Aluminum Fence Installation Process
Lay Out The Fence Lines
Sounds easy enough! The residential aluminum fence installation is based on the aluminum fence sections that are 6′ in length. So, you want to try and keep your fence line of aluminum fencing in multiples of 6′. A 42′ line of aluminum fencing fits well, whereas a 47′ line will require 49′ of fence to cover that line. Remember to install gates away from the house a few feet so gate posts will not run into the house’s concrete footers. Sometimes the footers (the concrete foundations the block is set on ) are overpoured and will extend out past the outside walls for up to two feet.
Drill Out The Holes
Once you have the fence lines laid out on the property, it is time to start drilling the post holes. Set your auger for the depth of the fence post, leaving the fencing about 2″ off the ground. You can always push the post down a little if needed to align horizontally after installation. Set the corner post first and work with a straight string line towards the other corner. You will set each post separately and then insert the aluminum into the post. Make sure the post and section are plumb and level, then backfill the hole with dry concrete (or thick wet concrete) and tamp down tight. Leave about 4″ shallow at the top of the post hole and backfill with dirt so as not to leave a concrete collar around the post.
Short Sections
No matter how hard we try, you are always going to end up with a short section! This is a section of fence that is less than the 6′ aluminum fence panel length. Installing this panel is simple. Insert the section into the last line post and mark with a carpenter pencil on the other end of the aluminum fence section about 3/4″ past the inside of the corner post. Notch the rail’s top, middle, and bottom 3/4″ for insertion into the corner post. Insert the last post into the section and concrete backfill.
That is all there is to it! If you are like me, you like to know how something is done and are just not really into actually doing the installation. If that is you, give us a call and let us quote you for your aluminum fencing!
