[Mac]

Hey all, Im exploring the idea of adding fence installation to my list of services and was wondering if anyone has done similarly? Do you find that fences are an easy cross sell, like lighting is with landscape installs? Which manufacturers product's have you had the most success with? Thanks for any insights you can share.

[Lanelle]

Mac,
We do fences as part of the landscape plan. We don't seek out 'fence only' jobs because fence companies are going to be more competitive since that is all that they do. But, if we are on site, doing the rest of the landscape, we will include it in a project.
Pressure-treated lumber fences are pretty easy to install.
We have also done the aluminum fencing that looks like wrought iron. It really looks nice installed between brick or stone piers.

[mrusk]

What i found for MY operations i can not install fence as economical as a fence only company. This is mostly due to the fact that we do not do it everyday, and maybe due to the fact that the local fence companies do not want to make as much money as i do. I found thats its better just to sub it out and make a percentage.

Charging my hourly rate to install a fence would lead to a very expensive fence job.

[Cochran]

Lanelle--how hard is it to install the aluminum fencing? I have a project where I need to sub-out a fence company for 100' of aluminum fence and I cannot get any company to return my calls and take me seriously. So, I was contemplating doing that small amount ourselves--we do this sometimes we small runs of wooden privacy fence.

Mac, we've thought about the fence add-on, but have never followed through with it because of time and workload.

[AZTLANLC]

We have installed couple aluminum fences and have found out that Jerrit and Delgard are some of the top choices, I like jerrit a little bit better, installation is easy if you have an auger.
Some contractor I have talked to like to install them using the dry method which we might try next time, other said to use the quick set pre-mix concrete, some companies recommend to dig the hole about 3' depth and put down couple inches of clear gravel before pouring concrete.
The method we use is to make a 3' hole with a 6" auger bit, put down 2-3" stone fill hole about 1/3, cut a 20" lenght 4" drainage pipe and insert it with the post inside fill the inside of the pipe the final concrete should be about 6" below the bottom railing, set the section and next to the other post.
We use 6" auger bit but the final hole is more like 9-10" depending on soil.
We also use the pipe because most manufactures recommend to make the hole wider at the bottom in order for froze not to push the concrete up, but most of the times is harder to accomplish this using an auger and with the soil conditions around my area.

a 100 feet fence is about a day job with 4 guys and auger (note that we have a bobcat mt52 which is similar to a dingo which I think is the perfect machine for this job.

We buy our fences at fencesforless.com you can call them and set up a contractor account and pay less, they have lot's of fences in stock and prices are the best I have found, shipping is free to a commercial address or $100 to residential.

[Stonehenge]

We haven't done the aluminum, but my experience has been that fences are an easy add-on. If you can build a deck, building a fence is a snap. Even if you can't build a deck, building a fence is still a snap. Like Lanelle, we don't seek out fence-only projects; ours are usually part of a larger whole.

[Mac]

Thanks all for your insights. I especially appreciate your response AZTLANLC. Im thinking of putting one in at my house to get production rates and then like you all advise, adding them on to larger projects.

[site]

My profile says Maine, but we are right on the border of New Hampshire, and most of our work is in New Hampshire. "The Granite State" isn't just a nickname. There is a rock in every hole. Augers bind up on the big ones. Post hole diggers are agonizingly slow. If I could install fences in good soil all the time I would do it for sure. I avoid them here.