you have, here are 6 tips that can make your selection a little bit easier.
Decide on a Budget
Your fence will add to the curb appeal and overall worth of your home. That’s a good reason to choose the best you can afford. But don’t mortgage your future for a fence. Make it affordable.
Fencing installation covers a wide range of budgets, from extremely expensive to just enough to keep the kids and pets on your property. Your job is to find the sweet spot within that range.
Chain link fences tend to be the cheapest. Wrought iron is the most expensive. It is also extremely durable, lasting for decades. Wood tends to be somewhere in the middle of the price spectrum. It is affordable, lasts a long time and comes in a wide range of choices. But it needs regular maintenance to stay looking its best.
Be sure to consider how much space you need to protect. If your yard is small, you can afford to invest in more expensive materials and designs. But if you have acreage or even a very large lot, your fence installation costs in Leesburg, VA will be much more expensive. In that case, look at less expensive materials. Even chain link can look nice if it is kept up. Or consider using a mix of materials. Close to the house choose wood. It is more expensive, but you can use it in a small area. For the rest of the yard, especially in the back, you can use chain link.
How Important is Privacy?
Many homeowners want a fence installation in Leesburg, VA because they want a private yard for entertaining, relaxing and to keep the kids and pets away from prying eyes. If this is the case, then you want to look at materials that reduce visibility.
That means chain link isn’t going to work. And at the other end of the price spectrum, cast iron won’t work either. Both have open slats that keep people out but allow them to look into your yard.
Wood fences and composite fences both work well for privacy. The sections can be set close together so no one can see into your yard. Wood is less expensive, but it requires regular upkeep and needs to be replaced about every 15 years. Composite is more expensive upfront but needs little if any maintenance and lasts for decades.
One thing to keep in mind is that fence installation in Leesburg, VA that limited visibility works both ways. People can’t see in, but you can’t see out. If there is beautiful scenery that you can see from a certain spot in your yard, you might want to change the design at that location. Use an open design so you can see out and enjoy the view.
How Much Upkeep is Required?
If your lifestyle is busy, with little time available, you don’t want to spend your weekends doing maintenance on your fence. This is an important consideration when deciding on materials.
Wood requires regular staining, painting, and sealing at least every two to three years. It needs to be replaced every 15 to 20 years. Composite requires almost nothing in the way upkeep. An occasional hosing down will get rid of dirt. It lasts for years without fading, splintering, cracking or warping.
Chain link can corrode and rust if it isn’t kept up. Ornamental and steel fences need very little maintenance. The modern versions, which are based on classic wrought iron, are treated with a coating that makes them impervious to weather extremes and corrosion. These fences are highly expensive, but they last and last.
What Is Your Style Preference?
Your fence is the first thing that passersby see when looking at your property. What do you want it to say about you, your preferences and your lifestyle? Do you like a traditional picket fence? How about a modern fence installation, with a streamlined and uncluttered ornamental fence?
Wood is an all-around design material that can look rustic, modern or traditional. Split-rail fences look wonderful on a farm, adding charm while defining the boundaries. It comes with many add-ons like latticework, finials, post caps and posts that can customize the look of any wood fence.
Composite fencing is made from recycled plastic and wood fibers. It comes in a wide range of styles that mimic traditional wood and other materials. It is eco-friendly and requires no upkeep. It is more expensive to install but pays for itself eventually because it requires no painting, sealing or staining and never cracks or warps. It will last for decades without fading. If you have the money and don’t want to spend time on upkeep, this is a very versatile design material.
Chain link fences are utilitarian. One way to spruce them up is with slats, which also offer privacy. You can buy them with a vinyl covering that adds color and protection to the basic metal underneath.
Ornamental fences are made from cast iron, steel, and aluminum. Cast iron has a long history and is still perceived as a very upscale fence installation material in Leesburg, VA. It lasts for decades, even centuries. Modern versions are treated with a special coating, so little maintenance is required to keep it looking elegant. Traditional cast iron fences had many curlicues and floral designs. More modern versions tend to be streamlined and uncluttered. Both look stylish and up-market.
Aluminum and steel ornamental fence installations in Leesburg, VA often mimic the look of traditional cast iron. They are less heavy than cast iron but look the same. They don’t last quite as long, especially aluminum, but they resist the weather, don’t need a lot of upkeep and can handle many terrains.
Are There Any Restrictions?
Restrictions in design, height, color and materials are the bane of the fence builder’s existence. It is essential to do the research before you start designing the fence of your dreams. You must investigate local zoning regulations and also neighborhood and homeowners associations.
These regulations can specify how high a fence can be, usually a maximum of six feet in back and on the sides, and four feet in the front. If you live on a corner lot, you may need to keep the fence even shorter to ensure sightlines on drivers and to avoid blind curves.
Many HOAs specify the color, design and materials that you can use. Though these rules may seem intrusive, you automatically agreed to them when you bought a home in the area. If you don’t follow the regulations, it is conceivable that you will be required to take down your new fence installation in Leesburg, VA and rebuild it to meet the requirements for zoning and HOAs.
DIY or Professional Installation?
If you are thinking of building the fence yourself, you need to be aware of all that goes into a basic fence installation in Leesburg, VA. You need the right tools, which can be expensive. You need to know how to plan the fence, engineer it and put it up so it will stay up. This is far more complicated than it looks. It means doing a lot of very specific calculations and getting them right. You also need to cut the materials the proper size.
You need to be aware of how much time it takes. If you believe you can put up a full fence installation in Leesburg, VA in two or three weekends, think again. The work is arduous and exacting. Many homeowners find out that it has taken the entire summer, into the fall and on to the following spring. This can interrupt your life, make your family upset and your neighbors irritated.
It is expensive if you need to redo the work. Did you fail to research zone regulations or HOA rules? You might need to take the fence down and rebuild it. That means more material and more time. Some do-it-yourselfers simply give up midway through the process and call a professional fence installation company in Leesburg, VA to do the job. The end result is wasted money.
Trust the Experts
You can hire professionals to begin with, get the work done to deadline and in perfect shape. Pros can do it quickly and stick to a budget because this is what they do for a living. They understand fences from the ground up.
A company like Hal Co can build your fence exactly the way you want for the budget you can afford. The pros at Hal Co have been serving the local community for over three decades. They know everything there is to know about fences, regulations, terrain, budgets and building. Trust your fence installation in Leesburg, VA to people who can do it right the first time.
Hal Co handles a range of outdoor projects, both residential and commercial, including:
- Fences
- Porticos
- Screened porches
- Roofing
- Decks
Call today for a free, no obligation estimate for your fence.