Prep Work For Installing A New Fence

Try to Obtain a Plat

Getting a plat is the first and one of the most critical steps in prepping your yard for your new fence. A plat is a map that was drawn up for your neighborhood at the time of its construction. This map is crucial for figuring out property boundary lines. Even in places where a plat is not required, having one can help avoid any property boundary disputes down the line.

Secure All Necessary Permits

As with any other home construction project, you need to be sure that you have your permits in order before starting any work on a new fence. It’s important to note that only a homeowner or their licensed contractor can apply for a permit. Most locations require a plat to verify boundary lines and grant that homeowner or contractor the requested permit.

Clean Out Your Entire Yard

Yard maintenance is crucial any time of year, but especially so when you’re getting ready to install a new fence. Old toys, debris, or garbage in your yard can delay the overall installation, costing you more money. After you’ve cleared out the trash, be sure to move all furniture and ornaments away from where construction will take place.

Stake Your Property Line

Once you’ve confirmed the exact boundaries of your yard using a plat, gotten all the proper permits, and cleaned your yard, it’s time to stake your property line. While the plat itself will help quite a bit in determining these boundaries, you’ll also want to find the original stakes that were set up in your yard.

You might be able to find these stakes if they’re still sticking out of the ground, but if your home is older or the ground has shifted over the years, you might need to use a metal detector. Once you’ve found the original stakes, you can set up new, more visible ones for your contractor to follow.

Stake the Line for Your New Fence

Now that your property line is staked, you need to similarly stake your fence line. If you’re installing your fence directly on your property line (and if your neighbor approves), then you can skip this step entirely.

With that said, many homeowners find it best to put their fence up just slightly within their property line in order to avoid the potential for property disputes.

Clear Obstructions from Your Fence Line

You’ve already cleaned out your yard, but the next step is to do the detail work along your soon-to-be fence line. The contractor will have to work around things like bushes or trees, but stumps and rocks can be cleared from the lines before the fence is installed.

The fence installer can do this for you, but that will cost you more time and money, so it saves you in the long run to do this step yourself.

Let Your Neighbors Know

As Better Homes & Gardens notes, even if your fence will be inside of your property line, it’s a good idea to discuss your plans with your neighbor to ensure that you stay on good terms. While this is a fence for your yard, it will affect their yard too, so you should be sure to address any concerns they have ahead of time.

Conclusion

Installing a new fence involves much more than putting up posts, backer rails, and pickets. To guarantee longevity, stability, and beauty, you should tackle this simple prep work before starting the installation process. Even better, you can hire a fencing contractor to handle many of these tasks for you.