When it comes to installing a fence, it is vital to do some pre-planning to ensure everything runs smoothly and finishes looking great. One of the most important steps is laying out an exact outline of where you will place your fence. Follow these instructions to create a visual representation of where your fence location before installation. This will help prevent unexpected issues and additional fees.
Your property likely has private utility lines hidden underground. The installer of the fence will be liable for any damages that may occur during construction. The best course of action is to contact the utility companies and have them come to your property to mark the exact location of the lines. Depending on your location there may be an independent company that handles this, for example in Minnesota, Gopher State One will be the company responsible for this.
You will need to know your exact limits where you can and cannot build, this means determining your exact property lines. You can locate property pins in the exact corners of your lot. When connected with a straight line they show your precise property lines. You may need a metal detector to locate them, or you can contact a certified surveyor. A surveyor will also be able to mark any locations, such as natural water drainage, where you cannot build. Many installation companies will require pins exposed at the time of construction.
Different locations will have specific regulations when it comes to fencing. This includes aspects like height, distance from property lines, design restrictions, or areas where you can or cannot build. Familiarizing yourself with these laws and regulations will make sure you are not subject to fines or forced to change your fence after its already built.
Decide on a fence design before placing anything. Certain designs can only have posts set so far apart, otherwise the fence may become unstable. Knowing what you’re working with is vital, without the right information your plot could be useless.
Drawing out your plan on paper will help when it comes to plotting your fence, and is even required for a fencing permit in some locations. This is another good way to get a good idea of your prospective fence before committing to anything or putting too much work in. If you use a certified surveyor to locate your property lines, they should be able to provide you with a plan to start with.
Required Tools:
Start by using furring strips and screws to create batter boards. These will be placed at the corners of your intended fence layout, so you can attach strings in latter steps. Put the furring strips together in a way that there is a stake at the bottom and a horizontal cross piece at the top. Batter boards are convenient because you can simply rotate them or slide your string if needed, without having to move the whole stake.
Begin at one corner of your property and drive the stake into the ground at this point which will be the beginning marker to build the rest of the layout from. From this corner peg you want to attach a piece of string to it, which tell of the exact line where your fence line will end up. Leave a little slack in the string to attach your post markers.
Do not use your actual property pins unless you have made an agreement with a neighbor to build a boundary fence. Measuring from your property pins however will help ensure your fence corners are equal to each other.
Once your corners are connected with string, use a square measure or something like a piece of paper to ensure your lines are perpendicular. Slide the string across the horizontal line on your batter boards or twist the stake for smaller differences.
There should be two batter boards on the corners placed side-to-side, which will make the square angle more apparent. With one batter board, the fence will not be installed exactly since two posts are placed at the corners.
Measure the entire distance between your corners. Determine how many posts fit within this area, this may take a little math. If one panel has to be shorter than the others to match your property, consider shortening more than one panel to make it appear more even. You may even want to shorten your entire fence line to match or lengthen it if you can. Or consider adding a gate to make up for odd distances.
Measure one post location at a time. Take into account the difference between the width of your marker and the post that will be there. For instance if you are using 1 inch stakes and your posts are 4 inches wide, you will want to place your stake in the center of the area the post will cover.
Once it is placed, use the slack you left in the string to loop around your stake. Make sure the loop goes the same way on each stake. If not, your line will move side to side the width of your stake, making your placement seem wrong when it isn’t.
The sections should not be closer than two feet, so measure all distances between your post markers again. Double checking cant hurt, and may even uncover a mistake.
Plan to have any partial sections closer to the corners of your plan, or even by a gate.
Take a look from the end of each fence line. This will allow you to see if any of your stakes are not exactly in line. If any are out of place your string line will look wavy. It will be easy to tell which stakes need to be moved slightly in or out.
Checking to make sure the entire plan is square can be vital to avoid a wonky fence once constructed in place.
Here’s a sure-fire way to check your square angles.
Now that you have your fence plan physically laid out, the next steps for fence installation will be much easier. Maintenance after the fence installed will benefit from this layout because of the concrete right angles and correct spacing, guaranteeing the fence is perched securely and exactly. Finally, it’s time to dig your posts and begin construction.