If you’ve been thinking about adding a fence around your home, you’ve probably been considering whether you should pay to have it professionally installed, or save some money and start a DIY project. There are certainly pros and cons to each option, so it’s important to weigh them out.
DIY Fence Installation
Cons:
One thing to remember is when you go into a DIY fencing project, you must not only pay for and find the right materials, but you are also paying for the time it takes you to learn to put together the fence and execute the process itself. Particularly those who are new to DIY home projects may underestimate the time it takes to complete the project in full. This is why most homeowners, especially those with little to no carpentry-like experience will opt for a paid contractor service. The less experience you have, the more difficult it will be to complete the project successful within a given timeframe. For many new DIYers, the money they thought they would be saving is lost out in the long run.
Local ordinances may also require a permit to build a fence, and housing associations could require board approval and may also have the ability to determine which material or colors are allowed to be used. Other considerations that DIYers may not be aware of are property lines and land surveys, and topography of land and ground composition. While DIY kits are available for homeowners to get started, they don’t include how-tos on ways to install correctly given all of the different factors or include the hardware necessary for improvised installation.
Pros:
Of course, the obvious advantage for installing a home fence without paid help could be the savings cost. As previously mentioned, the only way this occurs is if the fixed cost for supplies needed (including those factored in for correctional materials) is truly less than hiring a fence installation contract company to install it for you.
The other pro for installing a fence on your own is the ability to completely customize the fence on your own. While many professional fence contractors have the ability to work within your specifications of your design, some only offer fixed patterns found within a catalog. Straight Line Fence is one of the few companies in the area to provide fully customized fence design. All of our wood fences are custom built on-site which gives you the ability to dream and design your own exquisite boundary. Again, the amount of time it will take you to customize the pattern, shape, and color will be dependent upon your skill level with DIY projects including the digging, board cutting (if it’s a wood fence), painting and constructing. However, you still have full range to customize your fence from start to finish as you see fit.
One other pro that probably reins true with those who choose the DIY route for their fence installation is that installing your own presents the homeowner with a challenge. Whether you are an experienced DIYer or not, building your own fence for your own home is something you can take pride in regardless of cost savings or not.
Contractor Installation
Cons:
Of course, the biggest concern for most homeowners when choosing for a contracting company to install their fence is affordability. While affordability is relative and ranges from homeowner to homeowner, there are definitely solutions and options out there for every type of homeowner looking to outsource this job.
While not everyone may feel the same way, some homeowners may view selecting having a contractor install the fence for them as a lost opportunity to try their hand at a DIY project that the would view every day. Especially for younger homeowners, many young couples view a fence installation project for their new home as a fun challenge to take on together.
Pros:
By far, the biggest pro for having a contractor install your home fence on your behalf is that it saves on the time of labor. Even if you are confident in your ability to correctly install the fence on your own, you still have to put in the hard labor and time that is needed for a successful end product. For some installations, that is either not possible or is considered worth the price of a contractor regardless.
The other huge positive factor in selecting a contractor for fence installation is that they are guaranteed to install it correctly. Looks can be deceiving and even if your fence that you put up yourself looks secure, it may not be properly in place in all areas leaving opportunity for storm damage or animal entry and damage possible.
The last, but certainly not least pro to having a contractor install your fence for you is that they will install the fence with the specifications and quality material you chose in a timely manner. Professionals can have your fence up in a matter of days depending on the project.
