Top 10 Wood Fence Questions To Ask Your Contractor

How a fence contractor can save over $262,000.00 a year

AT YOUR EXPENSE!

WOW! We have updated our free checklist to 34 Tough Contractor Questions and now it is in a downloadable and printable form, so you can compare and check off 3 competitors. What if they don’t want to answer your questions, are too busy, or don’t know the answers? Then skip that BAD CONTRACTOR and choose one that will work with you and recognize that they work FOR you!


Are you purchasing a wood fence for the backyard to keep in the children, contain pets, or just need some privacy from the neighbors? You may have a few questions to ask your potential contractor. Do you have the tough questions ready to ask? And do you know what the answers SHOULD BE from a quality contractor?[separator top=”40″ style=”none, single, double, dashed, dotted, shadow”]

How a fence contractor can save  over $262,000.00 a year

AT YOUR EXPENSE!

TOP 10 WOOD FENCE QUESTIONS – FOUNDATION CONCRETE 

Are you getting the real thing or a batch mix of guesswork off a trailer?  Concrete is the foundation for your fence. If the concrete is not mixed correctly, the batch will be bad. If the concrete has inferior parts, the batch will be bad. To ensure the integrity of the concrete and your post foundation footer, always ask for PREMIXED 100% BAGGED CONCRETE for your installation!!! Why would a contractor mix a batch of gravel on the back of the truck? IT’S CHEAPER! Why take chances? Insist on 100% concrete! If your contractor doesn’t care about the longevity of your fence and cuts corners here…where else is he cutting corners?  AND… here is how they cut corners: Set concrete on ALL 4 sides or only 3 sides? Dirt from the post installation – who is responsible for that mess? Yes, you have a NEW FENCE in the backyard, but did the contractor leave piles of red clay next to your posts?  Are your children and pets tracking in all that red clay? ASK – WHAT ABOUT THE DIRT FROM THE POST CLEANUP?

Fencing contractors can save BIG MONEY by mixing their own concrete about $4.00 per post. That is your foundation support, and they’re saving over $20,000 over a year!

TOP 10 WOOD FENCE QUESTIONS – WOOD FENCE POSTS

TOP 10 WOOD FENCE QUESTIONS

TERMITE INFESTED CEDAR FENCE – BRACED TO STAND

Will they last? Here is the thing about wood posts: In the Southern States, especially here in East Tennessee, they WILL BE ATTACKED BY TERMITES. It’s not a question of IF they will be attacked, but when, how soon, and how much damage will occur.  East Tennessee is in the TERMITE BELT!  The ONLY WOOD POSTS TO SURVIVE TERMITES IN THE TERMITE BELT are WOOD POSTS SPECIFICALLY TREATED FOR TERMITES!  Other fence post materials such as spruce, fir, cedar, Chinese cedar, Atlantic cedar, white cedar, red cedar, cedar cedar — you get the gist — will have a 5-7 year life on average! That means that if you do not use POSTS THAT ARE TREATED FOR TERMITES your new fence will be FALLING OVER in 5-7 years if you live in the termite belt.  If your contractor doesn’t care about the longevity of your fence and cuts corners here…where else is he cutting corners?

Why would a contractor use an inferior wood post that has not been chemically treated and warranted for termites?  SAVES MONEY at YOUR EXPENSE!!  

Estimated savings for fencing contractors using wood posts not chemically treated for termites are about $2 per post. Over a year that can save the average fencing contractor over $10,000!  Is it illegal? No. Is it unethical? Yes, knowing you are installing a product that will decay rapidly.

TOP 10 WOOD FENCE QUESTIONS – WOOD FENCE NAILS

Nails for wood fencing… How many nails per backing rail? The backing rails are the support framework for your fence. Backing rails are the horizontal pieces (usually 2″x4″) attached to the wood post. If your fence contractor is only using ONE NAIL to hold in your backing rail (which supports the fence), that is shorting the job! You need two nails on each end of the 2″ x 4″ backing rail for proper strength. Why would a contractor use only ONE NAIL to attach the fence rail to the post?  SAVES MONEY at YOUR EXPENSE!! Doesn’t sound like much, but to a contractor, that second nail can save over $4,000 over a year!

Wood picket fences should have TWO NAILS per BACKING RAIL for proper support. By only using a SINGLE nail on the middle backing rail, fencing contractors can save over $1,000 over a year!

Ring shank nails vs smooth shank nails.  Ring shank will grip and hold the lumber, while smooth nails will pull out, which saves the fencing contractor $1,000 over a year!!!

Galvanized vs interior nails…another $1,000 over a year! How do you know? Look at some of the contractor fences you are considering, and then look at how well the construction is holding up after 2-5 years. After all, that will be you in 2-5 years.

Cedar fences have highly corrosive acids in the lumber and the best nails to use are stainless steel nails. Contractors not using stainless steel nails in cedar lumber will have nails rusting out very quickly! By not using stainless nails for a cedar fence, a contractor saves over $25,000 during a year.

TOP 10 WOOD FENCE QUESTIONS – WOOD FENCE PICKETS

This is a huge area for bait and switch fencing contractors: Thickness of the pickets, whether or not treated for termites and warranted against termites.

Cedar fencing is the worst for bait and switching. Cedar has multiple grades for the same picket, ranging in price from 30 cents on the low grade (loose knots, some bark allowed) to $3.25 on the high end (clear, no knots). Savings for the contractor here are astronomical! An average customer thinks they are getting a quality western red cedar #1-grade fence, but receives a “cedar fence with cypress.” They will see a difference of $2,000 per project!!!

That is $2,000 per job a cedar fencing contractor can pocket at your expense!!!

On this cedar bait and switch, the customer has little recourse. The contract does specify cedar, just not what kind of cedar, grade of cedar, or warranty for cedar (there is no warranty). Over a year, this could save the cedar fencing contractor $200,000.

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