The Homeowner’s Guide to Choosing and Installing the Right Fence at the Right Time

Owning a home is a wonderful part of life and there are so many projects that can be done on a home over the years to beautify it. As home trends go, there are many new ideas that have emerged both for interior and exterior work that offer increased enjoyment and beautification.

But a consistent trend that has been around for homeowners for centuries is the use of fencing for a variety of uses. Fencing defines property lines, beautifies yards, provides for privacy and creates sectioned off areas where needed.

The most important aspects for fencing is defining when you need it, where you need it and why you need it. These questions help homeowners decide the best type of fencing for their home improvement project. One of the biggest reason people install fences on side and back yards is for improved privacy. As people define their homes, creating enjoyable yard space that is private can become a priority.

Fencing for Privacy Building and Outside Living Space Creation

Recently, many homeowners have opted for more advanced exterior home improvements through the creation of outside living space. By contrast to a more traditional porch or patio, outside living space is designed to allow homeowners the ability to have a space that can be used to enjoy the fresh elements of the outdoors with more complete entertainment and relaxation space.

This often includes finishing off a patio space with a roof and screened walls or a having a cabana with a screened in area. This outside trend for living space expansion usually has many wonderful amenities that are traditionally reserved for resort living with grills, outside kitchens, fire pits and outside entertainment centres. Additions of gardens and water features such as fountains and streams are also often added.

For people who decide to build these kinds of special outside living spaces or people who want to increase their privacy for outside enjoyment on their property, fencing is a wise addition. While many people like to use shrubs for some property definition and privacy, they are porous and can take years to grow to a level of significant privacy.

Perimeter Fencing

Perimeter Fencing offers a non-porous and immediate resolution to homeowner privacy needs. With a variety of materials and colors to choose from, homeowners can readily define and beautify their private yard space in as little as a week’s time once a proper choice has been made. Wood panel, Trex and vinyl fencing are very popular choices for privacy.

However, it should be noted, most town and city ordinances do not allow this type of fencing in the front yard facing the street. This is because it blocks the view of the home and is aesthetically considered unacceptable for neighborhood living.

Trex fencing is a good choice for people who are looking to have a good privacy fence installed. It offers great details in design and color choices, ensures sturdiness and an eco-friendly composite.

Trex fencing is made up of both wood and plastic materials and comes from recycled materials. It is a new trend in fencing that has many eco-conscious people excited because it has no hazardous chemicals and is made from 95% recycled materials. It also qualifies for LEED points through the U.S. Green Building Council because of the materials and eco-friendly manufacturing process.

Boundary Fencing

For people who are looking at creating fencing for boundary definition, there are even more options to choose from. Boundary definition fencing allows for people to choose shorter fencing options that simply define the outlying boundaries of a yard. They can be as simple as a traditional white picket fencing and similar decorative fencing, or it can be more advanced fencing construction such as wood fence panels, chain link fencing, prefab fencing, split rail fencing and more.

Enclosure fencing that is for specific areas often includes pool fencing and garden fencing. There are a wide variety of different fencing materials and designs for this usage. Most designs offer clear visibility into the area being enclosed so wood panel and vinyl are not often used for this type of use.

Aesthetic Fencing

Aesthetic fencing is often the most advanced type of fencing. These fences are specifically designed to improve the appearance of a home. Traditional white picket fencing is one of the top choices for this. However, other styles including split rail fencing are quite popular for a more rustic look.

In addition to traditional white picket fencing, spaced picket, gothic picket and scalloped picket fencing are also top choices for aesthetic fencing designs. For people who are looking for a bit different look, white rail fencing and wrought iron fence styles offer wonderful alternatives to picket fencing designs. Any of these types of fences are usually acceptable front yard fencing styles in most municipalities across Florida.

Knowing The Best Time to Install Fencing

In Florida, there are a few times a year that are not as conducive to fence installation, this includes peak summer and peak winter months. The peak of summer is generally not the best time for installation because the arid ground is not as sturdy and inclement weather systems can crop up quickly.

Florida ground conditions can be particularly dry in the summer and this can make the proper setting of fencing concrete a little more tenuous. Additionally, from early June through late summer, hurricane, heavy thunderstorm and tornado season are at their peak. This can mean delays and potential damage to fencing if a system strikes before the fence is complete.

Summer is also peak installation season. Because many Floridians have vacation time in the summer months, homeowners often think it is the best time to install fencing. Because of this, fencing orders can be backlogged.

The peak winter months can also be a bit problematic for fence installations. Because January and February can see temperatures at the freezing mark for several days at a time, the ground can freeze making it difficult to get the posts to set properly in the ground.

From late February to early June and from mid-September to mid-December are traditionally the best time for fence installations. These months offer the best weather conditions and the best scheduling opportunities for homeowners.